South Korea is one of the easier long haul routes out of Canada, and the reason is what it does not ask for. There is no import permit, no set quarantine period and no fee payable to the Korean authorities. A dog or cat that arrives with complete paperwork is inspected and released the same day. What the route does ask for is one blood test done well in advance, and that single item decides whether the arrival is a formality or a stay in a quarantine facility.
| Cost | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| Import permit | Not required | Not applicable |
| Rabies neutralising antibody test | Set by the laboratory | Internationally accredited rabies laboratory |
| Quarantine on arrival | None if the documents are complete | Korean quarantine authority |
| Export certificate endorsement | Set by the CFIA at the endorsement appointment | CFIA |
| Microchip | Set by your clinic | Your veterinarian |
| Vet examination and health certificate | Set by your clinic | Your veterinarian |
| IATA crate | CAD $80 to $340 at retail depending on size | Retail |
| Airline freight | Quoted per booking | Airline |
The microchip goes in first, then the rabies vaccination, then the blood sample for the rabies neutralising antibody test. The result has to be at least 0.5 IU per millilitre and it must come from a laboratory recognised internationally for rabies testing. Korea accepts a result for 24 months from the date the blood was drawn, which is unusually generous, so a titre test done for an earlier move may still be valid for this one. Check the date before you pay for a second test.
The paperwork itself is the CFIA veterinary health certificate for dogs and cats to Korea, completed by your veterinarian and endorsed by a CFIA office. It records the animal age, the microchip number, the vaccination and the test result, so every earlier step has to be finished before the certificate can be signed.
What happens on arrival follows directly from all of that. A pet whose documents are in order is inspected at the airport and released the same day. A pet missing the microchip, the vaccination or a qualifying antibody result is held until each of those is put right, and the holding period is not fixed, because the clock runs on the requirement rather than on a calendar. That is the outcome the planning is designed to avoid.
Live animal freight from Canada to Seoul is quoted per booking rather than taken from a rate card. The airline needs the crate outside dimensions, the loaded weight and the date before it will price anything. Air Canada Cargo, Korean Air Cargo and Asiana serve the route from Vancouver and Toronto, so most dates have more than one option and the quotes are worth comparing rather than accepting the first.
A direct flight costs more than a connection and is usually the better buy on a route this length, because each transfer adds a handling stop and a period on the ground. Summer is the constraint to plan around. Heat embargoes at the departure airport, at any connecting hub and at Incheon are applied on forecast temperature, so a booking that was accepted one week can be refused the next.
Your veterinarian sets their own fees. The examination, the certificate paperwork and the blood draw are priced by your clinic and vary widely between cities. Ground transport at the Korean end, from Incheon to your address, is charged separately, as is any boarding in Canada if the flight date and your own moving date do not line up.
Crate size drives the flight cost, as on every route, because freight is charged on the space the crate occupies rather than on what your pet weighs. After that the variables are ordinary ones: which city you leave from, whether a direct flight is available on your date, and the season. Because Korea charges no permit or quarantine fee, the government side of this move is close to fixed, and almost all of the movement in the total is on the airline line.
Figures verified September 2026. CFIA fees are re-indexed for inflation every 31 March, and Korea revises its import conditions periodically, so check the sources if you are reading this later.
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Send us the route, the breed and roughly when you want to travel. Request a quote and we will reply with an itemised plan, a timeline and clear next steps.
For entry rules and the full paperwork timeline, see our guide to pet shipping requirements for South Korea.
Last updated 7 September 2026
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