Your China export pathway

Taking a dog or cat to mainland China needs a plan that connects the veterinary paperwork with the person travelling, the airline and the arrival airport. Sorting out only the final health certificate leaves important questions unanswered.

This guide follows the accompanied personal-pet pathway from Great Britain. It is not a blanket route for unaccompanied cargo, commercial movements, ferrets or travel to Hong Kong or Macau. Give us the full itinerary at the start, especially if your pet will stop in another country.

Which certificate and travel arrangement apply?

The current UK certificate for eligible accompanied pet dogs and cats is Export Health Certificate 8902. APHA’s older dog certificate 2929 and cat certificate 6715 are on hold and direct eligible travellers to 8902. Use the current certificate and its Notes for Guidance together, rather than copying an old relocation checklist.

The guidance is for one dog or cat accompanying each adult traveller per entry. If one person wants to travel with two pets, or the animal is travelling without the accompanying person, do not assume that a second certificate solves the problem. The route needs confirmation with APHA and the Chinese authorities.

Applications from England, Scotland and Wales use the government’s online EHC service. Discuss the application and certifying vet with us before submitting it. View the current APHA certificate page.

Rabies vaccination: evidence the OV needs

The OV needs reliable evidence of a current rabies vaccination, used according to the manufacturer’s instructions and still valid at export. China also requires the supporting rabies vaccination certificate to accompany the EHC. Send the vaccination dates, vaccine name and type, manufacturer and batch or lot details for review.

Make sure the supporting record identifies the same pet as the microchip documentation. An invoice for a vaccination is not a substitute for the full clinical vaccination record. Where another practice gave the vaccine, obtain a clear certificate or veterinary record before the export visit.

Does my pet need a rabies blood test?

For entry into China: the UK appears on China’s designated-country list. The published accompanied-pet pathway for designated countries does not routinely require the rabies antibody report that applies to non-designated origins. A readable microchip, correct documents and satisfactory arrival checks remain essential.

For an indirect journey: ask the arrival authorities how they will classify the itinerary, particularly if your pet enters or stays in a third country before China. A UK starting point alone should not be used to guess the treatment of an onward export.

For a future return to Britain: the answer can be different. China’s entry rules do not establish your pet’s eligibility to come home. Read the return section before deciding that no blood test is needed.

A practical preparation timeline

First: agree the route before fixing the final vet date. Confirm who will accompany each pet, the intended entry airport and all flight connections. Ask the operating airline about pet acceptance and obtain any written arrival instructions.

Next: review the evidence. Send the microchip and rabies records, passport details, destination address and itinerary. Flag gaps or conflicting information early. Leave time for the issuing practice to supply missing records and for any route-specific preparation.

Then: plan certification around arrival. EHC 8902 states a validity of 14 days after issue. Shanghai Customs guidance also requires the clinical inspection within 14 days before arrival in China. Work backwards from arrival, allowing for flight duration, time zones and any connection. An airline may impose a shorter document window.

Finally: recheck the complete document pack. Confirm the reservation for your pet, the latest flight details and that the original signed certificate and supporting records will travel with the accompanying person. A changed flight can require a fresh timing review.

Build your export document pack

• Pet details: species, breed, sex, date of birth or age, colour and identifying features.
• Microchip evidence: number, implantation details and location. Flag a non-standard chip early so readability can be checked.
• Rabies documentation: the vaccination certificate and supporting history, with legible product details.
• People and addresses: owner details, the accompanying person if different, and the consignee or destination address. The OV must see the relevant human passports and record their numbers.
• Travel details: departure and arrival dates, flight numbers, connection airports, handling arrangements and any written instructions from the arrival authority.
• Additional evidence where applicable: laboratory reports, official correspondence or route-specific approvals. Tell us what has actually been requested rather than assuming every country uses the same checklist.

Flights, connections and the travel crate

Government entry permission and airline acceptance are separate checks. Before paying for a route, confirm the operating carrier’s policy for your pet’s breed, size, age, health and travel container. Ask whether the pet can travel on every sector and what happens during a connection.

Air China, for example, publishes breed and health restrictions and notes that pet carriage depends on suitable aircraft facilities. Its policy should not be assumed to apply to another airline, or even to every aircraft on a multi-sector reservation.

Have the carrier confirm the crate specification and check-in arrangements in writing. Introduce the travel crate well before departure and discuss any health or travel-tolerance concerns with your usual vet. The certification appointment is a poor time to discover that the planned transport is unsuitable.

Arrival checks and the quarantine question

China Customs can exempt eligible pets from the 30-day quarantine requirement when they meet the relevant designated-country conditions and pass the arrival inspection. This is an eligibility pathway, not a guarantee that every pet arriving from Britain will be released immediately.

Where quarantine is required, entry must be through a port with appropriate facilities. Missing documents, an unreadable or absent chip, an unsuitable entry point or a failed inspection can have serious consequences for admission. Confirm the plan with the intended arrival port rather than relying on another owner’s experience.

Ask about any arrival declaration, local dog registration, housing restrictions and onward domestic transport before leaving. These practical arrangements sit alongside the export certificate. If someone is meeting you, give them the arrival details and agree who will help if the flight is delayed.

Planning a return from China to Great Britain

Mainland China is not on Great Britain’s listed-country table. A return journey therefore needs a separate GB entry plan, including an acceptable Great Britain pet health certificate and the rabies blood-test requirements. The outward China EHC is not a return ticket for your pet.

The standard GB blood-test route requires sampling at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, an approved laboratory result of at least 0.5 IU/ml and a three-month wait from sampling before travel. Existing test history can affect the plan, so have the records assessed before departure and do not assume an exemption.

Dogs also need the required veterinary tapeworm treatment before arrival in Great Britain. Discuss the return route, documents and timing with us while you are preparing the outward journey, even if the return is only a possibility. Advance planning can prevent a much longer stay than intended.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting with the appointment instead of the route: the traveller, airline and arrival airport determine what the certificate must support.
• Using an old certificate number: check the active APHA page each time rather than reusing a saved form.
• Confusing a vaccination with a blood test: these are different steps, and the outward and return journeys may need different evidence.
• Counting from departure only: record arrival in China as well as the UK departure time when checking document windows.
• Leaving the return until later: a certificate accepted for China does not establish compliance for Britain.
• Expecting one email to cover all operators: an airline, airport and customs office each deal with different parts of the journey. Keep their written replies with your plan.

Does an AHC cover travel to China?

No. An AHC is the document used for the relevant EU journey; it does not replace China’s export certification. If you travel through France and then fly to China, have both parts of the route reviewed before booking the veterinary appointments. The correct export arrangements depend on where and how the onward journey takes place.

Is a rabies blood test always needed for China?

No single answer fits every itinerary. The designated-country route and the non-designated-country route differ. Share the countries your pet will actually enter, not just your nationality or home address. Separately check whether a future return journey requires testing.

Will you arrange the flights and guarantee entry?

We help with the veterinary certification pathway. Airline reservations, transport acceptance and the final entry decision remain with the relevant operators and authorities. Tell us if you are using a relocation agent so the veterinary and transport plans can be coordinated.

What should I send when asking for a China export appointment?

Start with your pet’s species and breed, number of pets and accompanying adults, proposed travel and arrival dates, all connections and your UK postcode. Add the existing rabies and microchip records. This gives us something specific to review and makes the next steps much clearer.

Arrange your China export review

Contact The Pet Passport Co. before finalising your export appointment. We can review the proposed journey, identify the veterinary records needed and discuss certification availability. If the itinerary falls outside the accompanied-pet route described here, say so at the outset.

Discuss your China export journey and include your destination, route and proposed dates. We will confirm the scope and price for your particular arrangements before the appointment.

Official sources for this pathway

• APHA: current China EHC 8902 and application
• APHA: EHC 8902 Notes for Guidance
• APHA: specimen EHC 8902
• Shanghai Government / Customs: bringing pets to China
• Chinese government: GACC Announcement No. 5 on pet entry
• Air China: pet carriage and entry requirements
• GOV.UK: return documents and country classification
• GOV.UK: rabies blood tests for entry to Great Britain

Sources checked 11 October 2026. This guide describes the accompanied personal-pet pathway to mainland China. Confirm current requirements with the certifying OV, operating airline and intended Chinese entry authority before travel.