Pet Transport from Greece to Japan

Japan divides the world into designated and non-designated countries for the purposes of pet import. Designated countries are those with rabies-free or highly controlled status: the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland, and a few others. For pets from those countries, the protocol is simpler.

Greece is not on the designated list. That means your dog or cat must go through the full AQS protocol, which starts from scratch and cannot be rushed.

The sequence is fixed and every step depends on the one before it. It begins with the microchip – implanted first, before any vaccination, with the number documented carefully. Then the first rabies vaccination. Then a mandatory wait of at least 30 days. Then the booster vaccination. Then another wait of at least 30 days. Then the blood draw for the titre test at an AQS-approved laboratory.

That blood draw date is the one that starts the 180-day clock. Not when you get the result. Not when you decide to start planning. The date of the blood draw. Your earliest possible arrival in Japan is 180 days after that date.

If the titre test result comes back below 0.5 IU/ml, you revaccinate and restart the titre test – which restarts the 180-day clock.

The AQS website (aqs.maff.go.jp) is the definitive source. Treat it as your bible for this move.

For the titre test, you need an AQS-approved laboratory. In Europe, SCELAB in France and Sciensano in Belgium are both on the approved list. Speak to your Greek veterinarian about the process: the blood draw happens in Greece, the sample is sent to the approved lab, and the result comes back with the laboratory report.

Keep every original document. AQS requires originals or certified copies of all vaccination records and the titre test laboratory report. Lose the originals and you may face delays at the quarantine station.

The advance notification to AQS must be submitted at least 40 days before your arrival date. This goes to the AQS quarantine station at your arrival airport – Narita (NRT), Haneda (HND), or Kansai (KIX). You include your pet’s microchip number, full vaccination history, titre test result, flight details, and arrival information. AQS reviews the documents and may come back with questions.

For the flight itself, no airline operates direct Athens to Japan. You will be routing through Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar), or Singapore (Singapore Airlines). All are established live animal cargo routes. Lufthansa via Frankfurt is commonly used for European pets heading to Japan.

On arrival, you and your documents go to the AQS quarantine station at the airport. Your pet is inspected, documents are checked, and quarantine begins. For a fully compliant non-designated country arrival, expect a minimum of 12 hours. In practice it is often 2-7 days.

This is a hard route. Plan carefully, work with a specialist agent if at all possible, and start at least 9 months before your intended arrival date.