Chatting it up! ... How to get three cats from Dallas to Taiwan

One of the other daily tasks around here is a little chat program we have where people can ask all the questions they have about moving their pets. The most recent one was from a student (and very nice person) in Dallas wanting to get her three cats back to Taiwan with her. Here are few helpful tidbits from that chat with her:

Me: Getting your cats to Taiwan would be about a 6-7 month process, they require blood tests, microchipping, and a series of rabies vaccinations in order to get an import permit. Plus, there’s an initial 6 month quarantine time here in the States- that can be completed either at a quarantine facility or at your home in Dallas. Upon arrival in Taiwan, there is also a mandatory 21 day quarantine time there as well. (Side Note: here’s the full list of Taiwan’s import rules and requirements)

Her: I’m sorry, what are the travel crates you mentioned?

Me: Your cats will need airline approved hard plastic travel crates. Each will need their own crate.

Her: ic, I guess I can purchase them online or something, right?

Me: Sure- actually, the easiest way to get them would be to go to your local Petco or Petsmart, and buy them there- so you can actually see them in person and get the help you need to get the right size… Each cat will most likely need the size called “Series 200”, but its always best to see the crate size in person.

Other things to keep in mind when handling a move like this on your own:

• You will need to get the import permit by contacting the Department of Agriculture and Veterinary Services in Taiwan.
• The International Health Certificate needs to be completed by an USDA accredited veterinarian (if coming from the States), and is only valid for 10 days, so needs to be completed within that time span.
• The Health Certificate, the original FAVN and rabies tests results need to be sent to your local USDA for endorsement.
• Pets can fly as “manifest cargo” and everything will be completely safe provided you use a pet-safe airline with an excellent pet-safe policy. This is helpful, because it means you’re not limited to same certain flights and times as your pet will be, you could even use a different airline than your pet- so long as you the arrangements organized once you all get there.

Moving to Taiwan can be tricky, but making sure you plan in advance will make a world of difference in you and your pet’s stress levels.