Bali - Pets not allowed in.

10 more dogs confiscated in Bali

Faced with deciding what to do about Doña Lola, our feline companion of 16 years, I enquired about my wife bringing her to Bali. I was referred to two websites. We investigated the facts, and needless to say, my wife is not happy with what we found. If you are moving to Bali, you should look at the facts here, and in the references provided.

Pets  - dogs, cats, birds and monkeys - may not enter the rabies free parts of Indonesia unless they are coming from a rabies free country such as the United Kingdom,  Australia,  Bermuda, Brunei, Cyprus, Darusalem,  Denmark,  Fiji, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland,  Ireland,  Japan, Malta, New Zealand,  Norway, Sabah & Sarawak, Singapore, Sweden or Taiwan- List of Rabies Free Countries:

The United States and Canada are NOT rabies free countries. The following areas of Indonesia are not accepting pets at this time: Bali, Sumatra, Surabaya, Palembang, Papua, and West Kalimantan.

Indonesian authorities do not quarantine healthy pets entering from the above countries which meet the following requirements. When entering from other countries, there will be a minimum of 14 days of quarantine.

Blood Titer Test is required.

Indonesia requires that you file for an Import Permit for a pet at least 30 days prior to entry. A copy of the owner's passport, a rabies certificate (for your animal) and veterinary certificate must be included in the application. Your pet cat or dog must be vaccinated for rabies between 30 days and 12 months prior to entry, depending which country you are coming from.

If coming from the USA or Canada, a USDA (or CFIA) accredited veterinarian must complete the Veterinary Certificate for Indonesia for endorsement by the USDA or CFIA. If you are not traveling from either of these countries, the Governing Authority of your country responsible for the import and export of animals should endorse the forms.

A copy of the Rabies Certificate should also be included for endorsement. This completes a passport for your dog or cat to enter Indonesia.  At least two days prior to entry the quarantine station must be notified of your time of arrival to arrange for inspection of the pet.

There are some areas of Indonesia that are dedicating resources to becoming rabies free areas. They are Bali, West Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan (Balikpapan and Samarinda) and Sulawesi. Requirements to enter Bali are extremely strict and pets cannot enter or exit from the island at present. 

Dog Passport for other parts of Indonesia

Whenever you travel to a foreign country like Indonesia, it is always advisable to carry some form of identification indicating ownership of the pet.

Failure to comply with these regulations will mean that your pet will be refused entry or returned to the country of origin or placed in quarantine, all at the expense of the person responsible for your pet. (We read that recently several expensive dogs were refused entry and put down at Gilimanuk. That’s a favourite smuggling – or attempted smuggling – port across from Java.)

Inspection: All domestic dogs and cats must be free of evidence of disease communicable to humans when examined at the port of entry to Indonesia. If your dog or cat is not in apparent good health, further examination by a licensed veterinarian may be required at your expense.

Other Animals: Birds, invertebrates, tropical fish, reptiles, amphibia, mammals such as rodents and rabbits are not subject to requirements of rabies vaccination, but may have to meet other requirements and should have a health certificate to enter Indonesia. Pet owners are strongly advised to seek further information from the relevant authority of their country and/or that of the country of destination, or rather get advice from an expert pet transport company.

Pet Microchip: Although Indonesia does not require a pet microchip, we strongly recommend that you microchip your cat or dog prior to traveling.

Questions and answers here.

expat.or.id/info/pets.html  states

Requirements for Bringing Pets to Indonesia

An Import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture is a must for every pet entering Indonesia. You may obtain one by having your copy of passport, copy of valid health certificate from the veterinarian, and the copy of pet's vaccination book.

Pets from non-rabies free countries are forbidden entry into Jakarta. We have been told by more than one source that you run the risk of losing your pet on arrival.

The health certificate can be obtained from a certified veterinarian, and should be made within five days of the animal's departure. The certificate must state the animal is in good health and that it has been vaccinated for rabies within the last 30 days and not more than one year before departure.

When your pet travels with you as excess baggage, you must bring with you the Original of the Vaccination book, the Health Certificate from the country of origin and the original Import permit to be shown at your destination.

If you choose to ship your pet separately through cargo services, you will need the same documentation (i.e., import permit). But it is a very complicated task to complete custom clearance upon arrival, paying import duties, etc. Appointing your pet removal agent to handle this is the best way to avoid complicated procedures and shorten the time that your pet must spend at the airport.

Clearing pets through customs in Indonesia is a complicated procedure, but one that your pet removals firm can help you to prepare for.

expat.or.id/info/pets.html  for more intense info, but we repeat – for now, no cats or dogs are being allowed into Bali.

STOP PRESS - Latest News about Bali pet smuggling - 13th July 2014