Where am I supposed to contact if I go to Taipei?

Life Pets & Domestic Animals
1

Hi, I’m planning to go to Taipei with my cat. But I’m completely confused. Apparently I’m supposed to contact the department at the airport, which I believe is the quarantine department. But there are 4…like Hsinchu, Kaoshiong, Taichung…and Taoyuan? Something like that…does anyone know which One I contact and bring my pet to if I go to Taipei? Does that mean we have to go to another city to pick up the pet from Quarantine?

What airport do I even get off at? Does anyone know please? Some people said this, some people said that, so I’m really not sure. Anyone knows? Thanks!!

2

The international airport is at Taoyuan, about 45 minutes by bus from Taipei. Basic info like this is available in Lonely Planet Taiwan, which I strongly recommend you buy and read.

3

They might mean the office in the airport which is on the main floor somewhere. Thats where I had to go when I took my dogs out, after I had taken them to the quartein office in Taichung. Where are you coming from?

4

Jess, have you actually asked your cat if he/she wants to come to Taiwan? It seems to me you are going to put both of you through a lot of trauma. How do you know the cat wouldn’t prefer to stay in his/her nice, cosy, warm, home environment?
You’re talking about what could be weeks of quarantine for the poor little thing, then, if you’re working here, you’re gonna have to leave him/her to his/her own devices in a strange room for most of the day. I mean, does he/she even like Chinese food? I think you should try to see this from the cat’s point of view.
There are lots of stray cats in Taiwan, I’m sure you could find one. Or you could adopt a dog off of Straydog(I’m not sure if he does cats as well, but he’s bound to know someone).

5

Hi jessccw,

if you think you must bring your cat to Taiwan, and you have thought about it well (I’d consider the climatic changeabove all, no idea where you’ll be travelling from), here’s some information for you:

The “Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine” (or BAPHIQ) has two offices at Chiang Kai Shek Airport:

Terminal I: Room BD248, 1st Fl. (i.e. ground floor), phone 03-3982264 (close to the bus stop), and
Terminal II: Room 1106, 1st Fl., phone 03-3983373 (south end of arrival lobby)
There is another phone number you can call if either office is closed to let them know you require their attention: 03-3982268

There is also an office of the BAPHIQ in Taipei, I don’t have the address, but it does exist, I went there when I “exported” our dog. Their head office is at 9Fl., No. 51, Sec. 2, Chungqing S. Rd., Zhongzheng Qiu in Taipei, but I believe that one’s not open to the public, not sure though … You can e-mail them at baphiq@mail.baphiq.gov.tw to ask them about office locations and other stuff, they’re usually pretty helpful, at least in my experience …

Loads of info on importing your pet to TW can be found on http://www.baphiq.gov.tw, good luck, hope this helps!

Xpet.

6

hi woudsprite, thanks! i’m coming from canada, I’m just not sure which place i go to.

do you know is it CKS or CHong Cheng Airport in Taipei? I heard that I’ll bring my cat to somewhere outside of Taipei. 'There’s no quarantine centre in Taipei itself right?

7

[quote=“Xpet”]Hi jessccw,

if you think you must bring your cat to Taiwan, and you have thought about it well (I’d consider the climatic changeabove all, no idea where you’ll be travelling from), here’s some information for you:

The “Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine” (or BAPHIQ) has two offices at Chiang Kai Shek Airport:

Terminal I: Room BD248, 1st Fl. (i.e. ground floor), phone 03-3982264 (close to the bus stop), and
Terminal II: Room 1106, 1st Fl., phone 03-3983373 (south end of arrival lobby)
There is another phone number you can call if either office is closed to let them know you require their attention: 03-3982268

There is also an office of the BAPHIQ in Taipei, I don’t have the address, but it does exist, I went there when I “exported” our dog. Their head office is at 9Fl., No. 51, Sec. 2, Chungqing S. Rd., Zhongzheng Qiu in Taipei, but I believe that one’s not open to the public, not sure though … You can e-mail them at baphiq@mail.baphiq.gov.tw to ask them about office locations and other stuff, they’re usually pretty helpful, at least in my experience …

Loads of info on importing your pet to TW can be found on http://www.baphiq.gov.tw, good luck, hope this helps!

Xpet.[/quote]

hi Xpet, thanks! how did your pet react to the climate? which city is the Chiang Kai Shek airport in? Not Taipei right?

Ive tried to email them before, but I never got a reply back. I’ll probably try again and see if I can get one this time. Thanks!

8

jessccw, just a few things to note:

  1. Zhong cheng Airport is CKS Airport.

2)If you had looked in the posts above your most recent one, you’d find that CKS Airport is in Taoyuan.

Taiwan can be hard on animals and the quarantine here leaves something to be desired from what I understand. Some animals don’t survive. And unless you’re planning to stay in Taiwan for the rest of the cat’s life, it’s going to have to go through the whole process again when you leave Taiwan. Are you sure you want to put your kitty through all that? Perhaps your cat might be better off staying with friends or relatives while you’re here if you’re only planning to be here for a year or two. Think about it.

9

Simply send a PM to the moderator of this forum – 914. She came to Taiwan from some tiny Canadian village – Vancouver I think – and brought two cats with her without any problems. She’ll have all the skinny.

10

[quote=“ImaniOU”]

Taiwan can be hard on animals and the quarantine here leaves something to be desired from what I understand. Some animals don’t survive. And unless you’re planning to stay in Taiwan for the rest of the cat’s life, it’s going to have to go through the whole process again when you leave Taiwan. Are you sure you want to put your kitty through all that? Perhaps your cat might be better off staying with friends or relatives while you’re here if you’re only planning to be here for a year or two. Think about it.[/quote]I tend to disagree with you because we also had a cat sent here from Canada with little problems and AFAIK, there is no quarantine required for animals going from Taiwan to Canada(Taiwan is rabies free) so the going back part is much easier. As for animals not surviving, well maybe but somehow I think it would be rare and I’m guessing the animals would be sick to begin with but I could be wrong about this.

The quarantine facility in Kaohsiung(Pingtung)is clean, the animals are kept in a big room, not a kennel and it’s even air-conditioned. I don’t see Tapei being that much worse but again I don’t know, just assuming.

As for the animal staying with friends for a couple years, I think it’s really hard on a pet because they get really attached to you. When you leave them, their world is shattered. Our cat took about two weeks to adapt and it is very happy to be here since.

There are different ways to look at this and it’s a tough call sometimes but ultimately, if you got a pet, you should take it along IMO because they do not understand that you will come back and they feel abandoned, which I think is worse than spending only 21 days in a quarantine facility.

bobepine

11

[quote=“ImaniOU”]jessccw, just a few things to note:

  1. Zhongcheng Airport is CKS Airport.

2)If you had looked in the posts above your most recent one, you’d find that CKS Airport is in Taoyuan.

Taiwan can be hard on animals and the quarantine here leaves something to be desired from what I understand. Some animals don’t survive. And unless you’re planning to stay in Taiwan for the rest of the cat’s life, it’s going to have to go through the whole process again when you leave Taiwan. Are you sure you want to put your kitty through all that? Perhaps your cat might be better off staying with friends or relatives while you’re here if you’re only planning to be here for a year or two. Think about it.[/quote]

thanks…so CKS airport is the only airport I can come in to? don’t they have an airport in TAIPEI itself??? why is it in taoyuan???

and why do they not survive sometimes??? that sounds terrifying…why is that?

12

thanks sandman!

[quote=“bobepine”][quote=“ImaniOU”]

Taiwan can be hard on animals and the quarantine here leaves something to be desired from what I understand. Some animals don’t survive. And unless you’re planning to stay in Taiwan for the rest of the cat’s life, it’s going to have to go through the whole process again when you leave Taiwan. Are you sure you want to put your kitty through all that? Perhaps your cat might be better off staying with friends or relatives while you’re here if you’re only planning to be here for a year or two. Think about it.[/quote]I tend to disagree with you because we also had a cat sent here from Canada with little problems and AFAIK, there is no quarantine required for animals going from Taiwan to Canada(Taiwan is rabies free) so the going back part is much easier. As for animals not surviving, well maybe but somehow I think it would be rare and I’m guessing the animals would be sick to begin with but I could be wrong about this.

The quarantine facility in Kaohsiung(Pingdong)is clean, the animals are kept in a big room, not a kennel and it’s even air-conditioned. I don’t see Tapei being that much worse but again I don’t know, just assuming.

As for the animal staying with friends for a couple years, I think it’s really hard on a pet because they get really attached to you. When you leave them, their world is shattered. Our cat took about two weeks to adapt and it is very happy to be here since.

There are different ways to look at this and it’s a tough call sometimes but ultimately, if you got a pet, you should take it along IMO because they do not understand that you will come back and they feel abandoned, which I think is worse than spending only 21 days in a quarantine facility.

bobepine[/quote]

hi bobepine, sorry what is IMO? do you know why people say pets don’t survive through the move? that sounds so scary!

is kaoshiung(pingdong) one of the nicer facilities? which part of taiwan do you live in? aren’t there any quarantine facilities and airport in taipei itself? it sounds like its all outside of taipei!

13

IMO means “In My Opinion”. Go here for more of these used frequently on the boards.

I live in Kaohsiung and I don’t know if the facility is better or worse in Tapei. What I know is that it’s at the Pingtung University which is about 40 minutes from the airport in Kaohsiung.

I’ve only ever heard of animals dying in quarantine in Taiwan on Forumosa. ImaniOU being the second time. I can’t help you there.

I’m sure everything will be fine, stress enough to have everything ready but don’t stress beyond that.

Cheers,

bobepine

14

[quote=“bobepine”]IMO means “In My Opinion”. Go here for more of these used frequently on the boards.

I live in Kaohsiung and I don’t know if the facility is better or worse in Tapei. What I know is that it’s at the Pingdong University which is about 40 minutes from the airport in Kaohsiung.

I’ve only ever heard of animals dying in quarantine in Taiwan on Forumosa. ImaniOU being the second time. I can’t help you there.

I’m sure everything will be fine, stress enough to have everything ready but don’t stress beyond that.

Cheers,

bobepine[/quote]’

Thanks bobepine, the facility in the Pingdong University is the one in Kaoshiung not Taipei right? Do you know if there’s even any quarantine facility in Taipei in the first place?

Yeh I’ve heard of animals dying in quarantine too, but what I meant was is it REALLY that dangerous? Why do they die in quarantine? What does ImaniOU mean? Were your pets ok after quarantine? Didn’t get sick or anything?

Hope you don’t mind all my questions. I’m just hoping this will all go smoothly and it’ll all be worth it.

15

Hi Jess,

Of course there is a facility in Tapei. No offense but are you not reading the posts in the threads you started for your cat?

The Pingdong quarantine place is the one used for Kaohsiung, 40 minutes away as I mentioned and the only one in southern Taiwan. Kaohsiung is in the south and Tapei is up north. The two biggest city in Taiwan. My cat did fine. It was exhausted from the flight but all went well as previously mentioned as well.

When are you planning to come anyways?

bobepine

16

[quote=“bobepine”]Hi Jess,

Of course there is a facility in Tapei. No offense but are you not reading the posts in the threads you started for your cat?

The Pingdong quarantine place is the one used for Kaohsiung, 40 minutes away as I mentioned and the only one in southern Taiwan. Kaohsiung is in the south and Tapei is up north. The two biggest city in Taiwan. My cat did fine. It was exhausted from the flight but all went well as previously mentioned as well.

When are you planning to come anyways?

bobepine[/quote]

hi bobepine, thanks! hmm…i normally try to read the posts i started threads for, but it’s possible i missed something.

thanks, i’m just completely confused about like where hsinchu is and all that…sorta got it figured out now.

and im planning to come as soon as things get planned out with my cat and myself. in the organizing stage right now!

enjoy yourself in taiwan! :slight_smile:

17

Hello,

I want to point out to you that many times when people say Tapei, it often includes surrounding townships that are not technically in Tapei. Just like the international airport in Montreal. It’s not in Montreal, it’s in Dorval.

I dug out the contacts of the company we used when transporting our cat here. Contrary to what some may think, it was cheaper to go with their deal than anything we could find on our own and the price actually included their fee. They arrange airline tickets and other legal stuff and they provide you with specific instructions to ensure a smooth trip. I strongly recommend contacting them as they most likely will be able to answer just about any questions you may have. If they don’t have the answer, they’ll even do some research for you. We got our cat sent by cargo but I know they also work with people who travel with their pets. They have all the contact numbers for Taiwan and they will be familiar with Tapei as they send pets here on a regular basis.

The person you want to talk to is Ruthy Peters. She works with a company called WORLD WIDE ANIMAL TRAVEL. I believe it’s in BC from the phone number area code. The number is (604)303-7384 and their website is www.animaltravel.com

Hope that helps,

bobepine

18

[quote=“bobepine”]Hello,

I want to point out to you that many times when people say Tapei, it often includes surrounding townships that are not technically in Tapei. Just like the international airport in Montreal. It’s not in Montreal, it’s in Dorval.

I dug out the contacts of the company we used when transporting our cat here. Contrary to what some may think, it was cheaper to go with their deal than anything we could find on our own and the price actually included their fee. They arrange airline tickets and other legal stuff and they provide you with specific instructions to ensure a smooth trip. I strongly recommend contacting them as they most likely will be able to answer just about any questions you may have. If they don’t have the answer, they’ll even do some research for you. We got our cat sent by cargo but I know they also work with people who travel with their pets. They have all the contact numbers for Taiwan and they will be familiar with Tapei as they send pets here on a regular basis.

The person you want to talk to is Ruthy Peters. She works with a company called WORLD WIDE ANIMAL TRAVEL. I believe it’s in BC from the phone number area code. The number is (604)303-7384 and their website is www.animaltravel.com

Hope that helps,

bobepine[/quote]

hi bobepine, thanks a lot!
unfortunately, that’s in vancouver. but it’s good to know that some transporting companies actually offer cheaper deals. i’ve checked with a few but they’re VERY expensive! i suppose ill try again!!

19

It doesn’t matter if it’s in Vancouver or Montreal or wherever…They do not handle the pets, they prepare paper work and they mail everything to you. Give Ruthy a call and she will have answers for you, I’m sure.

Good luck,

bobepine

20

I’d give my vote to the company that helps your pet travel to Taiwan. There’s a fair amount of paper work, pictures, forms, health check forms and communicating back and forth - and you can accomplish the needed government papers over the Internet. Coordinating the paperwork with your vet, the airlines and Taiwan officials, all takes time.
Here in Taiwan, your pet will stop briefly or overnight in a quarantine holding cage at the airport, then it must be transported by you to Natl. Taiwan University’s quarantine center in Taipei. You may sign-up for a time to visit your pet during quarantine.
Cats are caged in one inside room and veterinarians are on site. The possibility of infection seems fairly high given it’s an enclosed room, the cages are stacked, and the animals are stressed.
If you have a job and apartment waiting for you, and you know the transportation systems, then I’d say bring the pet. If Taiwan is new to you, I’d suggest you take a look before bringing your cat.
We were very careful about the steps and paperwork needed to bring our cat. In LA, we took her cage off one plane and carried it to be placed on a plane to TW. In quarantine we learned that we were missing a paper, whether from our hometown vet or from a final health check at LAX, we’re still not certain. We were told to produce this paperwork or have the cat deported or euthanized. This required contacting our hometown vet and extra stress to get a stamp in a few days from our home state dept. of agriculture, then have the papers FedExed to us.
There are several Internet sites that will tell you about traveling with a pet. Good Luck.