Shorter quarantine time drives rise in pet imports from mainland China to Hong Kong

Hong Kong has seen an increase in applications to import pets after the city cut the quarantine period for cats and dogs from mainland China from 120 to 30 days.\nThe Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) also said that a greater number of quarantine units at its new Kai Tak complex had further reduced waiting times for pet owners relocating to Hong Kong and hoping to bring their animals with them.\nThe department said it received 291 applications for pet quarantine in the first 10 months of this year, covering 196 cats and 95 dogs. This compares with 283 applications in 2024.\nVeterinary officer Bonnie Yu Hui-wai said that of the nearly 300 applications, 260 involved pets imported from the mainland.\n“We have already issued 101 certificates to pets imported from the mainland according to the requirements under Group IIIA,” she said this week, referring to a category in the city’s animal import control system that classifies places based on their rabies risk.\nLast December, the department announced a new rabies-risk classification for pets entering the city from different countries and regions, placing Macau and Lithuania in a new Group IIIA.\nThe mainland, previously in the highest-risk Group IIIB, was moved to IIIA in June, cutting the mandatory quarantine from 120 days to 30 days. Pets must be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and other diseases, and pass a blood test.\nThe new animal management and welfare complex at Kai Tak began operating last November and has 20 quarantine rooms each for dogs and cats, compared with 10 and 14 units respectively at the old To Kwa Wan facility.\nBetween October 2024 and September this year, 57 dogs and 55 cats were housed at the department’s quarantine centre.\nYu said the additional facilities and shorter quarantine period meant shorter waiting times and lower costs for pet owners, who could be reunited with their animals sooner.\n“Our waiting time has shortened because of the increased number of quarantine units, and with the new classification of Group IIIA, the quarantine time can be shortened if pets meet the requirements,” she said.\n“Most pets from Group III in the past were from the mainland, so with this new classification, the turnover rate for the quarantine units has increased while it’s also cheaper for the owners.”\nThe current daily cost of quarantine at the facility is HK$90 (US$11.57) for dogs and HK$42 for cats.\nThe waiting time for a quarantine place is now around three to six months for dogs and 12 months for cats.\nThis compares with October 2024, when the average waiting time was 12 to 15 months for dogs and 15 to 18 months for cats.\nThe new building, complete with pet-safe calming diffusers and soothing classical music, also features enlarged holding facilities for 130 dogs and 303 cats, including surrendered animals, strays awaiting adoption, and animals rescued from abuse or smuggling cases.\nIn the first 10 months of this year, the department recorded nine cases of pets being brought into the city without permits and seized 14 animals. It seized 11 animals in the whole of last year.\n\nChecks by the Post found businesses promoting quarantine-free, same-day pet transfers between the mainland and Hong Kong on the social media platform RedNote.\nAccording to the advertised services, pets are placed in crates on the back seats of private cars, with operators promising fresh air and point-to-point transport.\n“We offer safe and legitimate transport by land without quarantine and same-day arrival,” a seller told the Post.\nThe business quoted the Post 1,400 yuan (US$199) for transporting a pet between Shenzhen and Hong Kong and asked only for details such as a photo and the pet’s gender for registration.\nWhen asked about the legality of the service, the seller claimed that the pet would be sent through “proper channels”, and that it “would not get caught”.\nHowever, when queried about moving a medium-sized dog, the seller said it would only handle cats and small dogs under 13kg (29lbs).\n“If it’s too big, it is difficult to transport across nowadays,” the seller said.\nYu said the department would work with the Customs and Excise Department and police to share intelligence and carry out joint operations at the airport and border crossings.\n“All pets entering Hong Kong should undergo quarantine for the benefit of the animal’s health and public health,” she said, noting that the mainland was still not completely free of rabies.\n“We are aware some owners send their pets to the mainland on a day trip to receive [medical or aesthetic] treatments and they pose a huge risk if they are in contact with other animals.”\nYu warned owners against using such services, saying the quarantine period helped prevent animal diseases, including rabies, from being brought into Hong Kong, which had been rabies-free for decades.\n“If they do not go through the proper channels, they might not be vaccinated against rabies and if infected, it poses almost a 100 per cent death risk in both humans and animals,” she said.\n