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.
The 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.
The 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.
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Veterinary officer Bonnie Yu Hui-wai said that of the nearly 300 applications, 260 involved pets imported from the mainland.
“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.
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Last 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.