South Korea accepts pets through six specific entry points — three separate terminals at Incheon alone, plus Gimhae, Gimpo, and Muan International Airport. Pixel makes friends with every customs officer she meets, and in South Korea she actually gets six different chances to do exactly that, depending on which specific airport the flight ends up landing at.

Bringing a pet to South Korea requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.

How South Korea handles your pet

Key points

  • Republic of Korea (APQA) — a cat or dog whose documents are verified and whose clinical examination is clear is released on the day of arrival; there is no routine quarantine
  • Quarantine is a CONSEQUENCE of non-compliance: an animal without a readable microchip, or aged 90 days or older without a rabies-neutralising antibody titre of 0.5 IU/ml or higher, is held at the owner's expense (APQA gives an average extended period of 10 days)
  • An animal arriving with no government health certificate is refused entry and returned to the exporting country at the owner's cost
  • Two origin-scoped rules apply on top: cats from Australia and cats and dogs from Malaysia need a Hendra and Nipah virus certificate, failing which they are isolated for 21 days; and travellers bringing ten or more cats and/or dogs must file an advance notification with APQA and obtain prior approval to use a quarantine facility
  • Animals under 90 days old, or from a rabies-free area, are exempt from the titre test but must still be microchipped

Downloadable forms

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Microchip · StandardISO 11784/11785verified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Minimum level iu ml0.5verified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test validity months24 monthsverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Approved laboratory required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days0 daysverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Endorsed byGovernment veterinary authority of origin countryverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Noverified 2026-10-04

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-04

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day 0 arrive at customs

Conditional requirements

These rules apply only to some travellers — where the pet is departing from, where it has been, or who is travelling with it. Most people can ignore them, but if one applies to you it can change what you need, or mean denied entry if you skip it.

Pet arriving from a non-rabies-free country — If your pet has been in one of 103 higher-risk countries in the last 6 months:

  • Rabies titer (blood) test: Rabies antibody titer ≥ 0.5 IU/ml required for dogs from non-rabies-free countries.

Ports of entry (15)

  • Incheon International Airport (Terminal 1)
  • Incheon International Airport (Terminal 2)
  • Incheon International Airport (Cargo Terminal)
  • Gimhae Airport (Busan)
  • Gimpo International Airport
  • Muan International Airport
  • Cheongju International Airport
  • Daegu International Airport
  • Jeju International Airport
  • Incheon Seaport
  • Busan Seaport
  • Gunsan Seaport
  • Pyeongtaek Seaport
  • Gwangyang Seaport
  • Sokcho Seaport

verified 2026-10-04

South Korea requires a health certificate issued by the government agency of the exporting country, not just a private veterinary clinic's own letterhead on its own. The one exception: a certificate from an EU member country can be replaced by an EU pet passport instead of that government document. Confirm which government office actually issues the certificate before the appointment, not after it.
South Korea names six specific entry points for pets: Incheon's two passenger terminals and its cargo terminal, plus Gimhae, Gimpo, and Muan International Airport. Landing anywhere else in the country does not satisfy the designated port-of-entry rule at all. Confirm the arrival airport is one of these six specific locations before booking the flight.
Here's the thing about South Korea's titer test: whether it applies and how long the wait runs afterward depends on where your pet is traveling from, not one fixed number for everyone. The science here is simpler than it sounds once that origin question gets answered. Get a personalized plan from Pawgo to confirm your pet's exact requirements.
Get YOUR personalized plan for South Korea →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.