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Title: Regulations for Importation of Dogs or Cats into Taiwan Ch
Date: 2013.12.04
Legislative: Promulgated by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection
and Quarantine, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan on 14
February 2003
Amendment by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection
and Quarantine, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan on 18
February 2005
Amendment by the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan on 4
December 2013
Content:

(In case of any discrepancy between the English version and the
Chinese text of these Requirements, the Chinese text shall govern.)

Article 1
This set of regulations is established pursuant to Article 34-1
paragraph 1 of the “Statute for Prevention and Control of
Infectious Animal Disease”.


Article 2
Terms used in this set of regulations are defined as follows:
1.Rabies-free countries/zones and rabies-infected countries/zones:
  these are referred to the "List of Infectious Animal Diseases-free
  and Disease Infected Countries (Zones)" promulgated by the
  competent authority of this Country pursuant to Article 33 of the
 “Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease”.
2.The inactivated vaccine: a vaccine made from killed viruses (
 or bacteria) and biotechnology-derived subunit antigens, killed
 viruses, killed bacteria, recombinant protein or un-replicable
 gene vectors.
3.The disaster: it is referred to Article 2 of "Disaster Prevention
  and Protection Act".
4.The authorities of disaster prevention and protection: they are
 the Central Regulating Authorities which is referred to the
  Articles 3 of "Disaster Prevention and Protection Act", and the
  Regulating Authorities which is referred to the Article 4 of "
  Disaster Prevention and Protection Act".
5.The rescue dog: the dog is trained to assist in search and
  rescue in the disaster area.
6.The visually impaired: the people defined by the item 2 of
  Article 5 of “People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act”.
7.The guide dog: the dog is referred to the “regulations of
  qualification and management for the guide dogs and puppies”,
  or the dog with certificate which is issued by the training
  agency approved by the International Guide Dog Federation.


Article 3
The dog or cat for importation shall meet the following requirements:
1.The dog or cat is at least 90 days old; and
2.The dog or cat shall have been vaccinated with inactivated
  vaccines against rabies within the time period between 30 days to
  1 year prior to shipment.
3.When the dog or cat is imported from rabies-infected countries/
  zones, it shall be subjected to rabies neutralization antibody
  titer test.  The date of blood sampling shall be within the
  time period between 180 days to 1 year prior to shipment.  The
  test shall be done by the rabies reference laboratories of the
  World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) or the laboratories
  designated by the animal quarantine authority of this Country.
  The laboratories shall issue the report attesting that the titer
  of rabies neutralization antibody is at least 0.5IU/ml.  If the
  blood sampling has been done before export of the dog or cat from
  this Country, the time requirement of blood sampling of at least
  180 days prior to the importation can be exempted.


Article 4
The importer shall apply for the import permit for the dog or cat
from animal quarantine authority at the port of entry at least 20
days prior to shipment. It is not applicable to the importer who
has applied for the import permit prior to the previous exportation
of the dog or cat from this Country.
Before importing the dog or cat from rabies-infected countries/zones,
the importer shall apply for the post-entry quarantine space in the
quarantine facility to the animal quarantine authority at the port
of entry.  Until the quarantine space is secure, the dog or cat
will not be allowed to enter.  When the competent authorities of
disaster prevention and protection import rescue dogs or the visually
impaired import their corresponding guide dogs from a rabies-infected
country/zone, they may apply to the animal quarantine authority for
these dogs to be quarantined at designated premises referred to as
stated in paragraph 2 of Article 34-1 of the “Statute for Prevention
and Control of Infectious Animal Disease”.


Article 5
Applying for an import permit, the importer shall submit a completed
application form and photocopies of the following documents:
1.Veterinarian-issued certificate of vaccination against rabies
  is indeed inactivated vaccine;
2.Civil identification card of the importer.  If the importer is
  not a resident and thus not registered in Taiwan, the other
  personal identification documents shall be provided;
3.The certificates or other proving documents of visual impairment
  and the certificates of the guide dog, only applicable to the
  import of the guide dogs by the visually impaired; and
4.The report of rabies neutralization antibody titer test which
  is in compliance with item 3 of Article 3, only applicable to
  the dog or cat from rabies-infected country/zones.
The rabies vaccination certificate shall be in Chinese or English
and state the breed, sex, age, microchip number and date of vaccination.
If the documents are not in compliance with paragraph 1 and paragraph
2 of this Article or the rabies vaccination is not in compliance
with item 2 of Article 3, the import permit shall not be issued.
If the scheduled date of entry needs to be changed after the import
permit is issued, the importer shall submit an application with a
photocopy of the original import permit and apply to the authority
of original issuance for the change before the expiry date of the
original import permit.


Article 6
Upon arrival of the dog or cat at the port of entry, the importer
shall apply to the animal quarantine authority for quarantine
inspection and submit the original import permit, original veterinary
certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting
country, photocopy of bill of lading, photocopy of airway bill or
custom declaration form.


Article 7
For importation of the dog or cat from rabies-infected countries
/zones, the veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine
authority of exporting country shall state the following information
in Chinese or English:
1.The series number of the import permit (otherwise the photocopy
  of the import permit shall be provided);
2.Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog or cat;
3.Date of vaccination against rabies, which is in compliance with
  item 2 of Article 3;
4.No clinical signs of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog or
  cat; and
5.The result of the rabies neutralization antibody titer test which
  shall be at least 0.5 IU/ml, date of sampling and name of laboratory.
  Otherwise the original report of rabies neutralization antibody
  titration test shall be provided.


Article 8
For importation of the dog or cat from rabies-free countries/zones,
the veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority
of exporting country shall state the following information in Chinese
or English:
1.The series number of import permit (otherwise the photocopy of
  the import permit shall be provided);
2.Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog or cat;
3.Date of vaccination against rabies, which is in compliance with
  item 2 of Article 3;
4.No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog or
  cat;
5.No case of rabies in the exporting country for the past 2 years;
  and
6.The dog or cat has been raised in the exporting country continuously
  for at least 6 months prior to shipment or since birth.


Article 9
In response to the needs of rescue during a disaster in this Country,
the importation of rescue dogs under the permission of the authorities
of disaster prevention and protection is not subject to the requirements
of item 2 and item 3 of Article 3, and Article 4 to Article 8.
Before importing a rescue dog, the importer shall submit to animal
quarantine authority at the port of entry an application, the
photocopies of the rabies vaccination certificate and the import
permit from the competent authorities of disaster prevention and
protection.  Post-entry quarantine shall be exempted for a rescue
dog imported from or transshipped through rabies-infected countries/zones.
On arrival of a rescue dog at the port of entry, the importer shall
apply to the animal quarantine authority for quarantine inspection
and submit the original veterinary certificate issued by the animal
quarantine authority of exporting country.  If the rescue dog passes
quarantine inspection, the animal quarantine authority at the port
of entry will issue the import veterinary certificate.  The original
veterinary certificate shall state the following information in Chinese
or English:
1.Breed, sex, age and microchip number of the rescue dog;
2.Dates of rabies vaccination with inactivated vaccines; and
3.No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the rescue dog.
After the rescue dog is imported, if necessary, the animal inspection
 authority of the prefecture in the disaster area and the animal
quarantine authority may send officers to inspect the rescue dog.


Article 10
When the rescue dog or guide dog is scheduled for re-import within
3 months after being exported from this Country, the importer shall
submit an application and the photocopy of the export veterinary
certificate of this Country to the animal quarantine authority at
the port of entry for a import permit application.  The requirements
of Article 3, paragraph 1 of Article 4, and Article 5 to Article
8 shall be exempted for such dogs.
Upon arrival of such rescue dog or guide dog at the port of entry,
the importer shall apply to the animal quarantine authority for
quarantine inspection and submit a photocopy of the export veterinary
certificate of this Country and the original veterinary certificate
issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country.
The original veterinary certificate mentioned in paragraph 2 of
this Article shall state the following information in Chinese or
English:
1.Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the rescue dog or guide
  dog.
2.No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the rescue
  dog or guide dog.
When the rescue dog or guide dog mentioned in the first paragraph
of this Article is imported from rabies-infected countries/zones
or transshipped through rabies-infected countries/zones, a post-entry
quarantine period of 21 days is required.  The post-entry quarantine
may be exempted if the requirements of Article 3 are met.


Article 11
For re-import of the dog or cat that has been exported from this
Country to a rabies-free countries/zones for less than 6 months,
the importer shall apply for an import permit at least 20 days
prior to shipment and submit an application with the photocopy
of documents referred in paragraph 1 of Article 5 and the photocopy
of the export veterinary certificate of this Country to the animal
quarantine authority at the port of entry.
The importer shall also apply for quarantine inspection on arrival
of the re-imported dog or cat in accordance with Article 6.  The
veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority
of the exporting country which is accompanied with the re-imported
dog or cat shall be in compliance with item1 to item 5 of Article
8, and attest that "The dog (cat) never traveled to a third country
since it arrived in this Country".


Article 12
When making quarantine inspection of the dog or cat imported from
rabies-infected countries/zones, animal quarantine authority at
the port of entry shall check the veterinary certificate issued
by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country and detain
the dog or cat at the designated post-entry quarantine premises
for 21 days.  The animal quarantine authority should not issue an
import veterinary certificate until the dog or cat is confirmed
free from suspicion of any infectious animal diseases.


Article 13
The following are applicable to the dog or cat imported from
rabies-infected countries/zones:
1.If the dog or cat is not accompanied with an original veterinary
  certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting
  country, it shall be detained at the port of entry until the
  correct certificate is provided before due date, otherwise the
  dog or cat shall be rejected or destroyed.
2.If the information attested in the veterinary certificate is not
  in compliance with item 2 to item 5 of Article 7, the dog or cat
  shall be detained at the port of entry until the correct information
  is provided before the due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall
  be rejected, detained at the designated post-entry quarantine
  premises for 180 days or destroyed.
3.If the rabies vaccination is not in compliance with item 2 of
  Article 3, the dog or cat shall be rejected, given a booster
  vaccination with one dose of inactivated rabies vaccine and
  detained at the designated post-entry quarantine premises for 30
  days, or destroyed.
4.If the date of blood sampling for rabies neutralization antibody
  titer test is less than 180 days prior to shipment, the dog or
  cat shall be rejected, detained at the designated post-entry
  quarantine premises for 180 days or destroyed.
5.If the dog or cat is not implanted with a microchip, it shall
  be rejected, destroyed or implanted with a microchip immediately
  after arriving at the designated post-entry quarantine premises
  and detained in the premises for 180 days.


Article 14
When making quarantine inspection of the dog or cat imported from
rabies-free countries/zones, the animal quarantine authority at
the port of entry shall check the veterinary certificate.  The
animal quarantine authority should not issue an import veterinary
certificate until the veterinary certificate complies with Article
3 and Article 8, and the dog or cat is confirmed free from suspicion
of notifiable infectious animal diseases.


Article 15
The following are applicable to the dog or cat imported from
rabies-free countries/zones, any violation shall be treated as
follows:
1.If the dog or cat is not accompanied with an original veterinary
  certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting
  country, it shall be detained at the port of entry until the
  correct certificate is provided before the due date, otherwise
  the dog or cat shall be rejected or destroyed.
2.If the information attested in the veterinary certificate is not
  in compliance with item 2 to item 6 of Article 8, the dog or cat
  shall be detained at the port of entry until the correct information
  is provided before the due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall
  be rejected, detained at the designated post-entry quarantine
  premises for 21 day or destroyed.
3.If the dog or cat is transshipped through rabies-infected
  countries/zones, it shall be in compliance with one of the followings
  otherwise the dog or cat shall be rejected, detained at the designated
  post-entry quarantine premises for 21 days or destroyed:
(1)The cage shall be sealed by the authority of the exporting country,
   the number or mark of seal shall be attested in the veterinary
   certificate.
(2)The importer shall provide the relevant certificate(s) issued
   by the authority of animal quarantine, custom, airline or shipping
   company.  The certificate shall attest that the dog or cat never
   leaves the airport or harbor, and never contacts other animals.
4.If there is the suspicion that the dog or cat may be infected
  with notifiable infectious animal diseases on arrival, the dog
  or cat shall be detained in designated post-entry quarantine
  premises for quarantine until suspicion is dissolved.
5.If the vaccination is not in compliance with item 2 of Article
  3 on arrival, the dog or cat shall be detained at the designated
  post-entry quarantine premises until 30 days has elapsed since
  last vaccination.
6.If the dog or cat is not implanted with a microchip, it shall
  be rejected, destroyed or implanted with microchip immediately
  after arriving at the designated post-entry quarantine premises
  and detained in the premises for 180 days.


Article 16
If the dog or cat imported from rabies-infected countries/zones
is under 90 days of age at the time of arrival, it shall be
detained for quarantine and given a vaccination against rabies
with inactivated vaccine at the age of 90 days.  The animal
quarantine authority should not issue the import veterinary
certificate, until 180 days has elapsed since the vaccination
and the dog or cat is confirmed free from suspicion of notifiable
infectious animal diseases.
If the dog or cat imported from rabies-free countries/zones is
under 90 days of age at the time of arrival, it shall be detained
for quarantine and given a vaccination against rabies with inactivated
vaccine at the age of 90 days.  The animal quarantine authority should
not issue the import veterinary certificate, until 30 days has elapsed
since the vaccination and the dog or cat is confirmed free from
suspicion of notifiable infectious animal diseases.


Article 17
The animal quarantine authority shall designate a quarantine
officer to escort the dog or cat to the designated post-entry
quarantine premises.  The escort may be waived for rescue dogs
or guide dogs.
The animal quarantine authority may delegate the transportation
mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Article to the relevant organization,
agency, or corporation.
The expenditure for the transportation mentioned in paragraph 1
of this Article shall be borne by the importer.  If necessary,
the importer may provide vehicle for transportation under the
approval of the animal quarantine authority.


Article 18
The following are applicable to the dogs or cats in the post-entry
quarantine premises:
1.The result of the re-test of rabies neutralization antibody titer
  is less than 0.5 IU/ml, the dog or cat shall be given a boost
  vaccination.
2.If more than a year has elapsed since last vaccination, the dog
  or cat shall be given a boost vaccination.
3.If the parturition of imported animals takes place in the post-entry
  quarantine premises, the maternal animal and her offspring shall
  be detained together until the vaccination of the offspring is
  in compliance with item 2 of Article 3, and the detention of
  maternal animal has met the requirements.  The offspring shall
  be implanted with a microchip before vaccination.
4.If the animal is suffering, or suspected of suffering from
  infectious animal diseases, the quarantine officer shall take
  actions immediately.
If there is suspicion that the dog or cat may be infected with
notifiable infectious animal diseases, the detention period shall
be extended and the import veterinary certificate should not be
issued until suspicion is dissolved.


Article 19
The costs for detention, medical treatment, sampling/examinations,
microchip implantation, vaccination, destroy of the imported dogs
or cats and other precautionary measures as deemed necessary during
quarantine shall be borne by the importer.


Article 20
This set of regulations becomes effective on 1st June 2014.