Time to read: About 9 minutes
Paperwork & Patience
Planning a trip to Japan with Assistance Dog Nixon
(November 2024)
By Nina Smith, TravelPaws Founder
I wrote this blog for two key reasons. First, to provide clarity on a long, complex, and multi-stage process, as requested by several members of our TravelPaws Community. Second, to reach out to organisations within the industry that have the power to influence change and help streamline these processes, ultimately making travel more accessible for Assistance Dog Handlers worldwide.
Japan has always held a special place in my heart. I used to live there (1992-1996), and I still travel to Japan as often as I can to visit family (and indulge in the amazing food!). My Guide Dog, Nixon, travelled to Japan with me in 2023, and I found that navigating the animal quarantine process was no small feat. So, as I began planning for my November 2024 trip, I kept a record of the process- both to shed light on the steps involved and to highlight how challenging it can be for Handlers to travel internationally with their Assistance Dogs. Hopefully, one day, these processes will be streamlined, making travel more accessible for everyone.
A note before we begin: I began planning my trip to Japan from Australia back in May of 2024. In July, Nixon became unwell and his ability to work was impacted. By October, my school, Guide Dogs Victoria, had confirmed that his capacity had reduced to the point where he could no longer safely navigate roads. With this confirmation, I made the difficult decision to begin his transition to retirement, which meant he would no longer be able to accompany me to Japan. Accordingly, the steps outlined below are based on my initial preparations for bringing him, but they don’t represent the full process as I had initially hoped. Additionally, please keep in mind that animal quarantine requirements are constantly evolving and vary depending on your circumstances, such as your country of origin. Be sure to do your own research to ensure you’re up to date on the latest regulations.
Alright, let’s get into it!
The Animal Quarantine Authority in Japan is the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS), a branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (MAFF). The AQS recommends that Handlers begin the travel process for their Assistance Dog at least 7 months prior to their trip. I always heed this advice and give myself plenty of time as there are a few waiting periods involved for different permits. This time, as mentioned, I started in May for a mid-November trip.
The first thing I did was to take Nixon to the vet to get a rabies vaccination and followed that up 3 weeks later with a blood draw for a Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT). Please note that Japan does not require proof of a rabies vaccination for dogs travelling from a Group 2 country (including Australia), however, I chose to undergo this step as a precaution on the recommendation of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) who suggested I cover all bases in case of an unexpected flight diversion. I also wanted to keep his vaccination status up-to-date as it was due to expire in November.
When getting an RNATT, timing and accuracy are crucial. The test must be conducted within the required time frames and according to DAFF’s guidelines. For example, your veterinarian must label the sample tube with your dog’s microchip number—if this step is missed, the test will be rejected, and another sample will have to be collected. DAFF recommends the sample be sent to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong, Victoria, where processing typically takes around ten days. In Nixon’s case, his blood was drawn on June 18th and the results were ready nine days later. If the antibody level meets the required threshold (0.5 IU/ml or higher), the result remains valid for 12 months from the date the blood was drawn.
Once I received Nixon’s RNATT results, I moved on to the second step: applying for an import permit to bring him back into Australia after my trip (so I was essentially working backward). I submitted my application on July 15th using DAFF’s import conditions database, BICON. To access this system, you’ll need to create an account. I found the process of completing my application quite straightforward, as the required documents—such as the RNATT certificate, rabies vaccination certificate, medical forms confirming my need for an Assistance Dog, proof of training with an IGDF or ADI-affiliated organisation, and ID—could be uploaded by dragging and dropping the relevant files. The whole process took me about 25 minutes, and the application is free for Handlers. Having completed the form for a previous trip, I was more confident this time around, so that may have sped things up for me. Having said that, it turns out I did still make one mistake; the form asks for an address in the country of export, and I accidentally listed an Australian address instead of one in Japan. DAFF reached out to ask for the address of somewhere I was staying in Japan (it can be the address of a hotel or AirBnB), so I was able to amend my mistake via email. If you’re unsure of anything while you’re completing the form, you can contact the DAFF imports team by phone at 1800 900 090 for clarification.
If you're applying for a permit through DAFF, expect processing times to range from 20 to 40 business days—though occasionally, it can take longer. Fortunately, my experience was much quicker. I received my permit via email on July 30th, just 12 business days after submitting my application. Please note that, once granted, you can also access your permit through your BICON account. At first, I was issued a single-entry permit, but since I wanted the flexibility to travel to Japan on short notice, I emailed DAFF to request that it be changed to a multi-entry permit. They approved my request, granting me a permit valid for multiple trips within a 12-month period.
The third step for me was arranging my flights and accommodation, which I did in mid-July. You can obviously do this at any stage of the process you feel comfortable with! Since I hadn’t completed the entire travel process yet and wanted to keep my options open in case my plans changed, I only booked pay-on-arrival accommodations with free cancellation and chose refundable flights.
When booking flights, be mindful that your options may be limited by Animal Quarantine Authority requirements. For example, those who have travelled to New Zealand know you must arrive at specific airports at designated times. Since I had previously travelled to Japan with Nixon and knew there were no such restrictions when flying into Narita, I felt comfortable booking my flights at this stage. Another factor to consider is the length of your trip. I decided to keep mine under 21 days because staying longer would have required scheduling two vet visits in Japan—something I wanted to avoid. Additionally, on return, there’s a mandatory 10-day quarantine isolation period during which your dog cannot have contact with other animals. This impacts their ability to work, so it’s important to factor it into your schedule. In the end, I planned my trip to Japan from November 9 to 24, to be followed by Nixon’s isolation period from November 24 to December 3.
I chose to fly with Qantas since they offer a direct route from Melbourne to Tokyo. To add an Assistance Dog to my booking, I needed to go through their special assistance team and submit two forms: the Qantas Application for Carriage of a Service Dog in the Aircraft Cabin Form and the International Travel Declaration Form. The application form only needs to be completed once and remains valid for future travel. Since I had already done this for Nixon for a previous flight, I confirmed that I didn’t need to submit it again. However, the international travel declaration form must be completed for each international booking, so I filled it out and emailed it over. At this stage, Qantas also requested copies of my import permits for both Japan and Australia, along with confirmation that Nixon had been issued a Temporary Certificate for Foreign Assistance Dog Users. This meant I had to keep moving forward with my planning to get everything in order and send the required documents back to them.
So, in early August, I got started on the fourth step; arranging for import to Japan. This required submitting an Advanced Notification of Importation form, which must be completed at least 40 days before arrival. Unfortunately, the form wasn’t available online, making it inaccessible to me as someone with low vision. With the help of a support worker, I downloaded, printed, and manually filled it out.
It was while I was completing this form, that I realised I had misplaced Nixon’s vaccination records at some stage during the planning process. This sent me into a panic. I searched my house high and low- in the freezer, cereal boxes and cutlery drawer. I also contacted Nixon’s veterinarian for the information, however was informed they did not have the full records (only the names of the vaccinations and the date they were given, not the expiry details which Animal Quarantine Authorities often require). Thankfully, I was eventually able to locate them, but other Handlers please learn from my mistake; these records are very important for travel and so it's a good idea to take photos, make copies, keep them in a safe place you’ll actually remember, and ask your veterinarian to keep a detailed copy too.
With this information, my support worker and I completed the form, scanned it, and emailed it to AQS, along with a copy of my Australian import permit, Nixon’s rabies certificate, and RNAT records. Recall that while the rabies documentation wasn’t required for travel from Australia, I was including it as a precaution based on DAFF’s advice. I received an automated reply stating that I should expect a response within 10 days and should follow up if I hadn’t heard back. In my case, I received approval via email 9 days later. Along with the approval, AQS attached an Application for Import Inspection of Animals form. This wasn’t part of the process when I had last travelled to Japan just a year earlier. Curious, I asked about its use and was told that the form must be completed before arrival in Japan and submitted at the time of the import inspection. It needed to contain the same information as the notification form I had already submitted, but didn’t have to be emailed in advance. To me, this felt like an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy in an already complex process. It also served as a reminder that animal quarantine requirements for Handlers are constantly evolving, and staying updated is essential.
Once the import permit for Japan was granted, I could begin the fifth step; arranging Nixon’s export from Australia. To complete the requisite Notice of Intention to Export Live Animals (other than Livestock) form, I needed to schedule an appointment with a registered veterinarian to conduct a pre-export health check no more than 72 hours prior to departure, and before the appointment that would be made with DAFF. My local vets weren’t comfortable handling the export preparations as they weren’t very familiar with the process, so I reached out to my school for a recommendation. They directed me to Dandenong Veterinary Hospital, and when I inquired about an appointment, I found them to be confident and communicative about the requirements, which was reassuring. The appointment was scheduled for November 6th.
With that in place, on August 17th, I emailed the export division of DAFF, attaching the abovementioned NOI form. Along with it, I included Nixon’s Australian import permit, Japanese import permit, rabies vaccination record, and RNATT records. To my surprise, I received an approval notice just 3 days later. Still, I would recommend allowing plenty of time in case of delays, keeping in mind that you need to do this at least 10 business days prior to departure or the start of isolation. Along with the approval, I was provided with a form for the vet to complete during the November 6th appointment and was designated an appointment time with DAFF on November 8th, the day before my flight.
The next thing to do- the sixth step- was to arrange for Nixon’s temporary certification for our stay in Japan to ensure protection under their public access laws. This is necessary because Japan's Act on Assistance Dogs for Persons with Physical Disabilities doesn't apply to foreign Handlers and their Assistance Dogs. You can find out more about the temporary certificate on the MAFF website.
Once again, due to accessibility issues, I worked with a support worker to complete the Application for Temporary Certificate of Overseas Assistance Dog Users form. I sent it to my school via the Guide Dogs Services Manager, so that they could complete the training organisation information section of the form. Afterward, I forwarded the form to my instructor, along with my photo, Nixon’s photo, the Australian import permit, Japanese import permit, and Australian export permit, so he could pass it on to the Guide Dog and Service Dog and Hearing Dog Association of Japan (GSH), which is one of the certifying bodies for the temporary certificate. I chose to go through GSH because they’re a sister organisation of my school. If your training organisation isn’t affiliated with a school in Japan, you can check the Ministry’s website for a list of other organisations in Japan that can be contacted for assistance. In the end, it took 13 days from when my trainer contacted GSH to when I received the temporary certificate. I then sent a copy to Daktari Animal Hospital (the Japanese veterinarian clinic that would be conducting Nixon’s export health check and deworming) and also forwarded it to Qantas, along with the import permits and a completed Qantas International Travel Declaration Form to confirm Nixon’s addition to my flight booking. I then made a note to have the certificate signed off during the import inspection upon arrival in Japan.
A quick pause here to say that by this point in the process, Nixon was starting to experience some health issues and I was beginning to wonder if he would be able to make the trip. It was a difficult and uncertain time, but I pressed on.
Hopeful that Nixon would be by my side, I began the seventh step of the process, which was arranging export from Japan. On August 20th, I downloaded the Application for Export Inspection of Dog Form from the AQS website. Yet again, the form was not accessible to me, so I completed it with the help of a support worker. Together we scanned and emailed the form to AQS at Tokyo Narita Airport (my departure airport), who responded the same day, asking me to choose a time for Nixon’s export inspection at their office within their operating hours of 8:30am to 4:30pm. Since I had an evening flight, I requested the latest available slot and was booked for 4:00pm. I was told that the inspection and issuance of the export quarantine certificate would take approximately 30 to 60 minutes.
A few days later, on August 26th, I reached out to Daktari Animal Hospital in Japan and scheduled an appointment for November 20th. DAFF requires dogs staying in Japan for fewer than 21 days to receive one internal parasite treatment (effective against nematodes and cestodes) within five days before export. When confirming the appointment, I sent Daktari Nixon’s permits, and a link to DAFF’s list of acceptable treatments. I also noted that during my last departure from Japan, AQS had flagged some missing information on Nixon’s export health check. To avoid any issues this time, I asked Daktari to confirm with AQS exactly what was required and they were happy to assist. Based on Daktari’s communication with AQS, it was decided that I would send Daktari Form AB after it was completed at Nixon’s export appointment in Australia on November 6th, who would then pass it on to AQS to alert us to any corrections that may be necessary prior to Nixon’s export appointment in Japan on November 20th.
Unfortunately, this is the point in the story where I made the incredibly difficult decision to not take Nixon. As mentioned, he had some health issues in August, and while he physically recovered, the experience seemed to shift something in him. He became more easily distracted and didn’t have the same enthusiasm to get into his harness. Ultimately, I knew it was time to let him enjoy a well-earned rest. It was a heartbreaking call to make, but looking back, there’s no doubt it was the right one.
One sad consequence was that Nixon could no longer join me on this trip to Japan. You can’t plan the timing of these things! After months of preparation, I suddenly had to undo it all—contacting Animal Quarantine Authorities, veterinarian’s offices, and airlines to cancel the permits, appointments, and arrangements I had worked so hard to put in place. It was tough to come to terms with after months of navigating such a complex process. Looking back, it’s surreal to think all this effort was only half the story—we hadn’t even gotten to the actual travel yet, with all the appointments, logistics, and stress that can come with it. The level of bureaucracy involved in travelling with an Assistance Dog can be overwhelming, and I can’t help but hope that one day, these processes will be streamlined to make travel more accessible for Handlers.
Despite everything, I still had a wonderful trip visiting my amazing host family in Japan whom I have known for 30 years and who offered me so much support in Nixon’s absence—I can’t thank them enough.
While this trip didn’t unfold the way I originally planned, it reinforced just how much resilience, adaptability, and patience is required for Handlers to travel with their Assistance Dogs. To everyone going through this process, whether it's your first time or your tenth, I know how challenging it can be. Take it one step at a time, and hopefully, in the near future, it’ll be a lot more straightforward for all of us!
Nina
Nina Smith is the Founder & Director of TravelPaws and Handler of Guide Dog, Nixon.