Pets may forgo quarantine upon arrival in Taiwan when meeting certain conditions, effective from today, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said on Thursday.
The agency on Tuesday approved amendments to the Regulations for the Importation of Objects Subject to Animal Quarantine (輸入應施檢疫物檢疫準則) to ease quarantine restrictions for cats and dogs coming from areas with known cases of rabies infection, it said in a news release.
The rules outline three conditions under which a pet may be exempted from obligatory seven-day quarantine.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Taipei Times
For all three conditions, the importer must present a blood test proving the animal had received a rabies shot between 180 days and a year before its scheduled arrival.
In the first category, importers must apply for a quarantine waiver at least 120 days before the pet’s arrival.
If applying after that deadline, the importer must send the bureau a quarantine examination report from the country of origin, or have a laboratory directly send rabies test results.
Former rules required pets coming from countries with known cases of rabies infection to undergo seven days of quarantine when entering from another country, regardless of documentation.
Importers were also required to present proof of rabies vaccination at least 90 days before arrival, and to apply for an import permit at least 20 days before arrival.
After proposing the amendment earlier this month, bureau Deputy Director-General Hsu Jung-pin (徐榮彬) said the measures are in response to increasing demand for a more flexible quarantine policy while minimizing the risk of importing rabies.
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