GOOD NEWS!!!

There seems to be some wrong information going around and I just wanted to clear up a few things. I have called the Quarantine Service at Incheon Airport and spoken with 2 different people just to make sure, and you do NOT need USDA endorsement. You actually don't even need an official health certificate. The only thing you need is proof of rabies vaccination that's at least 30 days prior to arriving in Korea that is signed by a vet. (Vet doesn't have to be USDA-certified either.)

The official website is: http://www.nvrqs.go.kr/eng/rese_quar...pageNumber=3-0 and it has a number on there that you can call and make sure if you don't believe me! (although I don't think they speak english very well...)

Also, my dog is currently 15 lbs and will be about 17.5 lbs with a soft carrier. The only airline that will allow a dog of that weight to be taken in-cabin is Delta Airlines. I also called them and spoke with 2 different people just to make sure. They have a 20 lb limit with the carrier and the maximum dimensions of a soft carrier are 18"Lx12"Hx12"W. (The Large Sturdibag seems to be the only soft carrier with those dimensions and costs $90.) Taking your dog with you in-cabin means no extra fees that come with shipping through cargo. It's just $150 for one-way.

Hope this helps!!!

I'm not sure I'd risk not getting the health certificate ... Korean Airlines wouldn't let us on the plane (we brought our cats in-cabin) until they had made copies of their certificates at the ticket counter, and when we went through quarantine at Inchon Intl they also asked for our certificates and had to put the carbon copy on file. Making the trip to Korea is stressful enough without fighting with customs officials over whether or not you have the correct paperwork ...

I think some are also getting confused as to what extra fees come into play if the dog is shipped cargo vs checked. I didn't pay anything extra than the straight checked baggage fee. If you ship one as cargo (IE there is no one on the plane with them) then you start getting into the bs of needing a handling service.

When we came over in February, they kept 2 pages off the USDA sheet and copies of the rabies certificates. IMHO, it is better to be safe than have one of my dogs sit in quarantine.

Crispy77 (AKA Bailey), you posted on the other board that they said you couldn't bring him in if there was rabies in your county in the last 20 days. When all coupled together it sounds rather fishy to me.

Also, even though he isn't that big, he is bigger than the average carry-on pet, is the dog going to be comfortable?

I know where there are a couple dog groomers. PM me and I'll get you over there!

A quick question on the rabies vaccination....

I have read some stuff saying that Korea does not recognize/accept the 3 year Rabies vaccine....

Does anyone know if this is true or not?

I have a Vet appointment in the morning and want to be sure I get our dog the correct shot that will cause me the less amount of hassle once I get to Osan :)

Thanks!

I don't have an official word on that, you might try calling the USDA or a military vet-clinic; they generally know the regulations and are easier to talk to than the Korean consulate. I know that here at Osan I just took my cat to get her rabies vaccine renewed and they gave her a 3 year, so I assume that means it's ok, but I didn't actually go through customs with it so I couldn't say for sure.

My other cat came in with the PureVax version of rabies which is a brand new and safer vaccine and we didn't have any problems, so I think that as long as your pet has been vaccinated for at least a month you should be ok no matter the type.

FairMaiden - thanks for the quick reply and information!

You have to redo your shots every year here.

Ok, I have the official word from the vet here on Osan. Getting a three year shot is fine with the clinic, but trying to go through customs with it confuses Korean officials because they think you got the wrong shot. So, if you get a three year rabies vaccine, ask your vet to give you another certificate with just a one year experation date on it and use that to go through customs.

After you get to Osan, if you got the three year vaccine it probably won't expire while you're here, so you don't have to re-vaccinate (for rabies) annually, but you will need to right before you leave to get a new certificate.