[quote=“riggers”]I just bought my American and Old Time Bulldogs ( 3 in all ) from England. They got out of quarantine on Friday. I have to say the whole procedure is pretty straight forward, and the Taiwanese side ( and DEFRA ) were really helpful and prompt at every turn. The paperwork side of things takes a bit of time to put together, but after that it was all plain sailing. I used a company called Jet Set Pets who were much much cheaper than all the others, I was probably a total pain in the ass to them with multiple questions but they were great. My only complaint re the quarantine in Taichung is that all my dogs came out after 3 weeks there, fat as hell. I would guess going from 25 kilos to 30 ish, which has done them no favours in the heat. But as complaints go that is minor and is my only one. The vet there called my other half numerous times to check things about the dogs. She visited them by public transport from Taipei twice and he both times gave her a lift to the station afterwards.
If I can help anyone coming from England feel free to ask.[/quote]
My cat was successfully brought from Canada two months ago. And I agree, the process is pretty straightforward. But, I assume it’ll be harder if you can’t speak Mandarin. And, my cat came over with my friend, so it was probably a bit easier than sending her as cargo with no accompanying passenger.
Our cat stayed in the Taichung quarantine, as well, and we visited her 2-3 times a week. Hardly anybody else was ever there visiting…
Your dogs probably came out fat, because of the lower-quality food they were being fed, and the fact that they were only let out to play in the little courtyard area twice a day, for 15 minutes each time. For cats, it was quite alright… more akin to a dirty motel than to a 5-star hotel, though.
For my Canadian comrades out there, here’s a quick little rundown of what we went through:
First, read this webpage: inspection.gc.ca/english/ani … wane.shtml
Then, go here and find “dog/cat import permit” on the bottom right (it has been updated since we brought our cat over): baphiq.gov.tw/homeweb5.php
The outline of the steps in general:
- Get an inactivated vaccine rabies shot for your pet. A new one, doesn’t matter if s/he had one within a year ago.
- Get your vet to send a blood sample to Kansas State University for a “neutralization antibody titration test” (about two weeks after the vaccine).
- Once you get your results back and they’re within the limits… wait 6 months before you can bring your pet over to Taiwan.
- While you’re waiting, apply to import your pet on the Taiwan side… and make sure to book a quarantine space (can be done online) well in advance. In Taipei, do it at least 3 months in advance, in Taichung, at least 1.5 months in advance.
- When the 6 months have passed, take your pet to be examined by a vet within 10 days before your flight out (of course, arrange for your pet’s transport on the airline, too)… then, take that vet certificate and all the paperwork from Steps 1-3 to the closest CFIA office, with the official form, HA2221, printed out on legal size paper, and they at the office will check everything and make sure your HA2221 form is filled in correctly, and then give it the official stamp. The HA2221 form is the only form you need from Canada.
- Once you arrive in Taipei and are reunited with your pet (hopefully, you can get in-cabin transport, rather than cargo)… you go to the Taiwan animal quarantine desk and show them your Taiwan and Canada paperwork (they should be expecting you, because you’ve applied in advance and told them your arrival date).
- They will then take you to the office beyond customs and basically hand over your pet to the local Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, to be taken to the pre-arranged quarantine centre.
- Then, you can go visit your pet at whatever visiting hours the quarantine centre allows. Taichung allows M-F between 2:30 - 5:00 pm. Taipei is more strict… limit is 3 times a week, I believe.
- Once the 21 days is up (it’s pretty short, really)… you can bring your loved one(s) home! And, your ordeal is over.
The worst part about this whole thing was that we didn’t train our cat to stay in her transport cage with a lot of noise for a long time… so, she was really scared and tried to claw her way out. This resulted in bleeding claws, although they were dry by the time she got off the plane. Luckily, she didn’t get infected or anything. Train your cat appropriately, if you can’t find an airline that will allow her to be in-cabin with you.