A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Taiwan to the United States — CDC low-risk pathway, the USDA screwworm certificate, Taiwan’s APHIA export process, airline options, costs, and timeline.
Everything you need to navigate international pet relocation: import rules, customs, costs, timelines.
Moderate (dogs, due to the USDA screwworm certificate) / Easy (cats)
6–10 weeks
No authoritative total verified
None required (mainland US)
Taiwan isn’t on CDC’s high-risk list for dog rabies, but it’s separately on USDA’s screwworm-affected country list. Dogs need a USDA screwworm-freedom certificate even though the CDC side of this route is simple. Cats aren’t affected by this requirement.
A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Taiwan to the United States — CDC low-risk pathway, the USDA screwworm certificate, Taiwan’s APHIA export process, airline options, costs, and timeline.
APHIA requires this certificate when your destination requires Taiwan's own certificate, or your pet may return to Taiwan. Dogs definitely need the separate USDA screwworm certificate; whether that requires this specific APHIA process is unconfirmed. A non-returning cat may not clearly qualify at all, since the U.S. asks for no Taiwan certificate for cats. Confirm with your APHIA branch. A rabies vaccination certificate is a further, separately conditional document within this application.
APHIA Branch or Inspection Station (Taiwan); Official Government Veterinarian (USDA Screwworm Certificate)
The Exported Animal Quarantine Certificate is issued by an APHIA branch or inspection station after reviewing your submitted documents. The separate USDA screwworm certificate must be signed by an official Taiwanese government veterinarian.
Required (dogs)
Taiwan is on USDA’s screwworm-affected country list and is not on USDA’s list of FMD-free regions, so this certificate — plus a routine post-arrival bathing/livestock-separation precaution — applies to dogs from Taiwan specifically, even though Taiwan isn’t CDC high-risk.
30 Days to 1 Year (Rabies Vaccination Date)
If a vaccination certificate is needed, APHIA requires the underlying rabies vaccination to have been given more than 30 days but not more than 1 year before shipment/departure — not before you submit your export application, and not just when the certificate document was printed.
Printed
The APHIA Exported Animal Quarantine Certificate and the USDA screwworm certificate should be printed and travel with your pet. The CDC receipt can be printed or shown on your phone.
→ Taiwan is not on CDC’s high-risk list for dog rabies
→ Taiwan is on USDA’s screwworm-affected list and is not FMD-free
→ Dogs need a USDA screwworm-freedom certificate even on the low-risk CDC pathway
→ APHIA’s own pages disagree on the export application window (7 days generally, 5 days for a dog per one branch’s FAQ) — confirm directly
→ Cats don’t need CDC rabies-vaccination proof, and whether Taiwan’s APHIA export certificate applies to a non-returning cat is genuinely unclear — confirm with your APHIA branch
→ EVA Air and China Airlines both fly nonstop from Taipei to the US
→ Assuming “not CDC high-risk” means no extra paperwork
→ Confusing Taiwan’s own “rabies-infected” language with CDC’s high-risk classification
→ Assuming the APHIA export certificate is always required
→ Assuming a single APHIA timing rule applies
→ Assuming a rabies vaccination certificate is always required
→ Getting the rabies vaccination timing wrong
→ Assuming a connecting flight is necessary
Follow this timeline to make sure you complete everything on time for a smooth, stress-free travel day.
Taiwan is separately on USDA's screwworm-affected list, so dogs still need a USDA certificate.
Taiwan's own export guidance describes it as a rabies-infected country, referring to wildlife rabies, not CDC's dog-specific classification.
APHIA's own guidance ties the requirement to specific situations — dogs definitely need the separate USDA screwworm certificate, but whether that requires APHIA's process specifically is unconfirmed, and a non-returning cat may not clearly qualify at all.
APHIA's own pages disagree: general guidance says 7 days, one branch's FAQ says 5 days for a dog going to the USA.
APHIA's current guidance makes the certificate conditional on your destination requiring rabies vaccination — the U.S. low-risk pathway doesn't.
When a certificate is needed, APHIA requires the vaccination itself to have been given more than 30 days but not more than 1 year before shipment.
Costs vary based on pet size, airline, season, and any additional Services.
No single authoritative Taiwan-to-US total was verified. Costs depend on your airline's weight-based pet fee and crate choice.
Typical total cost
Price in USD, Estimate only.
→ CDC Dog Import Form receipt — dogs
→ APHIA Exported Animal Quarantine Certificate — dogs definitely need the USDA screwworm certificate below, but whether that requires this specific APHIA process is unconfirmed; unclear for non-returning cats — confirm with your APHIA branch
→ Rabies vaccination certificate, only if required by your destination or your pet may return to Taiwan — dogs and cats
→ USDA screwworm-freedom certificate — dogs
→ Copy of your passport and aircraft booking record (for the APHIA application, if needed) — dogs and cats
→ Microchip record — dogs
→ Airline confirmation
Start with your origin country guide for route-specific requirements, timelines, and common pitfalls.
→ No. Taiwan is not on CDC’s high-risk list.
→ Taiwan’s own government describes it as a rabies-infected country, but that refers to wildlife rabies, a separate fact from CDC’s dog-specific classification.
→ Yes. Taiwan is on USDA’s screwworm-affected country list.
→ Dogs need this certificate even though Taiwan isn’t CDC high-risk. Cats don’t need it.
→ Dogs definitely need a separate USDA screwworm certificate; whether that requires APHIA’s export process specifically is unconfirmed.
→ Genuinely unclear for a non-returning cat, since the U.S. requires no Taiwan certificate for cats — confirm with your APHIA branch.
→ If needed, APHIA’s own pages give different timing guidance (7 days generally, 5 days for a dog per one branch’s FAQ) — confirm the exact window too.
→ A rabies vaccination certificate is a further, separately conditional document within that application.
→ Yes. Both EVA Air and China Airlines fly nonstop from Taipei to several US cities.
→ A connecting flight isn’t required.
→ Not for a compliant mainland-US arrival.
→ Hawaii and Guam have separate programs.
Our pet relocation experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
Taiwan sits between the simplest and most complex routes on this site — a light CDC picture, one real USDA wrinkle, and strong airline access.
Taiwan’s CDC low-risk status keeps the federal entry process simple: one free form, no titer test, no quarantine choice, no landing-airport restriction. The one genuine complication is the USDA screwworm certificate, which applies because Taiwan is separately listed by USDA — not because of anything CDC tracks.
APHIA’s own guidance directly addresses a USA-bound pet, which made this route easier to research than some others: a clear document list and an explicit statement that the U.S. doesn’t require an import permit or a titer test the way some other destinations do. The one genuine wrinkle is that APHIA’s own pages don’t agree on the application window (7 days generally, 5 days for a dog per one branch’s FAQ) — worth confirming directly rather than assuming either figure.
EVA Air and China Airlines both fly nonstop from Taipei to multiple U.S. gateway cities, unlike some other Asian routes on this site that require a connection through a third country. This simplifies booking and shortens your pet’s total travel time.
Owners may be able to manage a straightforward move with a healthy pet themselves. Professional help becomes more valuable if you’re managing a tight timeline around the rabies vaccination certificate’s dating window, or if you’re unfamiliar with coordinating a USDA certificate alongside a foreign government’s own export paperwork.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
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