Hey, has anyone taken pets out of China? I am trying to get my 2 cats to the US. As far as I can tell from the Air China office, they need a certificate of health, and then some other form that needs to be filled by a vet within 48 hours of the flight. Anyone know about that? Then they just charge overweight prices for the cat carrier, 2 cats in 1 box. But I would hate to get to the airport, or worse, to Beijing, and then find out something else is needed...Anyone been though this before or have any insight?
I went through this bringing cats to Kunming from Canada. One of the things I found out is that the requirements can vary by country, so it's best to check with American officials (probably at the consulate).
Also, the airlines may have different requirements as well. We flew on KAL and they required a cage large enough for the animals to stand and turn around - ONE EACH. Their ticket cost almost as much as mine.
For future people taking cats back to the US- the rules to get into the US are simple and clear (the link above to the CDC website explains them) but each state has its own rules, so check your state requirements. Most require rabies shots no less than 30 days before coming to the US, so do it ahead of time.
To leave China with animals is where the problem lies. From what I have found- you need proof of rabies vaccine no older than a year, no more recent than 30 days. You need a health certificate, done at the government vet no more than a week before departure. You need to show these things to your airline 2 days before your flight.
And lastly and most importantly in my case, 1 animal per person, no more than 1 animal per traveler. Hope this helps future cat owners, took awhile to find all the right answers and the airlines don't all know the China regulations!
