Updated: 2026-10-30
Choose the real origin, not a connection
AFCD lists eight Group I places, thirty-nine Group II places and six Group IIIA places; other places are IIIB. The site maps UK to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, while Hawaii is separate from continental USA. Jersey is explicitly named; Guernsey and Isle of Man are not. Virgin Islands is not jurisdiction-specific in the official list, so either US or British selection needs confirmation. A short connection or a pet passport does not change the exporting origin/residence requirements.
Exemption, thirty days and 120 days are separate branches
Groups I and II are only conditionally exempt. Group I uses the 180-day/since-birth residence or direct-Hong-Kong-return alternative; Group II also needs the local 10-km/180-day rabies declaration and its rabies vaccination course. IIIA requires qualifying RNATT plus at least thirty days after arrival; IIIB at least120 days. A good report does not reduce IIIB automatically. Waiting for a quarantine space is additional to the post-arrival period and varies with capacity.
Vaccines, tests and certificate timing
I/II use fourteen-day health certificates with official issuance/endorsement. IIIA uses seven days, chip before rabies and sampling, first rabies at≥90 days of age, primary-dose-to-sample≥30 days, sample-to-export90 days to one year, accepted FAVN/RFFIT≥0.5 IU/mL. Mainland uses its GACC-agreed government certificate. IIIB uses fourteen days and permits a government or registered veterinarian without automatically imposing the other groups’ endorsement. Its rabies certificate is optional in DC-03v04, but full core vaccination and quarantine remain required. G122 applies to IIIA/B with two-dose history and timely boosters, and both export/arrival windows must qualify; exact ten-week second-dose wording needs confirmation.
Obtain the permit before cargo and quarantine arrangements
Ordinary air import is manifested cargo; cabin/excess baggage is not allowed under these terms. Apply for the correct permit, reserve quarantine for IIIA/B, notify AFCD in office hours at least24 hours before arrival and keep matching original documents. I/II need PC101 and prior approval for specified stopovers; do not turn a mainland-Europe land move into an automatically approved air route. Land/sea from Mainland/Macau and disability-assistance cases use separate procedures. Breed bans, Bengal ancestry, non-pregnancy and carrier acceptance still apply.
Read the current certificate as well as the permit
I/II core vaccination must qualify at both export and arrival; health certificates also retain their fourteen-day validity from issue. For Group II, the current model’s exact rabies-date boundaries and younger-animal note differ from the standard permit. Use ordinary adult dates satisfying both texts and obtain AFCD confirmation for boundary/young-animal cases. Do not turn a sample form or its note into a granted exception.