Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Bringing Your Dog To China

You are allowed to bring pets to China as long as you can prove that they are vaccinated and healthy. In theory, you need to have a Z (resident) visa to bring in your pet. There should be only one pet per Z visa holder (so if you have two cats, for example, make sure that one is registered in the husband's name and one in the wife's). From personal experience, we know that it is possible to waive this requirement by using an agent in the case of a family with two pets and only one Z visa holder (the employee) at the time of entry.

Dogs are not permitted on the streets between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.; this also applies to parks, and all public places. Realistically, therefore, dog-walkers are limited to walking their dogs within their compound. There is a height restriction for dogs living in Beijing city; only dogs shorter than 35 cm at the shoulder are permitted within the boundary created by the Wenyu River. Larger dogs are required to live out of town. This means that Beijing Riviera is within the restricted area, although many families on the compound do keep larger dogs and the management office turns a blind eye. However, as you can get away with keeping a larger dog in the city on a temporary basis (i.e. while waiting to sort out permanent accommodation), some people choose to risk keeping them long term. Be aware that although the authorities seem to be turning a blind eye at present, the situation could change at any time. Also remember that to get your dog out of China, you will need the correct papers.

Dogs have to be registered with the Chinese authorities after arrival. (Q&A: How to register your dog)

This is an extremely interesting article. It is worth reading if you plan on traveling to China with a dog.

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