BEIJING - Pets entering China through customs with pet quarantine capacity can enjoy a more convenient clearance procedure starting from May 1.

Dogs or cats from designated countries or regions that carry valid electronic chips and pass on-site quarantine inspection will no longer be subject to isolation quarantine, according to the latest regulations issued by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Designated countries or regions include New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, the United States' Hawaii and Guam, Jamaica, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, and China's Hong Kong and Macao.

Rabies antibody test reports from authorized laboratories are needed if pet dogs or cats are from non-designated countries or regions.

As of April 19, the administration has authorized 62 laboratories in 37 countries, including two in China, to conduct such tests.

For seeing eye dogs, listening ear dogs and sniffer dogs bearing valid electronic chips, isolation quarantine can be exempt if they can pass on-site quarantine checks and their carriers can produce user certificates and professional training certificates.

In other circumstances, entry pets must go through a 30-day isolation quarantine in designated areas.

Previously, all the pets had to be isolated for a quarantine of seven to 30 days.

Entry pets that need to undertake isolation quarantine should enter China through ports equipped with isolation quarantine facilities, such as the Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong international airports, Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai international passenger transport center, Wusongkou international cruise terminal, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport and Alashankou, a border port in Xinjiang.

Each traveler is allowed to bring one pet per entry, and all pets should have an implanted electronic chip.

Pets that enter China through ports without relevant facilities will be repatriated within a stipulated time or euthanized in line with relevant regulations.

Beijing customs said more than 1,200 pets entered China through the Beijing port in 2018, and the number is expected to increase with the new regulations.

In China, owning pets is a growing trend. The pet dog population in China reached 27.4 million in 2018, ranking third in the world after the United States and Brazil, according to official statistics.