Your pet to China: the titre route past quarantine
The Netherlands isn't on the Chinese list of designated countries, so the default is thirty days of quarantine — but with a chip, vaccination and a titre test at a laboratory designated by Chinese customs your dog or cat is released immediately on arrival. The rules: one animal per person, and mind Beijing's dog rules.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Yes, your dog or cat may come to China, and without quarantine if the file is in order. The Chinese rules have been strict and predictable since 1 May 2019.
The Netherlands is not on the list of designated countries. So the default is thirty days of quarantine, unless your animal has:
- a chip;
- and a titre test with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, done by a laboratory designated by Chinese customs.
A titre test measures in the blood whether your animal has enough antibodies against rabies.
The pitfalls: at most one animal per person, and in inner Beijing large dogs are not allowed.
When may your animal enter straight away?
Chinese customs (GACC) divides countries into two groups. For the Netherlands the route for non-designated countries applies:
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Chip, valid titre test from a designated lab (at least 0.5 IU/ml), and approved at the on-site inspection | released at once, no quarantine |
| No valid titre test | 30 days of quarantine at a site designated by customs |
| Quarantine needed, but entered via a port or airport without quarantine facilities | returned or destroyed |
| More animals than allowed | returned or destroyed |
| No valid health and vaccination certificate from the official authority of the exporting country | returned or destroyed |
| Rejected at the on-site inspection | returned or destroyed |
An animal to be returned must be collected within the set period with the customs voucher. Whoever does not, abandons the animal under the rules.
Check the laboratory before the blood sample. The titre test only counts if a laboratory on the Chinese customs list does it. In the Netherlands that is Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in Lelystad: it is on the current list (as of 15 August 2025). The list changes from time to time. So check before the blood sample that the lab is still on it, or ask your vet.
One animal per person — and the city's breed rules
China allows at most one dog or one cat per person per entry. With two animals you therefore travel as two people, each with their own animal in their own name. For customs you fill in a registration form per animal, with among other things the chip number, the date of the blood sample, the titre result, the laboratory and the vaccination details.
Landing is not the last counter: big cities have their own dog rules. In the key management zones of Beijing only small dogs up to 35 centimetres at the shoulder are allowed in principle. Larger adult dogs and a long list of breeds, from German Shepherd and Rottweiler to Dalmatian and Akita, are prohibited there. Guide dogs are exempt.
Whoever moves to Beijing with a large dog therefore cannot keep it there. Check the rules of your district before you choose a home, not after.
What do you arrange on the Dutch side?
Chinese customs wants a health and vaccination certificate from the official authority of the exporting country. In the Netherlands that is the NVWA, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. In the NVWA's Export assistant you can see whether there are agreements and an instruction. In many cases an NVWA vet visits you. If documents need to be legalised, you request an appointment at the office in Utrecht by e-mail at least fourteen working days in advance. Incomplete documents are not legalised.
| Part | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip | your vet | before the vaccination |
| Rabies vaccination | your vet | valid on the day of travel |
| Titre test | a laboratory designated by China | well before departure, after the vaccination |
| Certificate | your vet and the NVWA | shortly before departure |
| Legalisation, if needed | NVWA Utrecht | appointment at least 14 working days ahead |
| Registration form | Chinese customs | on arrival |
Choose the place of arrival deliberately: whoever cannot rule out the risk of quarantine lands at an airport with quarantine facilities, otherwise return is the outcome. How the rest of the move works is in your household goods to China.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to China.
What is due when?
Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for China, from microchip to certificate.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- GACC Announcement No. 5 (2019) — the import rules for dogs and cats — english.beijing.gov.cn
- Chinese customs (GACC) — the recognised laboratories for the titre test, as of 15 August 2025 (via the Shanghai government) — english.shanghai.gov.cn
- NVWA — taking a pet to a country outside the EU — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — legalisation of the health certificate — nvwa.nl
- Beijing — the dog rules of the inner city — english.beijing.gov.cn
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