Before bringing dog or cat to Korea, owners should check quarantine, registration, housing requirements
A dog looks at flowers during a festival in Inje, Gangwon Province, April 11. (Yonhap) Pets are becoming an increasingly common part of life in Korea, but living with an animal here comes with rules that foreign residents should know before bringing one into the country, adopting one locally or moving into an apartment.
Government data showed that a record 29.2 percent of the population had a pet in 2025, reflecting the growing place of companion animals in Korean households. But pet ownership also involves requirements on quarantine, animal registration, safety measures, housing rules and designated “fierce dog” breeds.
Bringing a pet to Korea requires several government-mandated steps in addition to the basic arrangements for air travel, such as securing an approved carrier and checking airline rules on the number and type of animals allowed on board.
Pet owners must prepare a quarantine certificate issued or certified by the government of the country of departure. The document should include information on the owner and the animal, the pet’s microchip identification number and, in most cases, the result of a rabies-neutralizing antibody test.
Dogs and cats entering Korea must have an international standard microchip that meets ISO 11784 or ISO 11785 standards. If the animal has a different type of chip, the owner must bring a scanner that can read it.
For rabies antibody testing, standard tests such as FAVN and RFFIT are accepted. The blood sample must have been drawn within 24 months before arrival and show a result of at least 0.5 international units per milliliter.
Travelers from the European Union may use an EU Pet Passport. Those arriving from government-designated rabies-free areas are exempt from submitting rabies antibody test documents, though the list can change in the event of an outbreak.
Dogs and cats younger than 90 days do not need prior rabies vaccination, but they still need to be microchipped. Animals that are not considered rabies carriers do not need an antibody test, but they must have a health inspection certificate issued by the government of the country of departure.
Pet owners are advised to request approval in advance, check each airline’s pet travel policy and contact the airport or port of arrival for further details. More information is available through the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
A dog is groomed during at a pet festival in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, Friday. (Yonhap) Whether a pet is brought from overseas or adopted in Korea, owners are required to register dogs with local authorities.
Under the Animal Protection Act, pet owners must follow safety rules designed to protect both animals and the public. These include using a proper leash, attaching identification tags and cleaning up after pets. For urine, the duty to clean applies in shared spaces such as inside buildings.
Dogs aged 2 months or older must be registered through an animal hospital designated by local authorities. Once a pet becomes eligible for registration, the owner must apply within 30 days or face a fine.
Owners must also update registration information if the owner changes, if the owner’s name, address or phone number changes, or if the identification device is damaged beyond repair. They must also notify authorities if the animal dies or if a pet reported missing is later found.
More details on animal registration are available through the National Institute of Animal Science.
Korean law imposes additional requirements on designated “fierce dog” breeds.
The category includes Tosas, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers and mixed breeds involving these dogs.
Since 2024, Korea has required owners of designated fierce dogs to obtain a special permit from the head of a city or provincial government. The permit must be requested within 30 days of adopting the dog.
These dogs must be neutered, covered by liability insurance in case of attacks and undergo a temperament evaluation by authorities. They must also wear a muzzle when outside.
The law bars minors and some people with mental illnesses from owning designated fierce dogs, except in cases where a licensed physician certifies that the person is able to do so.
A permit may be revoked if the dog attacks a person or another animal.
Even dogs that are not officially classified as fierce dogs must be managed carefully. If a dog attacks a person, it may be euthanized if a state-run committee determines that such action is necessary.
Golden Retriever (123rf) Can pets live in apartments?
For many pet owners in Korea, housing can be one of the most complicated issues.
Many apartment complexes and mixed-use residential buildings have rules restricting or banning pets, though the legality and scope of such rules remain a matter of debate.
There is no clear legal basis for a blanket ban on pets in apartments. But the Enforcement Decree of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act says residents must obtain consent from building managers if raising a domesticated animal causes inconvenience to shared residential life.
The dispute often centers on whether keeping a pet itself counts as causing an inconvenience to others. This has led to disagreements, and in some cases legal disputes, between residents, management offices and pet owners.
Many apartment complexes address the issue through their own management rules, which state whether pets are allowed and under what conditions. Because such rules can be adopted with the consent of residents, people moving into an apartment are generally expected to follow the complex’s regulations.
For foreign residents, this means it is important to check pet rules before signing a lease or moving into an apartment. Even when pets are not banned outright, residents may still face rules on noise, elevators, shared spaces, leashes and complaints from neighbors.