Introduction: this move is decided by paperwork, not by the flight
Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur is under two hours in the air. The paperwork behind it runs for weeks. On a Vietnam to Malaysia pet import, the quarantine booking must exist before the import permit can be approved, reversing the order most owners assume.
Vietnam sits close enough that owners treat the move as a short hop. The flight is short. Everything around it is not.
What catches people is sequencing. The quarantine space is booked first, the permit second. Book the flight before either and the dates rarely survive.
This guide follows the route the way we run it at My Pet Mover, under our pet import Malaysia service. The video below covers the rules that most often stop a move before it starts.
Is Vietnam a scheduled or non-scheduled country?
Vietnam is non-scheduled. The Department of Veterinary Services updated its country lists in a notice dated 11 December 2025, and Vietnam appears on neither scheduled list. Every import from Vietnam therefore runs under the non-scheduled regulation, with quarantine on arrival.
Malaysia splits origins into two groups. Scheduled origins are treated as low rabies risk and have historically avoided quarantine. Everything else falls under the non-scheduled regulation.
The current scheduled list, published in the DVS notice of 11 December 2025, names the United Kingdom, Eire, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Brunei, Singapore, Greece, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Malta, Slovenia, Estonia, Bahrain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Lithuania.
One quirk is worth knowing. The notice also defines the non-scheduled group by exclusion, and the two lists do not match exactly. Vietnam is absent from both, so its status is not in doubt. We unpack the split in scheduled versus non-scheduled countries, and a Philippines to Malaysia pet import runs under the identical regulation.
Quarantine on arrival: what the official documents actually say
The published DVS regulation sets a compulsory period of not less than seven days, extendable to six months on risk assessment. MAQIS states the same seven-day floor. Several relocation sources report a fourteen-day minimum applied since late 2024. Confirm the current figure with MAQIS before booking.
This is the number owners want, and the one public sources disagree on.
- What the regulation says. The DVS non-scheduled document sets a compulsory period of not less than seven days, extendable to six months on risk assessment.
- What MAQIS publishes. The MAQIS pet import guide repeats the seven-day floor and adds that the period varies by exporting country.
- What relocation sources report. Several describe a revised protocol from 28 December 2024 imposing at least fourteen days. We have not found that revision on either government site.
So the honest answer is a range, not a figure. Budget for the longer stay, ask MAQIS to confirm in writing, and treat any shorter promise with suspicion.
What the stay involves sits in inside your pet’s KLAQS quarantine stay and on our KLIA pet quarantine page, and the day count in seven days or fourteen.
Not sure which day count applies to your file?
We confirm the current quarantine requirement with MAQIS before anything is booked. See how our pet import service works →
Where Vietnam sits among Malaysia’s import origins
Malaysia sorts origins into three practical groups: scheduled countries with no quarantine clause in their regulation, non-scheduled countries carrying the seven-day floor, and Australia under its own separate document. Vietnam sits in the middle group, alongside the rest of Southeast Asia.
The table groups the origins named in the DVS documents.
Origin Groups Under Malaysia’s Current Import Documents
| Origin group | Examples named in the documents | What the regulation says about quarantine |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled | UK, Eire, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Brunei, Singapore, Germany and 14 others | No day-count clause |
| Non-scheduled | Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, all others | Not less than 7 days, extendable to 6 months |
| Separate document | Australia | Its own DVS requirements sheet |
| Suspended | Any origin during a disease event | Import may be suspended at any time |
Source: DVS import regulations for dogs and cats, with the country-list notice of 11 December 2025.
The health certificate clause that decides most Vietnam files
The non-scheduled regulation asks the exporting country’s veterinary authority to certify seven things on one document. One is that no case of rabies has been reported in that country in the preceding six months, which is not a straightforward statement for a Vietnamese official to sign.
Most guides list the health certificate as one line item. The clause is really seven certifications, each a place the file can fail.
- Clinically healthy. Free of any clinical sign of rabies or contagious disease.
- Country rabies status. No rabies case reported in that country in the six months before the certificate date.
- No re-export. The animal was not itself imported there in the preceding six months.
- Rabies vaccination. An approved anti-rabies vaccine given before export.
- Core vaccines. Given within twelve months of export.
- Records current. Vaccination history, treatments and health status up to date.
- Final inspection. Examined within seven days before export, no clinical signs on shipment day.
The second is the awkward one. Vietnam is not a rabies-free country, so a literal reading sits uneasily with reality. MAQIS and DVS assess non-scheduled files case by case, which is why the regulation can extend quarantine to six months.
Raise it early rather than discover it at the counter. Ask MAQIS how the clause is applied to Vietnamese certificates before your vet drafts anything. Our notes on the veterinary health certificate for Malaysia and rabies vaccination rules cover the wording.
What the Vietnamese side has to produce before departure
Malaysia requires the health certificate to come from the exporting country’s government veterinary authority, which in Vietnam is the animal health administration under the agriculture ministry. A private clinic letter is not enough, and export must happen within seven days of issue.
Two details do most of the damage when they are missed.
- Government endorsement, not a clinic letter. The certificate must come from a competent officer of the government veterinary authority. A clinic check carries no weight at the MAQIS counter.
- A seven-day export window. Export must happen within seven days of the certificate’s issue date, and that window has to line up with the flight, the booking and the permit.
Identification is the other early item. The animal needs an ISO 11784 and 11785 compliant microchip, and the number must match every document. See microchip rules for pets entering Malaysia.
Age is a hard gate too. Dogs and cats cannot be under three months old at import, which rules out moving a young puppy or kitten with the household. See importing a puppy or kitten to Malaysia.
The document chain: who issues what, and when
Six documents change hands on a Vietnam to Malaysia move, and only two belong to the owner. The quarantine booking number is the hinge: MAQIS requires it inside the permit application, so the booking must be complete before the permit is filed.
The sequence follows the five steps MAQIS publishes, with the Vietnamese documents slotted in.
Document Chain for a Vietnam to Malaysia Pet Import
| Order | Document or step | Who issues it | Published timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microchip and rabies vaccination | Vet in Vietnam | Core vaccines within 12 months |
| 2 | Quarantine space enquiry | Animal Quarantine Station | 14 days before import |
| 3 | Booking form MK1 and deposit | Owner, at the station | Deposit within 48 hours |
| 4 | Import permit via e-Permit | MAQIS-registered agent | After the booking number exists |
| 5 | Veterinary health certificate | Vietnam’s veterinary authority | Export within 7 days of issue |
| 6 | Inspection at entry | MAQIS officer at KLIA | On arrival, originals shown |
Source: MAQIS pet import guidance and the DVS non-scheduled countries regulation.
Step four is the one owners cannot do themselves. MAQIS requires a registered import agent to file the e-Permit application and enter the booking number. See why you cannot DIY a MAQIS permit and how to apply for a MAQIS import permit.
Breeds Malaysia bans, and breeds that need approval first
Seven breeds are banned from import outright and six are restricted. A restricted breed needs written approval from the Director General of MAQIS before the permit application is made, and that approval includes an inspection of the home the dog will live in.
The lists apply to every origin, and appear in both the DVS regulation and the MAQIS guidance.
- Banned from import. Akita, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero, Japanese Tosa, Neapolitan Mastiff, and Pit Bull Terrier including its American Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier variants.
- Restricted, approval required. Bull Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Doberman, German Shepherd or Alsatian including Belgian and East European Shepherd, Perro de Presa Canario, and Rottweiler.
The restricted-breed conditions go beyond paperwork. The dog needs a pedigree certificate from an approved organisation in the exporting country, a microchip recorded on it, and an inspection of the premises covering kennel, compound size, safety and control. The importer also declares the dog a personal pet, kept in the compound, leashed and muzzled in public.
German Shepherds surprise people most, being common family dogs in Vietnam. Full detail sits in dog breeds banned or restricted in Malaysia.
Where Vietnam to Malaysia files actually stall
On our Southeast Asian inbound files, the most common delay is not a rejected document. It is a quarantine slot that was full on the date the family had already booked their own flights around, pushing every other deadline out with it.
The figures come from our own inbound casework, indexed against the most frequent cause.
Causes of Delay on Southeast Asia Inbound Files, Indexed to the Most Common
| Cause of delay | Relative frequency (most common = 100) |
|---|---|
| Quarantine slot unavailable on the date |
100 |
| Certificate outside the seven-day window |
74 |
| Certificate not government-endorsed |
61 |
| Microchip number mismatched across documents |
48 |
| Breed restriction discovered late |
35 |
| Crate rejected at cargo acceptance |
27 |
Source: My Pet Mover casework, Southeast Asia inbound files, 2024 to 2026. Indexed, not counts.
The failures cluster around timing rather than eligibility, which is encouraging, because timing is what you control. See how to book a KLAQS quarantine slot and common pet import mistakes that delay entry.
Want the whole Vietnam move priced on one page?
We quote the permit, quarantine stay, crate and freight together, so nothing surfaces later. See how our pet relocation pricing works →
Flying from Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi into KLIA
Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi are the practical departure points. The regulation requires the animal to travel direct to a prescribed landing place in Malaysia, which in practice means KLIA, where the quarantine station sits.
The routing rule is easy to overlook because it is phrased so plainly. The consignment must be carried direct to the prescribed landing place, so a cheap itinerary with a long layover elsewhere is not automatically acceptable. Three planning points follow.
- Match the airport to the station. The station is at KLIA, so arriving elsewhere creates a domestic transfer you did not need. See can pets enter Malaysia through Penang or JB.
- Confirm the carrier takes live animals. Not every Vietnam to Kuala Lumpur service accepts animals in the hold. Start with which airlines carry pets to and from Malaysia.
- Size the crate to the animal. Crate rejection at acceptance is a same-day problem with no workaround. See IATA crate sizing first.
On arrival the animal is presented to MAQIS with the original permit, health certificate and vaccination record, then moved to quarantine. The sequence sits on our international pet transport routes page.
When each step falls due on a Vietnam move
Counted backwards from the arrival date, a Vietnam to Malaysia move has one long preparation phase and one very tight final fortnight. The quarantine enquiry opens the tight phase at fourteen days out, and the health certificate closes it inside the final week.
The table groups the work by period.
What Falls Due in Each Period, Counted Back From Arrival
| Period before arrival | What has to happen | Slack in the period |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 weeks | Breed check, microchip, vaccinations, restricted-breed approval | High |
| 4 to 8 weeks | Appoint the agent, fix the arrival date, fit the crate | Moderate |
| 2 to 4 weeks | Quarantine enquiry, form MK1, deposit, booking number | Low, deposit due in 48 hours |
| 1 to 2 weeks | Permit filed and approved, cargo booked | Low |
| Final 7 days | Pre-export exam, government certificate, departure | None, the window is fixed |
| Arrival onwards | MAQIS inspection, quarantine, release | Set by MAQIS |
Source: My Pet Mover casework, 2024 to 2026, against MAQIS published timings. Planning model.
Conclusion: confirm the day count before you book anything
Vietnam is non-scheduled, so quarantine applies on arrival. The exact number of days is the one thing the public sources disagree on, so get it confirmed for your own file first, then work the whole sequence backwards from the arrival date.
A Vietnam to Malaysia pet import is not difficult. It is unforgiving, because three deadlines are fixed by regulation: the seven-day certificate window, the fourteen-day booking rule, and the quarantine period.
Get those three confirmed in writing and the rest is scheduling. Guess at any of them and the family arrives without the dog.
Moving a pet from Vietnam to Malaysia?
Tell us your animal’s breed, size and the month you need to arrive. We confirm the quarantine requirement with MAQIS, book the slot, file the permit as your registered agent and handle the cargo booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below are the ones owners ask most often about moving a dog or cat from Vietnam to Malaysia. Each answer here is written against the current DVS and MAQIS documents rather than the general regional advice found elsewhere online.
Does my pet have to be quarantined coming from Vietnam?
Yes. Vietnam is not on Malaysia’s scheduled country list, so the non-scheduled regulation applies and the animal goes into quarantine at KLIA on arrival. Confirm the exact number of days with MAQIS for your file.
Can I apply for the MAQIS import permit myself?
No. MAQIS requires the online e-Permit application to be filed by a registered import agent on the owner’s behalf. The agent also enters the quarantine booking number, which must exist before approval.
How far ahead do I book the quarantine space?
MAQIS states the booking should be made fourteen days before the intended import date. Once the station confirms availability you complete form MK1 and pay a non-refundable deposit, and the slot reopens if it is not settled within 48 hours.
Who has to sign the health certificate in Vietnam?
A competent veterinary officer of the government veterinary authority. A private clinic certificate alone does not satisfy the regulation, and export must take place within seven days of issue.
Can I bring a German Shepherd from Vietnam to Malaysia?
Only with written approval from the Director General of MAQIS before the permit application. German Shepherds are restricted, which also requires a pedigree certificate, a matching microchip record and an inspection of the premises.
