Getting Your Pets Back to the US

We moved our pets – one cat, and one 35-pound dog – back to the US in July 2020. Here is our go-by of steps to complete that process. Because of the logistics of the move, we opted to use a pet shipper. We’ve added some details about what might be different if you move the animals yourself from the experiences of others who have self-moved.

3 Ways to Ship Your Pets

There are 3 ways you can get your fluffy pal to your next PCS destination:

Bring them with you.. Every dollar counts, and you are willing to coordinate the transit? Shipping your animals yourself is the most economical, but often most stressful. Check the “shipping pets” box on your transfer paperwork. You’ll have to contact the airline directly to set up the pet portion. Flexibility is the key here to success. Make sure to save the number to SATO in your phone, and know the travel and emergency hotel booking rules.
Pet Shipper: unaccompanied flight. an unaccompanied flight means the airline takes care of your animals. An important difference is the location where you drop off your pet. Unaccompanied drop-off is at the airline’s cargo shipping area.
Pet Shipper: accompanied flight. The golden goose of pet shipping. Somehow this option is often less expensive than unaccompanied shipping. You generally drop off to a person (the pet shipper). During COVID this option seems to have evaporated (understandably).

Pet Shipper: Get a Quote

If you’ve decided to use a pet shipper, the first step will be to get a quote from them. To do this, you will need your crate measurements and animal weight.

Price

We needed to ship one cat and one 35-pound dog from Sasebo to Oxnard California (1.5 hour’s drive from LA). We received the following door-to-door quotes:

$4,000 – unaccompanied flight, from Fukuoka to LAX, then ground transport to drop off in Oxnard. This quote was given pre-COVID by a company that seems to have suspended its service during COVID.
$4,300 – same as above, except not including the cost of the Fukuoka to Haneda flight which was about ¥50,000 ($500), paid directly to the airline. In Haneda, the pets stayed one overnight at an airport-connected kennel. The next day they were placed on an unaccompanied flight to Los Angeles with ground transport at the end. The total final cost was $4,800. If we had opted to pick up the animals at LAX we could have saved $300.
$8,800 – this quote came from a very polished pet shipping company. Also for unaccompanied flights plus ground transport. This company required a minimum of 30 days notice to arrange flights.

Shipping Yourself: Pet Tickets

To bring an animal on your flight, you must arrange the pet ticket with the airline. SATO is required to book you with a carrier that accepts pets, but that doesn’t mean the actual tickets they give you will work! There are a variety of hiccups that can occur:

The length of the flight is too long. Carriers have rules about the maximum length of pet flights.
There is no connecting flight. You may be able to arrange one leg but be uncertain about the following legs.
Temperature limits exceed the safe boundaries for pets. You can get a temperature waiver for your pet from your veterinarian, but unusual weather can still make flights impossible.

Sometimes just getting through to the airline can be tough! Especially during COVID you may have long phone waits to get through to a person. You may have more success by going through the Japanese phone lines:

ANA: (+81) 0367-41-1120
Delta: (+81) 0570-07-7733

Crate

Ensure you have a crate that is the right size for your animal.

US Crate Standards

You may already have a crate from when you PCS’d here. If so, the below information is just for your reference.

Here is a summary of the crate requirements. Make sure to check with your shipper and the websites for the airlines on which animals will be traveling in case these requirements have changed.

This diagram is lifted from a US airline’s website that shows how a crate should fit. Most US airlines use the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards, also endorsed by USDA.

IATA standards

https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/live-animals/pets/#tab-1

Measure your animal when it is standing in a natural position. The dimensions are internal container dimensions.

A = length of animal from tip of nose to base of tail.
B = height from ground to elbow joint.
C = width across shoulders or widest point (whichever is the greater).
D = height of animal in natural standing position from top of the head or the ear tip to the floor (whichever is higher).

Minimum internal container dimensions:

A + ½ B = internal length
C x 2 = width of container
D = Height

Notes:

Snub-nosed breeds require a 10% larger container
A, B, C, and D must be the largest measures obtainable for your animal.
Food and water containers (troughs) accessible from outside the container are required. The carrier, or government agency, may require that additional food be provided in a pouch attached to the container with feeding instructions.

Here are the pet transport pages for some commonly used airlines:

Japan Crate Requirements

When using a pet shipper, we used the US crate size requirements. The only additional requirement was concerning the water bottle. ANA’s website said that a rabbit-style water bottle was required to be attached to the cage.

We were able to find water bottles in the dog/cat section of the Haiki “O store” (ie コーナン).

O Store: コーナンＰＲＯ大塔店

To get the bottle to fit through the crate one “link” of the door cage had to be cut. A heavy duty wire clipper (or needle nose pliers with the same) thankfully worked just fine for that purpose.

Crates on Accompanied Flights (Flying Yourself)

In Japan leg, all pets must ride cargo. No cabin time- even for your adorable tiny kitty or miniature chihuahua!

From the ANA website, crate sizes must be small enough to fit in the luggage area: Total linear dimensions per container (cage) exceeding 292 cm (115 in.) or total weight of pet and container (cage) over 45 kg (100 lb.) will not be accepted.

ANA Information for Shipping Pets

This puts you in a bind because sometimes the crate required by the US carrier is larger than the maximum size crate allowed on Japanese planes. Our personal experience (and that of others we have spoken to) is that Japanese airlines often provide you with a smaller crate for use on their flight. They break down the larger carrier and just check it as a piece of luggage so you can use it for the other legs of your journey.

Labels and Lining

In addition to having an appropriately sized crate with a water bottle, you’ll need to make sure you have “live animal” stickers, metal screw-type fasteners, and a pee pad as the (only) liner.

You can buy these items individually, or get a prepackaged set. We found this one in the Hario NEX pet section. They are a bit overpriced, but they have everything you need in a convenient package.

We replaced the crate’s original plastic wing nuts with the metal ones in these kits. And we used the pee pad. We meant to attach the stickers at the airport, but they took the animals back so quickly that it didn’t happen (and they were in English anyways).

The export process

So now you have a quote, a ship date, and your crate is ready to go. The next step is paperwork.

Vet Paperwork

The following documents must be provided by your vet. Nothing says a Japanese vet can’t do this paperwork, but we found it more convenient to get everything through the base vet. (Thanks CPT Balzer!)

Rabies Certificate (2 copies)

Rabies is good for one year, so make sure your last rabies shot was well within the one year timeframe of when your pets will be flying out. For OCONUS flights the rabies vaccine cannot have been given within the past 30 days.. So make sure you get a rabies shot at least a month before the flight!

Here’s the rabies form.

Note that it says “Rabies” on the top. This form is easy to confuse with the health certificate.

Health certificate (2 copies)

This must be dated no more than 10 days out from your flight. An appointment is required with the vet to get this – so make sure to schedule your appointment once you have a departure date.

The health certificate.

See how this one says “Veterinary Health Certificate”? Easy to confuse with the rabies form.

Temperature certificate

This isn’t required, but it’s not a bad idea to have in case the airline rules are more strict than the 45-85 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours rule.

Personal Property Office Paperwork

Next, you need to get the export document from the Personal Property Office (you’ll need this for the next step when you go to the Sasebo government office).

You don’t need to bring anything for this; just call the office and let them know you are moving your pet. The fine folks at PPO will generate a form for you to come by and pick up.

City of Sasebo Government Office

Finally, you are ready to get the Export document for your furry friend.

Here is where you are going:

SASEBO Government Office 佐世保港湾合同庁舎

Here is what you’ll need:

Both copies of the export form personal property gave you.
2 copies of health certificate.
2 copies of rabies certificate.
Know all your flights, or at least what the final exit airport from Japan is going to be. Usually Narita or Haneda when going CONUS, but could also be Fukuoka if you go through South Korea. It just depends on where your flight out of the country originates.

Make sure to bring the actual 2 copies of everything! The folks at this office will want to see the physical copies.

If all your papers are in order you will be rewarded with a certified export document.

This two-page document gets stamped and finalized at the Sasebo Government Office.

Customs/Quarantine Office

Once you have your export document, it’s time to reach out to the so-called Animal Quarantine Service (AQS), aka the customs office, aka export office. This office is actually savvy with email and proficient in English! You will eventually need to physically show up with all documents (details on that later), but first, you should send everything electronically. This ensures there are no surprises on the day of your flight.

Reach out to the closest office. From Sasebo that is the Fukuoka office: aqs.fuk@maff.go.jp. You might want to check to ensure that is the most recent address on their website linked above – look for “Contact List of Animal Quarantine Service.”

Send them an email telling them you are PCS’ing and would like to fly your pets. Include scans of the following documents:

Your PCS orders
The export document you were given at the Sasebo government office.
Rabies certificate
Health certificate
The fully completed export application (below)

Export Application

Each animal needs an export application. Here are example application PDFs that are filled out with sample information. We can’t vouch for the 100% correctness of this information – except to say it worked for our animals so apparently it’s good enough.

Dog

Example Dog Application

Example-Dog-Application.pdf

Blank Dog Application

Blank-Dog-Application.pdf

Link to Original Dog Application (link to original blank application on the Japanese customs site).

Example Cat Application

Example-Cat-Application.pdf

Blank Cat Application

Blank-Cat-Application.pdf

Link to Original Cat Application (link to original blank application on the Japanese customs site).

If you plan on using a pet shipper and you have the time, it’s a good idea to also provide a power of attorney so that they can act on your behalf in any situation during the process of moving your animal. Base legal can provide much better information. This is the example POA from the AQS site:

ininjou.pdf

And here is a JAG SPOA page that might help get you started. Our timeline was last minute, and our pet shipper told us that our PCS orders would be good enough even without a POA.

In-Person Export Office Visit: Get Green Tags!

Once the quarantine office confirms that you have all the necessary documents you need to physically bring your animal(s) to the quarantine office, along with the originals of all the documents.

Many people do this the day of their flight, but you can also do it in advance if you have an early flight or weekend flight. If I doubt, we recommend emailing the office to confirm they will be open on the day of your flight.

Location of office

The entrance to the Fukuoka AQS is on the far southwestern end of the International Terminal building. Go past the international terminal, and once you have cleared the building make your first left. Park and enter! Here is a pin to the entrance of the building:

Entrance to Fukuoka AQS

This map from the AQS website can be helpful as well. Printable PDF version here:

fukuoka_en.pdf

When you walk into the building, there is a security guard on the left. They’ll have you fill out a form and get a visitor’s badge. If you have large animals and need a cart, they will help you get a cart. You will be escorted to a kennel area where animals stay while you show the many pieces of paperwork. After verifying your documents, you’ll be brought back to the kennel room to have the microchip scanned.

Once your documents are verified, and animal chips are scanned, you will receive a green tag!

The Green Tag

To depart the country, your animals need a green tag attached to their cage! This critical tag 🏷 is a flimsy paper attached to the cage with a dinky wire twist. Make sure to take a picture of the tag once it’s attached to the cage! (When we shipped our animals, this tag somehow came off one cage after arrival in Tokyo. We were able to send this photo to a person in Tokyo who used the information to generate a new tag.)

The critical green tag.

Shipper’s Certificate

The last set of documents you will need is the “Shipper’s Certificate.” This is a document you bring to the airport and fill out at their office. If you are using ANA just print these documents and have them on hand when you arrive.

Shipper's Certificate Example

Shipper-Certificate-Example.pdf

Shipper's Certificate Blank

Shipper-Certificate-Blank.pdf

Shipper's Certificate Translated Questions 1-7

Shipper-Certificate-Translated-Questions-1-7.pdf

Dropping Off

For Unaccompanied Flights

The unaccompanied cargo drop off area is in a separate section of the airport. We followed this guide to get there, but don’t go to the FACTL office!!. They will be confused and try to help you, which will only delay the process. You need to go to the airlines cargo/pet drop off area.

Follow the directions up until you go through this gate. To get thru the gate just show your SOFA ID and perhaps be prepared to show some paperwork for the pets (but they probably won’t ask).

After going through the gate turn left. If your pet is flying ANA, you are looking for their cargo dropoff point. Here is the pin:

ANA Pet Shipment Office

Here’s the office. Go inside and show your pet export paperwork! Before going in the office you should get your pets all ready in their cages. Make sure everything you think needs to be on the cages is attached and ready. Fill the water containers, and attach the food. Once you go in the office things might happen quickly and you’ll be glad to have taken care if this stuff beforehand!

They’ll do one last once over if the cages, tape everything down, and put a mesh bag around it to (hopefully) keep everything together.

For Accompanied Flights

For accompanied flights just bring your animal with you when you check in at the airport! Usually, they will take your animal at the usual luggage drop-off area. The check-in agent will surely guide you through the process if anything further is needed.

Breath!

Your furry friend is in the air!! Once you get back home, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass of your favorite liquid 🍷 while they travel on to your next destination.

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