Pet travel checklist
Bringing a cat or dog into the UAE, or taking one out? Pick your trip and get a checklist in the right order, with how many weeks before to do each step.
Add it to see real dates for each step.
Runs on your phone. Nothing you pick or tick is uploaded or saved: the ticks clear when you close the page. Print it to keep it.
Last checked: 27 Oct 2026. Rules change: always check MOCCAE before you travel.
Good to know
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment issues the import permit for cats and dogs and the health certificate for taking them out. Apply only on its official site, moccae.gov.ae, or its official app. Call centre: 800 3050.
MOCCAE keeps its own list of countries with a low rabies risk. Pets from countries not on it need a rabies antibody (titre) blood test. The list is not the same as other countries' lists, so check it on the permit page.
Many carriers do not fly snub-nosed cats and dogs, or any pets in the hold, in the hottest months. Ask early if you travel between May and September.
Ownership rules are set by each emirate: register or licence your pet with your local municipality, and keep its vaccinations up to date.
Sources (last checked: 27 Oct 2026): Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), service pages "Import of pets (cats / dogs)" and "Veterinary health certificate for exporting or re-exporting live animals" (moccae.gov.ae; the pages blocked automated reading, so the details were cross-checked with the sources that follow); Khaleej Times, "UAE: Travelling with a pet? Permit, process, vaccines explained" (2 June 2024, updated 13 August 2024: AED 200 import permit per pet, valid 30 days; release fee AED 500 per dog and AED 250 per cat; up to 2 cats, 2 dogs or one of each per person per year, resident pets returning exempt; minimum age 12 weeks from low-risk and 15 weeks from high-risk countries; titre at least 0.5 IU/ml, at least 21 days after a first vaccination; the banned breeds list; export certificate AED 100 for up to 2 personal pets or AED 400, animal at the port at least 48 hours before, certificate valid 30 days); USDA APHIS UAE dog and cat health certificate (June 2021: rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or older and at least 21 days before arrival, titre sample within 12 months, parasite treatment within 14 days, core vaccines, certificate valid 10 days after issue); The National (14 July 2023: Dubai accepts imported pets as cargo, some flights to Abu Dhabi carry small pets in the cabin); Gulf News (22 November 2021, MOCCAE's banned breeds announcement; 30 November 2021 on leaving with a pet); a 2026 pet-travel reference cross-checked against MOCCAE (ISO 11784/11785 microchip before the rabies vaccine, about 50 low-risk countries). This is a planning aid, not veterinary or legal advice.