Moving with a dog or cat between France and Taiwan

At a glance

Taiwan → France

Bringing a pet from Taiwan to France

Taiwan is listed in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, the list of non-EU countries whose pets enter the Union without a rabies antibody titre test. APHIA, Taiwan's veterinary authority, says as much in its export guidance. A dog or cat arriving from Taiwan needs:

• An ISO microchip, implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccine.
• A rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks of age or older, with the primary course at least 21 days old on the day of entry into the EU.
• An EU animal health certificate (the Annex III model of Regulation (EU) 2026/705), completed by a vet and endorsed by APHIA no more than 10 days before arrival in the EU.
• The owner's written declaration that the move is non-commercial, attached to the certificate.
• Arrival through a travellers' point of entry, where the pet is declared and presented to customs.

APHIA endorses certificates at its branch offices, by appointment, and suggests applying within the week before departure; the EU's 10-day rule is the hard limit. Certificates on the old model (Regulation 577/2013) are accepted only if issued before 1 October 2026, so any certificate issued now must follow the 2026/705 model.

The general non-commercial rules apply: no more than five pets, travelling with their owner or with someone the owner has authorised in writing, within five days before or after the owner.

Connecting through an unlisted country

A nonstop Taipei–Paris flight raises no question. If the route goes through a country that is not on the EU lists (South Korea or mainland China, for example), the titre exemption still holds provided the owner signs the transit declaration (Annex V, Part 5, of Regulation 2026/705): the pet had no contact with rabies-susceptible animals and stayed on board or within the international zone of the airport.

French residents coming home from Taiwan

A pet that lives in France and is coming back from a short stay in Taiwan can re-enter on its EU pet passport, as long as the rabies vaccination recorded in it is valid. French customs point out, however, that the passport alone is no longer enough if a booster was given outside the EU: a health certificate endorsed by the non-EU authority is then needed. After settling in Taiwan for good, the pet counts as coming from Taiwan and travels on the APHIA-endorsed certificate.

France → Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan with a dog or cat

APHIA's list of rabies-free countries, in force since 29 February 2024, names Japan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Guam, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, Norway (excluding Svalbard), Estonia and the Czech Republic. France is not on it, so a pet leaving France follows the rules for countries where rabies occurs, even though the EU asks no titre test for the trip back.

What Taiwan requires

• A microchip.
• A rabies vaccination given at 90 days of age or older, with an inactivated vaccine (or one approved in Taiwan), between 1 year and 30 days before arrival. Check the date of the last booster in the passport: it has to fall inside that window.
• A rabies antibody titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml, from a WOAH reference laboratory or an APHIA-designated lab, on blood drawn between 90 days and 1 year before arrival.
• An import permit from APHIA, applied for at least 20 days before arrival, together with a booking at the quarantine station. A new permit form has been in use since 5 January 2026; the old one will be refused from 1 January 2027.
• An original health certificate issued or endorsed by the exporting country's veterinary authority: in France, the DDPP (or DDETSPP) of the département.

Seven days' quarantine, with two ways out

On arrival the pet spends 7 days at a designated quarantine station. It is exempt if the blood was drawn between 180 days and 1 year before arrival and one of the following is true:

• the import permit was applied for at least 120 days before arrival; or
• the permit was applied for at least 20 days before, and the laboratory sent the result to APHIA itself (or the French veterinary authority e-mailed the signed report directly).

In other words, a lab report carried by hand does not waive quarantine unless the permit was filed 120 days ahead.

Breed and day of arrival

Taiwan has banned imports of the Pit Bull Terrier since 1 March 2022, and airlines keep their own lists of refused breeds (see below). APHIA cannot receive animals at weekends or on public holidays, so we advise landing on a working day.

Microchip and vaccination

Both directions need a microchip and a rabies vaccination, but the conditions differ:

• Into Taiwan: vaccine given at 90 days of age or older, between 1 year and 30 days before arrival.
• Into France: chip implanted before the vaccine (or on the same day), vaccine at 12 weeks or older, primary course at least 21 days old on arrival; a booster given before the previous one expired is valid at once.

Puppies and kittens: France does not admit animals too young to have been validly vaccinated, which in practice means not before about 15 weeks. For Taiwan, the titre test and its waiting windows rule out importing a very young animal from France.

Documents to prepare

• Leaving France: the APHIA import permit; the original health certificate endorsed by the DDPP; the titre lab report; the rabies vaccination certificate; the pet's EU passport.
• Leaving Taiwan: the EU health certificate (2026/705 model) endorsed by APHIA within 10 days of arrival; the owner's non-commercial declaration; the transit declaration if the route crosses an unlisted country; your boarding pass, as proof you are travelling within five days.
• Authorised person: if the pet is not travelling with its owner, the owner's signed written authorisation.

See veterinary documents for what each one involves.

Rabies antibody titre test

Taiwan → France: not required, as Taiwan is in Annex II.

France → Taiwan: required. APHIA publishes the labs whose results it accepts (updated 12 October 2026). In France we recommend one of the three labs that appear both on that list and on France's own list of approved labs:

• ANSES Nancy (rabies and wildlife laboratory, Malzéville), which is also a WOAH reference laboratory;
• Laboratoire départemental 31 EVA (Launaguet);
• INOVALYS (Le Mans).

Direct reporting of the result

No French lab is among those whose results APHIA checks online. To get the quarantine waiver with a permit filed only 20 days ahead, the lab must e-mail the report itself to rabiesreport@aphia.gov.tw: one e-mail per animal, the microchip number as the subject, an attachment under 10 MB, and the submission only counts once APHIA's automatic reply arrives. We suggest asking the lab in writing, before the blood draw, whether it will do this; if not, file the permit at least 120 days before arrival.

For more on titre timing and pitfalls, see rabies vaccination and the titre test.

Typical timeline

France to Taiwan, without quarantine

1. Microchip and rabies vaccination between 1 year and 30 days before arrival

   If the last booster is older, repeat it before the blood draw.

2. Blood draw between 1 year and 180 days before arrival

   At your vet, sent to ANSES, LD31 or INOVALYS. APHIA sets no interval between vaccine and draw, only the window for the draw.

3. Import permit and quarantine booking at least 120 days ahead, or 20 days with direct reporting

   The booking is needed even if the pet will be exempt.

4. Health certificate endorsed by the DDPP in the days before departure

   DDPP Paris asks for the appointment request at least 15 days before departure.

5. Arrival on a working day

   APHIA inspection, then release if everything is in order.

Allow at least 6–7 months from the first vet appointment to arrival. If you accept the 7-day quarantine, the blood draw only needs to be 90 days old: about 4 months in all.

Taiwan to France

For a pet already chipped and vaccinated, about 4 weeks is enough: APHIA appointment, certificate endorsed within 10 days of arrival, flight. A pet that still needs its rabies vaccine must wait 21 days after the primary vaccination.

How pets travel

EVA Air shows Paris on its long-haul route map, and its pet page says Taipei–Paris is accepted in both directions outside embargo periods because the flights are direct. Its rules, as of 19 October 2026:

• Hold only (checked baggage for dogs, cats and rabbits): no pets in the cabin except service dogs.
• No animals under 4 months old and no pregnant animals; at most two crates per passenger; notify the airline at least 48 hours before departure.
• No pets as checked baggage on long-haul Boeing 787 flights, Europe included: check which aircraft is scheduled on your date.
• Snub-nosed breeds refused from 1 April to 30 November on Northern Hemisphere routes; Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila, Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Cane Corso refused all year.
• Charged as excess pieces (rates effective 29 September 2026): 2 pieces up to 23 kg, 3 pieces for 23–32 kg, 4 pieces for 32–45 kg; over 45 kg not accepted. EVA Air lists USD 270 per piece between Europe and Taiwan.

Heavier pets, breeds the airline refuses and pets flying without a passenger go as air cargo, booked through a freight agent. Either way the pet travels in a rigid IATA-compliant travel crate. We check flights, aircraft and space when booking.

Airports and border checks

Arriving in France: a pet from Taiwan must come in through a travellers' point of entry. For this, France refers to the border-crossing list published in 2021, which includes Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry and Nice-Côte d'Azur. Customs warn that not every post can check animals, so confirm it before boarding. There is no appointment: you declare and present the pet to customs before leaving the international zone, and hand them the certificate to stamp. See French airports.

Arriving in Taiwan: APHIA checks the documents and the pet's identity, then either takes it to quarantine or releases it, depending on the file. Remember: no reception at weekends or on public holidays.

After arriving in France: a pet staying three months or more must be registered in the I-CAD national database by a French vet within 7 days.

What drives the cost

Towards Taiwan, the budget depends mostly on timing: a move prepared six months ahead avoids quarantine costs, a rushed one cannot. Add the vet work (vaccine, blood draw), the titre test, DDPP certification, the import permit, the crate and the flight (hold or cargo). The other way, with no titre test, the file is lighter: vet visit, APHIA endorsement, transport.

We do not publish APHIA, DDPP or laboratory fees, which we could not verify on an official page. Our quote lists every item separately, with airline charges as they stand on the day of booking.

Common mistakes

• Assuming France counts as rabies-free for Taiwan because it does for the EU: it is not on APHIA's list.
• Using LDA 62 (Arras) for the titre test; it has been removed from France's list.
• Forgetting direct reporting: a report carried by hand does not waive quarantine if the permit was filed less than 120 days ahead.
• Drawing blood too late (less than 180 days before arrival) when aiming to skip quarantine, or too early (more than a year).
• Landing on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.
• Booking a Boeing 787 flight without checking that the airline takes pets as checked baggage on it.

Frequently asked questions

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