The mandatory-quarantine countries
*No quarantine for cats that meet every entry requirement before travel.
For most destinations, quarantine is avoidable — it's a penalty for incomplete paperwork, not a default. Get the microchip, rabies vaccination, titer test and health certificate right, and your cat usually walks straight through. But a handful of rabies-free islands quarantine every arriving cat no matter how perfect the documents. This table shows exactly which is which.
A compliant, fully-documented cat enters with no detention. The large majority of the world.
No quarantine if you're fully compliant, but missing or incorrect documents trigger detention — sometimes for months.
Facility quarantine for every cat regardless of paperwork. Plan and budget for it from day one.
The global quarantine picture
For the overwhelming majority of destinations, a well-prepared cat never sees a quarantine facility. The strict regimes cluster in just two parts of the world.
Status of all 144 countries
Where the strict rules are
Share of each region by status · count at right
How long is mandatory quarantine?
Minimum facility stay for the 11 mandatory-quarantine countries
Malaysia
Taiwan
Australia
New Zealand
Indonesia
Iceland
China
Fiji
Maldives
Sri Lanka
MauritiusMauritius (6 months) is the global outlier — more than six times the next-longest stay. China's 30 days can drop to 7 with complete documentation; Taiwan is 7 days at home from rabies-free countries or 21 at a facility.
The mandatory-quarantine countries
These eleven destinations quarantine every imported cat on arrival, no exceptions. If you're moving here, the quarantine period and cost are unavoidable — build them into your timeline.
Full comparison table
Search any country, filter by status or region, and sort by duration or cost. Tap any row for the full rule and a link to the country guide.
| Country | Status | Typical duration |
|---|
"Typical duration" is the period a mandatory or non-compliant cat would expect. Costs are full-journey estimates from the country guide, not quarantine alone.
How to read this
The golden rule: in roughly 8 of every 10 countries, quarantine only happens when paperwork is wrong. Your single most important task is completing every requirement — microchip first, then rabies vaccination, then any titer test, then the health certificate — in the correct order and within each country's time windows.
Rabies-free islands are non-negotiable: Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Mauritius and Fiji quarantine every cat regardless of documents. Mauritius runs to six months — start planning a year ahead.
Japan is the famous trap: its "180-day quarantine" only bites a non-compliant cat. Complete the 180-day waiting period before departure and your cat clears in under 12 hours. See our Japan 180-day timeline guide.
Frequently asked questions
Planning a specific move?
Open the full country guide for step-by-step requirements, timelines and costs — or use the trip planner to map your cat's whole journey and budget.
Methodology & disclaimer
Quarantine status is drawn from CatAbroad's per-country research and the official government authority listed in each row. Countries are classified as Mandatory when facility quarantine applies to all imported cats, Conditional when only non-compliant or specific-origin cats are detained, and None when compliant cats enter freely. Rules change frequently and edge cases exist (breed bans, regional categories, rabies-status reviews). Always confirm current requirements with the destination's official authority before booking travel. This page is a planning aid, not legal or veterinary advice.
Last reviewed: 6 June 2026.