USABLE CHECKLIST
Save or work through this checklist
- Responsible AQS port office identified
- Arrival port and date recorded
- Pet and importer details reconciled
- Rabies and antibody-test evidence attached when requested
- Submission and AQS response preserved
- Route changes trigger re-confirmation
Treat 40 days as a latest-notification control
Japan AQS requires advance notification to the office responsible for the expected airport or seaport at least 40 days before arrival. This is not the point to begin the entire preparation sequence; the rabies and antibody-test work may need to start much earlier.
Freeze the route facts before submitting
Record the arrival port, date, flight or vessel when known, importer contact, species, number of animals, identification, and the current rabies and antibody-test evidence. If the port is not final, follow AQS instructions for provisional information rather than silently choosing one.
Preserve the AQS response and change process
Keep the submitted notification, attachments, acceptance or approval response, reference number, and contact office together. A material itinerary or port change should reopen the notification control and trigger written confirmation from AQS.
Reconcile notification with the arrival packet
Before travel, compare the notification record with the microchip, vaccinations, antibody result, government certificate, itinerary, owner details, and operating-carrier record. A correct notification does not cure a conflicting certificate.
AUTHORITATIVE STARTING POINTS
Verify the current requirement at the source
COMMON QUESTIONS
How early must I notify Japan about a dog or cat arrival?
For the non-designated-region process, notify the responsible Animal Quarantine Service office at least 40 days before the expected arrival.
Does notification approval replace the health certificate?
No. Notification, government certification, carrier acceptance, and arrival inspection remain separate controls.