Getting a Cat out of China and into the US
It’s really not all that difficult, if you can believe that, and here it is.
1) You need to have the rabies shots up to date and no fresher than 30 days from departure.
2) You have to have the burgundy book for the cat.
3) There must be a health inspection done at a vet that is certified by the government, and then you wait 3 days to get a stamped and certified document. This is good for 14 days, then you have to do it again.
4) Take this document to the export building and get an export certificate (this is actually free)
5) At this point, your cost is about 300 RMB
6) Airlines – DO NOT FLY A DOMESTIC AIRLINE. none of them accept pets, you are going to have to fly a US airline. And you must alert them in advance, like when you are booking to ensure they have a space open for the cat.
7) The carriers they sell in the pet shops do NOT meet airline requirements. Just go to the airport and buy a carrier, it costs $50
8)Cost for bringing a pet on board is 900RMB and covers all connecting flights.
9) Upon arrival to the US, you show your certs and that’s it. Done.
As for #7, I got back from Yinchuan and decided to take care of the carrier early. I had already reserved one when I found that they sold them. So, I thought I would just go pick one up. 3 hours later I had one. I had to go upstairs to the office and find the hidden airline office. Then hunt someone down during lunch. He informed me that YES they have it right there, but to pay for it, I have to go downstairs to the counter, which is past customs, which means filling out a customs declaration. By the time I got there, the guy was gone… of course. There were other people, but they could not help me, for there was only one person at the entire service desk with authorization to accept payment and he was missing. It was $50 and they demanded 400RMB, which is a bullshit exchange, but whatever, I did it just to save the confusion and hassle. I gave it to him, didn’t bother with the 发票 and let him handle payment when the other guy got back. Seemed reasonable to me. That was the only real pain in the ass for the process. 