Seoul subway — pet rule
SeoulPets ride inside a carrier so they can't be seen, with no smell or disturbance to other passengers (Seoul Metro passenger terms).
Guide dogs for people with disabilities can't be refused.
Pets in Korea
Living in Korea
Korea with your pet
Import rules checked against Korea's quarantine agency (APQA), how pets ride trains and the subway, and a 24-hour animal emergency hospital near Seoul.
Bringing a pet in — what Korea requires
Dogs and cats need a microchip and a health certificate from the departure country's government that lists the chip number and, from most countries, a rabies antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. If the paperwork checks out, the pet is released the same day.
Documents (in order)
- 1Microchip — required for every dog and cat, at any age, and the number must be on the health certificate. APQA reads ISO 11784/11785 chips; with any other type, bring your own reader or the pet gets a new chip.
- 2Rabies antibody test (FAVN or RFFIT) of at least 0.5 IU/ml from an approved lab or a government agency — valid for 24 months from the blood-draw date. Not needed for pets under 90 days old or from rabies-free areas (APQA's list includes Japan, Singapore, the UK, Australia and New Zealand — it changes, so check before you fly).
- 3Health certificate issued by the departure country's government veterinary authority, showing birth date, microchip number, antibody result, test date and lab. From EU countries, an EU pet passport can stand in for it.
- 4On arrival, declare the pet to the animal quarantine officer before customs. Up to 9 animals can come in without advance notice.
- 5Something missing? The pet stays in quarantine until it is fixed (microchip, vaccination, antibody result of 0.5 IU/ml or more) — at the owner's cost.
Airport quarantine desks (phone)
- • Incheon Airport T1: 032-740-2660
- • Incheon Airport T2: 032-740-2028
- • Gimpo Airport: 02-2664-2601
- • Gimhae (Busan) Airport: 051-971-1925
- • Jeju Airport: 064-746-0761
Costs
Paperwork in order: released the same day. If the pet must stay, the owner pays transport, care, microchip and test costs — APQA's own rabies antibody test is ₩110,000 per animal.
Extra rules
- • From Australia (cats) or Malaysia (dogs and cats): extra Hendra/Nipah virus certification — without it, 21 days of quarantine.
- • These rules cover dogs and cats only. Other animals follow separate import rules — ask APQA before you travel.
Playbook
Start the paperwork months ahead
The antibody test comes after a rabies vaccination, then a blood draw and lab time. Start early — the result stays valid for 24 months.
Confirm the hotel's pet rules first
Pet rooms, weight limits and fees differ by hotel. Get the rules in writing before you book flights.
Bring a proper carrier
On KTX and the subway your pet has to stay inside a carrier for the whole ride.
Summer is brutal for dogs
Jul–Aug humidity + asphalt heat is rough on paws. Walk before 09:00 / after 19:00.
Pet emergency? Haemaru runs 24h
Many regular clinics close in the evening. Haemaru in Bundang (Seongnam) runs a 24-hour emergency service — call 031-781-2992 first.
Transit
KTX & Korail trains — pet rule
SeoulPets must be in a pet carrier so they aren't exposed, can't take up a seat or the aisle, and need their vaccinations, including rabies (Korail passenger terms).
Breaking the rule can get you removed from the train or fined up to ₩500,000 (Railroad Safety Act). Guide dogs can't be refused.
Vets / emergencies
Haemaru Referral Animal Hospital (24h emergency, Bundang)
GyeonggiReferral animal hospital with a 24-hour, year-round emergency service.
031-781-2992. Outpatient clinic weekdays and Saturdays 10:00–18:00. It is in Bundang-gu, Seongnam (Gyeonggi), outside Seoul — call before you set off.