Overseas Briefing Center Pet FAQ

Mission Jakarta, Indonesia

Updated: February 24, 2015

Before Traveling
1. SPECIAL BREEDS:
Does your post or country have any import restrictions on breeds or
species of pets? If so, which breeds/species?
The only restriction is for pitbulls. Cats and dogs are the most common
imported into country. However, please check with airlines for any applicable
breed restrictions.
2. AGE RESTRICTIONS:
Does your post or country have any minimum age import requirements
for pets (For instance: Animal must be at least 6 weeks for entry)?
For cats and dogs they must be a minimum of 6 months of age, as this is
related with the rabies vaccination.
3. IMPORT PERMITS:
Does your post or country require a country-specific import permit for
pets? Please provide pet owners with specific directions on how to
obtain this permit and what documents a pet owner must provide to
post and in what time frame.
Work with a licensed Indonesian pet shipper (Groovy Pets at
www.groovy.co.id/pettransport and JakPetz at www.jakpetz.co.id) to obtain the
import permit. This is a lengthy process, so please start at least 8 weeks in
advance. Basic Document required are owner passport copy, copy of rabies
vaccination book/certificate, and copy of rabies serology blood test certificate.
4. VACCINATIONS AND IMMUNIZATIONS:
What vaccinations or other immunizations or procedures (for instance:
de-worming or heart worm test) does your post require for pets? Please
note: For animals coming from the U.S. and going to an EU country, a
titer test is not required. For animals coming directly from a non-

Overseas Briefing Center (OBC), a division of the Transition Center at FSI /

Arlington, Virginia
Room E-2126 / Tel: 703-302-7277 / FSIOBCInfoCenter@state.gov
Internet: http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc
Intranet: http://fsi.state.gov/fsi/tc

favored Third Country (see EU Pet Scheme site) to an EU country, the

titer test is required.
Rabies vaccination is required. Blood titer test for Rabies antibody must be
completed and results must be greater than or equal to 0.5 IU/ml. Please note
that the Diagnostic Laboratory facilities at Fort Sam Houston are available for
USG personnel, and the rabies titer test is much less expensive there ($55 per
sample). See www.vetlab.army.mil/documents/pet_docs.html for more
information about this service. You must also have 2 rabies vaccinations
administered coincidentally with a scan of the pets microchip (or the microchip
number noted on the vaccination certificate/health records). All other
vaccinations are optional, but recommended.
What is the time period for which these vaccinations and shots are
valid prior to entry into your country? For example: a rabies vaccine
must have been administered less than a year but longer than 30 days
prior to arrival.
Rabies vaccination must be administered at least 30 days before, but no more
than 1 year before departure.
5. HEALTH CERTIFICATE / HEALTH FORM:
What type of health certificate does your country require? For
example: a generic certificate of health form from a private
veterinarian; an EU Pet Scheme health certificate; a USDA-APHIS 7001
Form, another health certificate specific to the receiving country?
USDA-APHIS-countersigned International Health Certificate is required (USDAAPHIS Form 7001), or EU Pet Scheme health certificate, or other type of health
certificate issued by host government at country of origin.
What is the time frame that is required by your country for the
appropriate health form to be signed prior to arrival? For example: 14
days, 10 days, 5 days, etc.
Within 5 - 10 days prior to arrival
Does your post or country require that the form be endorsed by a
USDA-APHIS government veterinarian or simply signed by a private
veterinarian? Please note: This is important for pet owners when
planning their time frame for preparing their pet.
Health Certificate must be completed by a USDA-APHIS accredited veterinarian
and countersigned by a USDA-APHIS office. From other countries, you will need a
health certificate issued by government veterinarian.

6. MICROCHIP REQUIREMENTS:
Does your post require an ISO microchip? Microchip standards
overseas are different than they are in the United States and a dog or
cat's microchip may not comply with international requirements. If
your country requires an ISO microchip, a pet must have the ISO
microchip implanted prior to the rabies vaccine.
Microchips are not mandatory, but please check with the veterinarian at origin
country if the lab will need a microchip to do a rabies serology blood test.

During Transit
7. METHOD OF TRANSPORT:
By which method (in-cabin, accompanied baggage, or cargo) can pets
be brought into your post? Please note: Some countries stipulate that
pets can only arrive as cargo. If there is a special problem with the pet
entering as cargo, please list here.
Most pets arrive to Jakarta via in-cabin, accompanied baggage, or cargo.
Post recommends coordinating with a pet handler in Indonesia to facilitate this
process.
There are two reputable choices which are IPATA members, they are Groovy Pets
and JakPetz.
8. TEMPERATURE RESTRICTIONS:
Are there temperature issues that are problematic for the travel route
of pets arriving to your post? Please provide recommendations.
For those on the summer cycle, temperatures in the U.S. can cause problems.
Please check with your airlines, as some airlines wont accept pet for transport
during summer
9. ARRIVAL PLANNING:
May pets at your post arrive before their owners?
No. Full diplomatic credentialing is required for duty-free importation, and for
dutiable importation consignee is required to be at Post.
May pets at your post arrive after their owners? Please note: At some
posts, it is difficult to ship an animal unaccompanied as cargo and
therefore, posts require pets to arrive with their owners. If yes, please
explain the complications.

Yes, there are no complications under this method.

**PLEASE READ! Summer 2015 is expected to be a complicated transfer season
due to the typical slowdown that occurs during the Ramadan holiday month.
Many newcomers will be placed in temporary housing due to the make-ready
slowdown. All pet owners bringing pets to Jakarta during the months of June, July
and August, should be prepared for the possibility of being placed in temporary
housing where their pets are not welcome. Please contact GSO/Housing as early
as possible so that you can prepare for the possibility of arriving to a temporary
location. It will be the pet owners responsibility to make alternative plans and
accommodations. Therefore, it is strongly advised to research all possibilities for
your pet long before you arrive. Please understand that very few landlords and
apartments allow pets in their residences and that percentage becomes even
smaller for temporary housing options, with the exception of one location which
does have strict size limitations (Peak Frasier). Please contact GSO or CLO
Jakarta for more information.
10.
SHIPPING ROUTES:
Are there certain routes or layover stops that post recommends using
for pets arriving at your post?
Please ensure your airlines, especially when you are using a coach share are
accepting pets. Recommended route are with transit through Amsterdam, Seoul,
Japan (for less than 12 hour layover), and Malaysia
Similarly, are there certain routes or layover stops that post
recommends avoiding if traveling to your post with pets?
If you bring your pets as accompanied baggage please avoid transit through
Hong Kong. Pets transited Hong Kong must be manifested as cargo and the
clearance in Jakarta will be similar with UAB and HHE clearance procedures.
Please also avoid transit through South Africa, or UAE.
11.
QUARANTINE:
Does your post have a quarantine period?
Yes
If yes, how long and what is the cost?
There is a 14-day quarantine period which costs IDR 950,000 for a small dog and
cat, and IDR 1,000,000 for a big dog (there rates were given to GSO on March,
2015)
Is it in-house quarantine or must the pet stay at a government facility?

Above cost is for quarantine in a government facility. Home quarantine is

available to Diplomatic personnel at an additional cost of approx. IDR 3,000,000
per animal.
12.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Are there other items of note to be aware of when traveling to your
post with a pet?
The importation of pets into Indonesia can be tricky. Be sure to maintain close
contact with both post GSO and the CLO. There are several people at Post with
pets who can provide valuable insight into the importation process. Be sure to
contact Post as soon as possible after your assignment if you plan on bringing
your pets.

At Post
13.
VETERINARY CLINICS:
What is the quality of the veterinary services available at your post?
Veterinary care at post is not at U.S. standards. There are local vet who has
been recommended by a few officers. Vets here may make house calls. Labs and
diagnostic services vary vet to vet. Some vets may also recommend nonconventional treatments- such as acupuncture or massage. The pet company
may also providing vet services.
14.
PET SUPPLIES:
Are standard pet supplies (food, medicine, etc.) readily available at
your post?
U.S. brand pet food is available here, though it is manufactured in either
Thailand or Vietnam (Pedigree and Alpo). Pet medicines are available, but are
usually not U.S. brands. There are boutique pet stores that carry brands that you
would see in most pet stores in the U.S., such as Blue, Science Diet, Eukanuba
and Royal Canin- just to name a few. Pet grooming and bathing services are
available in Jakarta. There are also mobile groomers who make house calls.
15.
PET SAFETY:
What is the attitude of the locals at your post towards pets?
Indonesia is a majority Muslim country, and their attitude towards dogs is
dictated by that fact. Most Indonesians are either afraid of dogs, or cannot be
near them due to religious beliefs. It may be difficult to find domestic help if you
have a dog here. Cats, on the other hand, are just fine. Most workers and
visitors will not enter a house until dogs are secured. Please provide a safe

comfortable spot in your home where your pet can go during friendly visits or
service appointments.

16.
HOUSING RESTRICTIONS:
Are there housing restrictions regarding pets at your post? For example: all
employees live in high rises in a city and this may be a problem for pet owners
who own large dogs that require space to walk; host country landlords rarely
allow pets in embassy leased housing; hotels do not allow pets, which might be
a problem for newly arrived pet owners who do not move directly into their
assigned housing; pets can only be walked very late at night or very early in the
morning; insurance or housing deposits are required for pet owners.
**Transfer Season 2015 will have several unique challenges for
newcomers. Therefore you may want to find a way to have your pet
arrive after youve settled into your permanent home. If you have been
assigned to a temporary housing location (very likely for those arriving
in June, July and August 2015) it is up to you to plan accordingly for the
care of your pets while you are separated. Those going to temporary
housing should not expect to have their pets living with them until they
have occupied their permanent housing. Some newcomers should
expect to be in temporary housing for several months. Please contact
GSO/Housing for more information on your particular housing status.
Most landlords in Jakarta do not allow pets. If having a dog is your top priority,
housing options will be severely limited. The Embassy will make every effort to
assign you to a residence which allows them, but we cannot guarantee it given
that we are losing one of our dog-friendly housing complexes. Plus, you will
likely be assigned to South Jakarta, where the majority of our dog-friendly
residences are. In Central Jakarta, options are mainly limited to two apartment
complexes: Prapatan and Peak Fraser. Peak Fraser allows small dogs only and
requires a $1,000 deposit ($200 of which is non-refundable), which is the
occupants responsibility for paying.
17.
PET EXERCISE:
What kind of space, if any, exists for walking and exercising pets at
post?
Very little. There are hardly any parks in the neighborhoods where we live, and
sidewalks in Jakarta are notoriously bad or non-existent. There are three
neighborhoods in our Housing pool where pet owners can walk their dogs inside
of their gated community. As always, all pets must be on a leash and pet owners
must be responsible to clean up after their pets! Other pet friendly single family
housing will have a private yard.

In a recent Management Notice (12/05/2015 MGMT Notice 223-14) :

The Post Occupational Safety Health Officer (POSHO) along with the Health Unit/Medical
Office strongly advises against embassy employees or their family members exercising on
the streets of Jakarta. Jakarta sidewalks and roads are very often uneven; many have holes or
other obstructions which make them dangerous to walk or try to exercise on. Because of the
very tight spaces and the competition with vehicles and motor bikes, we do not recommend
anyone using these for exercise. There are a few recommended parks and exercise areas
listed in the actual notice.
Recently, in the Jakarta Globe:
Part of the problem is bad sidewalks. Only 6 percent of all 7,000 kilometers roads in Jakarta
have sidewalks, and where they do exist, only 20 percent are passable, according to the
Pedestrian Coalition.
See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/22/in-jakarta-sidewalks-havebeen-sidetracked.html#sthash.SXVQ56ro.dpuf

18.
GENERAL PET HEALTH:
What else should pet owners know about life at your post with a pet?
For example: Many stray or wild dogs, necessity of regular flea dips,
etc.
Jakarta has its fair share disease carrying mammals and pests- meaning disease
prevention must be taken seriously. There are many stray cats living all around
Jakarta, including in and around our housing complexes, though we try to
discourage this from occurring. It is advisable to vaccinate your animal against
rabies, and to give regular flea & tick treatments, heartworm treatments, and
other anti-parasite medications (e.g. hookworm, tapeworm, leptospirosis). There
have been several reports within our community of pets becoming gravely ill
due to a form of tick borne Lymes Disease, caused by a spirochete (bacteria)
species of the Borrelia burgdorferi group. Therefore, it is important to treat
ticks both topically and internally. Some animals may also contract dermatitis
or fungal infections during the rainy season, so it is advisable to arrive with antifungal and anti-histamine ointments.

PLEASE PROVIDE CONTACT PERSON AT POST FOR ADDITIONAL PET

QUESTIONS: (Name / Email)
Doddy Kusharyono (KusharyonoD@state.gov)