Bringing your pets to Indonesia

dafluff

Moderator
Moderator
Cager
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Messages
4,685
Moderator note: An updated version is now posted on the Expat Indo website here: https://www.expatindo.org/2017/01/26...ing-indonesia/



First let me start by saying that if at all possible, and especially if it is a short term visit, I recommend leaving your pets at your home country with someone who will care for them well. Bringing pets is a stressful event for both you and your pet, but I understand that for many they are family and leaving them is out of the question, no matter what.

If you do intent on bringing pets to Indonesia, please be aware of a few things:


  • [*=1]Being a predominantly Muslim country, dogs are seen as unclean and may not be welcome at your intended destination.
    [*=1]Indonesia does not have many pet friendly facilities, such as dog parks.
    [*=1]Taking your pets for a walk to go shopping or exercise is likely to draw a lot of attention.
    [*=1]Expensive or exotic animals are sometimes targeted by thieves.
    [*=1]A lot of cities in Indonesia are densely populated. Houses in urban areas are typically small and combined with the above issues, your pet may have to end up being stuck within the confines of your house.
    [*=1]There are some areas of Indonesia currently dedicating resources to become rabies free. These areas are closed to importation of pets, even if manage to import your pet to Jakarta. These areas include Bali, Madura, the Nusa Tenggaras, Maluku, Irian Jaya, Kalimantan Barat, and of Sumatra. The status of these areas may change from time to time so you should double check what the current status is. Some agents may approach you with services to import your pet to these closed areas, and there are many success stories. There are also stories that do not end well. Almost certainly they are breaking the law.
    [*=1]That being said there are definitely many areas where pets are welcome, and many services and clubs are dedicated to the happiness of both pet and owner.

Since the most common companion that people want to bring to Indonesia are dogs or cats, below is an outline of how to do it.

  1. It will take a lot of time to navigate the bureaucracy as well as to fulfill the requirements. Do not leave this to the last minute! In fact start at least 3-4 months ahead of time. It is common to engage an specialize agency to help you with the paper work. Groovy Pets and JakPetz are the commonly used ones, although other are available as well. I have heard good things about both agencies, but I make no endorsement for them.
  2. You will need to obtain a Health Certificate for Indonesia from your local governing agency. In the US, they are handled by the USDA, in Canada by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. For other countries, please inquire with the equivalent department. If you engage an agent, they will know.
  3. Indonesia doesn't require pet microchip, but it is a good idea to get it for 2 reasons: to identify your pet if somehow you become separated in transit, and you may require it to export the pet at a later date to another country, and obtaining them in Indonesia may not be easy.
  4. You will need an import license from the Directorate of Livestock and Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture. This is probably where your agent can help the most. In order to get this permit, you will need health certificate from a regular vet. This is not the same as the Health Certificate for Indonesia mentioned earlier, which you will need within 5 days of travel.
  5. Proof of current rabies vaccination must be provided. This means no sooner than 30 days, and no later than 12 months. In practice you'll want it no sooner than at least 2 months because,
  6. You need to get a rabies titer test. At a minimum this needs to be done 30 days after the vaccination to ensure antibodies have built up. In practice since usually test results have to be sent over to a specialized lab you will want to allot more time.
  7. Contact airlines to find out their pet policy. Not all airlines are pet friendly, and the last thing you want to do is book tickets for you first, then find out later that they are not great with pets. From the EU, lots of people like KLM. If you are coming from the Asia Pacific region, Korean Air. Both allow small pets in carriers in-cabin. Make sure your pet-carrier complies with the airlines pet policy. Naturally try to get flights that are as direct as possible. Pets should enter Indonesia by air through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) only.
  8. Within 5 days of travel, go to an authorized vet at your country to endorse the Health Certificate obtained earlier. Also make sure you bring your vaccination records and the results of the rabies titer test, and all other documents.
  9. After arriving in Jakarta and clearing the airport, you can go see your pet at the quarantine area. A 14 day quarantine is mandatory. You can visit your pet during this time, and I'm sure you will want to.

Additional info:

  1. If during the quarantine period your pet needs additional testing, you will be responsible for the fees
  2. If found with the H3N2 virus, your pet will be euthanized
  3. Pets can not be pregnant or nursing

(This information last updated July 2016).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great info, dafluff! I have imported cats in and out of Indonesia 5 times (both on my own and using an agent), and had one or more dogs in Indonesia for the past 9 years. To what you have said, I would just add:


  • Certain neighborhoods in Jakarta are fine for dogs, though the ones I am familiar with tend to have very expensive rents and are only an option for people who are on a full expat package with housing benefits. In our neighborhood in Pondok Indah, for example, it is very common to see all kinds of dogs being walked (occasionally by expat owners, but more often by Indonesian household staff).
  • If your pet needs to stay in Singapore en route to Indonesia for any reason, you will need to meet Singaporean requirements for importing animals. These are pretty strict, but the good news is that all the information you need is available in clear English from Government websites. We had to do this once, and boarded our cats at Mitchville Kennels. They were incredible.
  • Having done the process both with and without an agent, I recommend using an agent. It will cost a fortune (quite possibly more than USD 1000 per pet) but it will save you enormous hassle and will give you certainty about the costs. If you do it on your own, there may be "unexpected" costs you can do nothing about if you want to get your pets home safe.
  • You may also need to think ahead regarding where to house your animals if you land in Indonesia and stay in a hotel while hunting for a house. I can't speak for the rest of Indonesia, but I know I never was able to find a hotel in Jakarta that would allow my pets. The easiest solution is to leave your pets with friends or family and import them into Indonesia after you've moved into a home where you can keep them. I also recommend Animal Clinic Jakarta if you need to board your pets while you househunt.
 
Last edited:
Since this question will pop up quite often: It is (still) not possible to move pets to or from Bali! Even if there are people or agents stating this can be done, you will be taking a big risk.

I agree with the agent part mentioned above. This is one of these things you can not do yourself if you don't master the language and are not in Indonesia yet. A local person could theoretically do it for you but it is a rather big burden since there are many steps involved. The people from the ministries also prefer the agents btw. (But that could be for other reasons.)

Last but not least, 'home quarantaine' for pets does not exist. There is some kind of arrangement involved if you can take the pet immediately with you. Although I'm not in favor of bribing, the quality of quarantine is questionable; some have very good and others (including myself) rather bad experience with that. So if an agent like Groovy can arrange this, I would accept it, especially since you know your animal is healthy. (That's what the health certificate by your vet was for.)
 
From what i understand that the agent such as groovey signs a paper insureing that they are resposablily and guarttee the health of your pet to the goverment and that is why the quarantine can be shortend. Now that might be a bunch of bullshit but we did it for our dog and he was there only 2 days. Thats why the extra cost wheather its a bribe or a goverment expence.
Also it helps some if you have someone here that can help make sure all goes well.
 
Yes, I would not automatically dismiss the legitimacy of "home quarantine". Sure, we all know this is Indonesia and we can ... read between the lines. However, the concept is employed other places besides Indonesia, where it is done to minimize cost and discomfort, not because it presents an opportunity for corruption.

At the end of the day, any pet owner will want to follow steveandpenny's lead and do what is best for the health and well-being of their animal. If you are concerned that it is somehow dishonest, well...then take the rules super-seriously and make sure you follow the quarantine rules you've been given.
 
Nope. It is illegal. Period. The whole concept also makes no sense; the animal is healthy and tested on rabies or not. Proven by certificates and statements of officials. If so, no quarantine is necessary since the chances that it will develop any signs in that period are extremely small. (And what can/will they do when there is kennel cough or so?) If you expect fraud or any wrongdoing with the lab results or health certificates, you take the animal in and redo the bloodtesting while you keep it in separation.

In many cases I (would) do it too, so don't get me wrong. Better for your healthy pet to take it with you. But I have imported many pets and the reason and solution they give is always different (on the country of origin, their own rabies free assesment and the type of animal), even for pets from identical breeders abroad. There is no consistency besides lining the pockets.

Even China abolished the home quarantaine btw. And other countries only offer it as a mutually lucrative perk for pensionados (e.g. Panama).
 
Nope. It is illegal. Period. The whole concept also makes no sense; the animal is healthy and tested on rabies or not.

I think you misunderstand my point - it may be illegal in Indonesia, but it is certainly a viable legal proposition, as demonstrated by its use in places with no significant levels of corruption, like the US.

It may be true from a medical standpoint that "the concept makes no sense," but since when has "making sense" been a requirement for all the laws that exist? :)
 
One thing about the US there may not be the corropution but almost half of our cost was there junping thur hoops. Between mulitple vet visit and paperwork for usda and sending blood samples half way across the states and having to travle 200 miles to usda to get a stamp 2 days before departure. You pay and you pay. But it was worth it for us and bosco.
 
One thing about the US there may not be the corropution but almost half of our cost was there junping thur hoops. Between mulitple vet visit and paperwork for usda and sending blood samples half way across the states and having to travle 200 miles to usda to get a stamp 2 days before departure. You pay and you pay. But it was worth it for us and bosco.

Boy, is that ever true. I don't want to think about how many thousands of dollars we have spent over the years making international moves with our beloved pets.

Over at the old place, there used to be a poster named "Jester" who seemingly took great delight in torturing all of us pet lovers about this. He would ask, with great incredulity, how we could justify the expense when there are children starving in the world, etc.

Well, I suppose he had a point, but then - you could just as easily say, "Why are you buying that pair of pants/going out to dinner/buying a nice car when some people are poor?" At least pets are living creatures with feelings. (And for families with kids, it seems incredibly cruel to say, "hey son, we're moving away from all your friends and everything you've ever known - and oh by the way, Fido and Fluffy can't come with us because somewhere a child is poor, so we don't think it's moral to spend the money on pet importation.")

Anyway, it obviously kinda bothers me after all these years. But I've spent the money before and I'll spend it again if I have to.
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Follow Us

Latest Expat Indo Articles

Latest Tweets by Expat Indo

Latest Activity

New posts Latest threads

Online Now

Newest Members

Forum Statistics

Threads
5,966
Messages
97,419
Members
3,036
Latest member
stats
Back
Top Bottom