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Taking a Dog or Cat to South Korea from the UK: Pet Travel Guide
Travelling with your dog or cat from the UK to South Korea involves meeting a number of import and certification requirements before departure. Because the UK is recognised as a rabies-free country, the process can be more straightforward than for pets travelling from higher-risk countries. This guide takes you through the key requirements step by step, including identification, health certification and the documents needed for entry.
Step by step guide: importing your Dog or Cat from the UK to South Korea
1
Microchip
Your pet must have an ISO-compliant microchip (ISO 11784/11785), implanted before any rabies vaccination used for travel.
The microchip number must match all documents exactly.If the chip is non‐ISO, you must provide a scanner on arrival. Any mismatch can create a quarantine risk.
2
Travelling with 4+ pets
If you’re travelling with four or more dogs/cats, you must arrange advance notification and prior approval for quarantine facility use with the relevant Korean authority before travel.(For 1–3 pets, this does not apply.)
3
Export Health Certificate
You must travel with an EHC 3908, requested via the UK EHC Online system and completed/signed by an Official Veterinarian (OV).Best timing to apply: around 2–3 weeks before travel (we’ll advise the exact timing so it aligns with final checks and appointment availability).
4
Final OV examination
Your pet must have a final clinical examination and the certificate must be issued no more than 48 hours before departure.
UK-origin note (current EHC): For pets travelling from the UK, rabies vaccination, rabies titre testing, routine/core vaccinations, and parasite treatments are not mandatory import requirements under the current certificate (though they may still be recommended for general health/airline compliance).