After Landing in Japan: A Complete Guide to Pet Quarantine Clearance at Narita, Haneda & Kansai Airports, and Post-Arrival Dog Registration (2026)

You've Finally Landed — Now What?

Months of preparation, a thick stack of documents, and one slightly anxious furry companion — you've made it to Japan.

But it's not over yet.

Before you collect your luggage and clear customs, you have to take your pet through the airport's Animal Quarantine Service (動物検疫所, Dōbutsu Ken'ekisho) counter for an on-site document inspection. Get it right and you are usually through in an hour or so. Get it wrong, and you could be handed a notice for quarantine of up to 180 days — or, depending on the inspection result, refused entry.

This article walks you through every step after landing — from airport clearance to the administrative procedures for officially registering your pet in Japan.

Where the AQS Counter Is

Dogs may only enter Japan through the ports AQS designates: the airports at New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu (Centrair), Kansai, Osaka Itami, Kobe, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Naha, plus the seaports at Tomakomai, Keihin (Tokyo/Yokohama), Nagoya, Hanshin (Osaka/Kobe), Kanmon, Hakata, Kagoshima and Naha. Cats can also be cleared elsewhere, with advance contact. These are the three arrival points owners use most:

Narita International Airport (NRT)

The Narita branch keeps a separate desk for each terminal: Terminal 1 (旅具検疫第1課, +81 476-32-6510), Terminal 2 (第2課, +81 476-34-2342) and Terminal 3 (第3課, +81 476-34-4260). Officers cover weekends and public holidays as well as weekdays.

Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)

The Haneda Airport branch is in the CIQ building, 4th floor — not inside the passenger terminal. Leave the arrivals lobby, walk to the CIQ building and take the lift up. Photo ID is required to enter the building, so keep your passport or residence card handy.

Kansai International Airport (KIX)

The Kansai Airport branch is in the CIQ joint government building at the airport.

AQS also has branches at Chubu (Centrair) and at New Chitose for Hokkaido arrivals, and at the other designated airports and seaports.

💡 Late arrivals are normally fine. If your pet travels with you — hand luggage, in-cabin or checked baggage — the quarantine service operates at any hour, on any day. Fixed reception hours apply only to pets arriving as air cargo, and those are stated in your approval. Either way, tell the branch your flight details when you file the 40-day notification.

The Airport Clearance Process, Step by Step

Step 1: Tell the Cabin Crew

If your pet is travelling as checked baggage (AVIH), let a flight attendant know before descent that you have an animal needing quarantine clearance. They can flag it to the ground staff, and at some airports that gets the carrier off the aircraft sooner.

Step 2: Clear Passport Control, Then Find the AQS Counter

Animal quarantine comes after immigration and before customs. If your pet flew in the hold, you will normally collect it at the oversize or special baggage counter first, and staff there will direct you to quarantine. Bring the originals:

• AQS approval form (Approval of Import Inspection of Animals)
• Microchip certificate
• Rabies vaccination records, all doses
• Antibody test report (required for non-designated regions)
• Government-endorsed certificate
• Your passport

Step 3: On-Site Inspection

The quarantine officer will:

1. Verify each document — checking dates, official stamps, and signatures
2. Scan the microchip — confirming the chip number matches the documents on-site
3. Visual health check — confirming the pet shows no obvious symptoms

Step 4: The Result

If everything is in order, the officer completes the import inspection and returns your endorsed documents — you and your pet walk out together. AQS is required to complete the inspection within 12 hours of arrival, and in practice it is a matter of minutes once your turn comes.

If something is wrong, the outcome depends on what it is:

• A short wait while officers verify a detail — common when a certificate is ambiguous
• Transfer to an AQS detention facility — if the 180-day period has not been completed, or documents are seriously non-compliant. Your pet stays until the shortfall is resolved, up to 180 days. The inspection is free, but you pay for the detention: transport to the facility, feeding, water and electricity, and any vet visits, billed by the caretaking company that runs it
• Entry refused — the worst case, for a serious or irreparable problem, when the animal has to be shipped back

If Your Pet Is Held for Quarantine

This is every pet owner's worst fear, but the chances are very low if you've prepared thoroughly.

Should it happen, you need to:

1. Get the quarantine facility's contact details — ask the quarantine officer on-site
2. Ask about visitation rules — policies vary by facility; some allow visits at designated times
3. Understand the release conditions — find out exactly which documents are missing or which steps need to be completed
4. Contact the AQS office that handled your notification — they will tell you exactly what has to be corrected and how long it is likely to take

Visiting is possible but restricted. AQS allows owners to visit during set hours, with limits on who comes, and your pet cannot be taken out of the facility except to be shipped back. Caretaking companies — which handle feeding, cleaning and vet visits for a fee — are stationed at the Narita, Haneda and Kansai branches, so ask for their current rates before you leave the airport.

After Leaving the Airport: Two Things You Must Do

Once you've cleared quarantine, you and your pet are officially in Japan. But two things must be completed in the coming weeks — these are legal requirements under Japanese law, not optional:

1. Dog Registration (畜犬登録, Chikuken Toroku) — Mandatory for Dog Owners

Under Japan's Rabies Prevention Act (狂犬病予防法), every dog kept in Japan must be registered with the municipality where the owner lives — the 市役所 (city hall), 区役所 (ward office) or 保健所 (public health centre). Registration has to be done within 30 days of starting to keep the dog, and the dog must be at least 91 days old. You receive a 鑑札 (kanfuda), a small metal tag for the collar.

2. Annual Rabies Vaccination — Mandatory for Dog Owners

Every dog in Japan has to be vaccinated against rabies once a year, and the owner reports it to the municipality in exchange for a 注射済票 (shūsha-zumi-hyō, the annual vaccination tag).

🐾 Arriving outside that window is not a problem. Have your dog vaccinated at a local clinic, then take the certificate to the city office to collect the 注射済票 — most municipal offices run a counter for vet-administered vaccinations.

Cat Registration (Voluntary, but Worth Doing)

Cats are not legally required to be registered in Japan, but there are good reasons to do it anyway:

• Microchip registration: since June 2022, breeders and pet shops have had to microchip the dogs and cats they sell, but privately owned pets are not covered by that mandate. Registering the chip yourself is still the single most useful thing you can do if your cat slips out — the database is what vet clinics and animal control officers check first
• How to register: the national database for dogs and cats is operated by AIPO (Animal ID Promotion Organization) with the Japan Veterinary Medical Association, under the Ministry of the Environment. For a pet imported into Japan, you can register the chip number using the import quarantine certificate AQS issues at the airport. Most vet clinics can handle the paperwork for you, and owners can update contact details afterwards. The Ministry's explanation of the scheme is here: 犬と猫のマイクロチップ情報登録
• Local registers: some municipalities also keep their own cat registers through the 動物愛護センター (animal welfare centre) — worth a call once you have settled in

Finding Your First Vet in Japan

It's a good idea to bring your pet in for an initial health check within the first two weeks of arrival, for three reasons:

1. Long-haul flights can cause mild dehydration and stress-related digestive issues
2. It establishes a medical record in Japan, making future visits easier
3. It gives you a baseline assessment of how well your pet is adjusting to the new environment

How to find a vet clinic:

• Search Google Maps for 「動物病院」 plus your neighbourhood name — that is the fastest route
• Ask in local and expat pet-owner communities; English-speaking owners usually maintain running lists of clinics that will treat foreign residents
• Look for bilingual (English/Japanese) clinics, which tend to be more used to overseas vaccination records and import paperwork

Your First-Week Post-Arrival Checklist