🇯🇵 Japan · Very hard · ~7 months minimum (180-day FAVN wait + 40-day notice)
Moving a pet from the US to Japan
One missed rabies date = 180-day reset. Japan only accepts FAVN at KSU; Auburn results are rejected at port.
APHIS source last verified 2026-05-17 · USDA page last modified 2025-07-30
What ruins Japan trips
The specific traps for this destination. Not the generic advice you’ll find on the first 10 Google results.
Microchip must be implanted BEFORE the rabies vaccine
Any rabies vaccination given before the microchip is INVALID — destination will reject it. If your pet was vaccinated first, you'll need to re-vaccinate AFTER microchipping. This is the #3 most common reason trips get reset.
Source →Don't let the rabies vaccine lapse — it invalidates the FAVN
For FAVN destinations, if your rabies vaccine lapses by even 1 day, the prior FAVN becomes invalid. You'd need to re-vaccinate AND restart the 180-day wait (Japan) or 30-day wait (Hawaii). This is the highest-cost failure mode we see.
Source →
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