What are the quarantine rules for bringing a pet into Korea?

Bringing a pet into Korea is very doable, and in most cases there is no actual quarantine confinement as long as your paperwork is complete. For dogs and cats, the core requirements are a microchip (ISO standard, implanted before the rabies shot), a current rabies vaccination given at least 30 days but less than one year before arrival, and an official health certificate issued by a government-authorized vet in your departure country and endorsed by that country's authority. The step that catches people out is the rabies antibody titer test, a blood test showing the vaccine worked: Korea requires it for pets from countries it does not classify as rabies-controlled, and there is a waiting period after the test, so if it applies you must plan months ahead. Pets from designated rabies-free or low-risk regions may be exempt.

On arrival you present all documents to the animal quarantine desk (the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency) at the airport; if everything is in order, your pet is inspected and released to you the same day with no kennel quarantine. If documents are missing or incorrect, that is when a pet can be held, so accuracy matters, and you also file an import declaration. Because requirements differ by departure country and can change, check directly with Korea's Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA) and your airline well in advance, ideally three to six months before you fly, since the microchip, vaccination timing, and titer test have to happen in the right order. Getting the sequence right is the whole task.