Route guide
Paris → Seoul
Paris to Seoul belongs in the long-haul, plan-months-ahead category: South Korea’s quarantine agency conditionally holds animals on arrival and can request a titer test depending on the pet’s rabies history, so owners build in a wide buffer rather than a fixed clearance date. Air France offers cabin, checked-baggage, or cargo travel, while Singapore Airlines carries pets only as manifest cargo on this route. A 210-day runway leaves room to resolve any titer request before entry. Even so, some post-arrival quarantine should be expected.
What this route involves
Flying from Paris to Seoul means clearing South Korea entry rules on arrival and meeting your airline’s own conditions on departure. Below are both, plus the order to do them in.
Leaving France
The rabies vaccination is valid only if given after microchipping and at least 21 days before travel. Paris Charles de Gaulle is the main approved entry point.
See full entry rulesEntering South Korea
South Korea admits pets without quarantine when the documents are exact and applies it when they are not. You need an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a current vaccination, a government-endorsed health certificate and, from countries not recognised as rabies-free or controlled, a rabies antibody titer test. No import permit is required. Seoul Incheon handles most arrivals, with Busan and Jeju also approved.
See full entry rulesAirlines on this route
Airline rules stack on top of the country rules above. Confirm both before you book.
Your chronological checklist
Work backwards from your travel date. Start the earliest step first — some cannot be rushed.
- 1 Book the flight and reserve the pet slot30 days before travel
Airlines cap how many animals travel per flight. The pet slot runs out well before the seats do.
- 2 Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip22 days before travel
It has to come first: every later certificate references this number, and a rabies shot given before the chip usually does not count.
- 3 Rabies vaccination21 days before travel
Must be given after the microchip and be valid on the day you travel. Most destinations also require a minimum of 21 days between the shot and entry.
- 4 Health certificate and official endorsement2 days before travel
Issued by an accredited vet close to departure, then endorsed by your government authority. This endorsement cannot be done at the airport.
- 5 Travel dayTravel day
Carry the originals plus copies of everything, arrive early, and keep the crate documents attached to the crate.