USA → Hong Kong
Export Horses from the USA to Hong Kong
High-value racing and sport horses, scheduled backwards from the date the horse needs to be in work.
- Arrives
- HKG
- Departs
- LAX / DFW
- Flight time
- ~14 hours nonstop from the West Coast
- Plan ahead
- 60–120 days
Hong Kong
Or whichever US gateway suits the animals
Horses moving to Hong Kong are typically high-value animals on a fixed calendar. The work is precision work: the isolation period has to land correctly against the arrival date, the paperwork has to be right first time, and the horse has to arrive in a condition to be useful rather than merely alive.
Hong Kong is roughly fourteen hours nonstop from the West Coast, with strong main-deck freighter capacity on the lane.
Regulatory
What a Hong Kong export requires
These are the constraints that shape the timeline. The binding requirements are whatever Hong Kong has in force on your day of export — we confirm the current position as the first step of every feasibility review.
Permit and veterinary conditions
Hong Kong requires a permit issued to the importer before the animals move, with veterinary conditions specified on the permit itself. It governs the test panel, so it has to be in hand before the isolation clock starts.
Pre-export isolation and testing
Animals are held at a USDA-approved facility while a USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the required testing and prepares the International Health Certificate for USDA APHIS endorsement.
Working to a fixed date
Racing and competition calendars set hard arrival dates. We build the schedule backwards from the date the horse needs to be in work, not forwards from when it is convenient to load.
Administered separately from the mainland
Hong Kong's import requirements are administered separately from mainland China's. Clearance for one does not imply clearance for the other.
Official source
USDA APHIS publishes the International Regulations for Animal Exports (IRegs) — the U.S. government’s understanding of Hong Kong's current import requirements.
By species
What we handle into Hong Kong
Horses
Racing, breeding and competition horses moved door to door — barn in the United States to barn in Asia-Pacific.
Breeding Livestock
Cattle, swine, sheep, goats and poultry genetics moved as single consignments or as a recurring program.
Exotic & Zoo Animals
Zoo collections, wildlife parks and private exotic consignments — including CITES-listed species — moved with the permitting handled.
FAQ
Exporting to Hong Kong: common questions
How much does it cost to ship a horse to Hong Kong?
A single horse typically runs $13,000 to $25,000, covering air freight, pre-export isolation, blood tests, USDA inspection and fees, and a groom on the flight. Hong Kong-bound horses are frequently high-value animals, and owners often choose a single or paired air-stable configuration over a larger group share, which moves the number toward the higher end of that range. Ground transport is billed separately.
How long does it take to ship a horse from the USA to Hong Kong?
The flight is roughly fourteen hours nonstop from the West Coast. The full process — permit, pre-export isolation, testing, USDA endorsement and scheduling — typically runs 60 to 120 days.
Are Hong Kong's import rules the same as mainland China's?
No. Hong Kong administers its own import requirements separately. A horse cleared for Hong Kong is not automatically cleared for the mainland, and vice versa.
Can you work to a fixed racing date?
Yes, and it is the normal case here. We schedule backwards from the date the horse needs to be in work, which sets when isolation has to start and when the permit needs to be in hand.
Do grooms travel with the horses?
Always. On a fourteen-hour sector with a high-value animal, an experienced person with the horse throughout — and through the offload — is the single biggest protection you can buy.
Other lanes
More Asia-Pacific destinations
China
Export Horses & Livestock from the USA to China
Japan
Export Horses from the USA to Japan
South Korea
Export Horses & Livestock from the USA to South Korea
Moving animals to Hong Kong?
Send us the species, the number of animals, the origin and your target date. We confirm whether the protocol is currently open and come back with a written feasibility review at no charge.