Traveling abroad with your pet?

Traveling with a pet, or shipping one abroad, generally requires two documents: a government-issued animal quarantine certificate and a vet-issued vaccination/health certificate. Spanish-speaking-country destinations often require a Spanish translation of both.

The two documents

• Animal quarantine certificate (동물검역증명서) — issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, bilingual Korean/English. If the destination accepts an English original, only an apostille is needed — no translation.
• Vaccination and health certificate (예방접종증명서) — issued by the treating veterinary clinic. Since this is a private document (not government-issued), getting it apostilled for a Spanish-speaking destination takes three steps.

The three-step process for the vet certificate

1. Translation — by a translator legally qualified to request notarial translation certification (only a registered language-specific administrative agent qualifies).
2. Translation certification (번역문 인증) — the translator personally attests before the notary that the translation matches the original; this must be done by the translator, not the client.
3. Apostille — filed at the Gwanghwamun overseas Koreans center. This step cannot be completed online — in person, by mail, through a visiting friend/family member, or through an agent only.

Who needs this

Pet owners relocating to Spain or Latin America, sending a pet ahead of the family, or traveling temporarily with an animal to a Spanish-speaking country. Airlines and destination customs authorities generally check these documents closely, so having everything properly translated and apostilled before departure avoids a last-minute problem at check-in or arrival.

Typical timeline

Translation of the vet certificate is usually quick, but the full three-step process (translation, notarial certification, apostille) takes longer since each step depends on the previous one finishing first. We recommend starting at least a couple of weeks before your travel date to leave room for the notary and apostille office schedules.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the quarantine certificate always needs translation — many destinations accept the bilingual original with only an apostille
• Having the client (rather than the translator) attempt to certify the translation before the notary
• Leaving the apostille step until the last minute, since it can't be completed online

Pricing

Translation starts at ₩38,500; notarial certification (₩55,000) and apostille (₩198,000) are added as needed.