Bringing a dog or cat to the UAE: import permit, titre test and banned breeds
The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) controls pet entry, and its rules are built around rabies control, breed safety and numerical limits rather than quarantine. A healthy compliant pet is not quarantined on arrival, and there is no long wait after the rabies titre — the control is that the sample is drawn within 12 months of travel and shows at least 0.5 IU/ml. What catches people out instead is the import permit, the annual pet limit, the minimum age, the manifested-cargo rule, and the banned-breed list.
This page tells you where the official rule is and what it says. It is not the rule and it is not legal advice. The official source decides, and the official source is the one that counts if this page and it ever disagree.
Before anything else, check the banned-breed list and the limits — then it’s microchip, rabies vaccine, a titre test, an import permit, and travel as manifested cargo. No quarantine for a compliant pet.
At a glance
The whole journey in order. Every point below is spelled out in full further down.
- Check the banned-breed list, pet limit and minimum age
- Microchip, rabies vaccine and titre test
- Other vaccinations and parasite treatments
- Obtain the MOCCAE import permit
- Travel as manifested cargo
Entering the UAE — the MOCCAE import rules
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) sets the rules for cats and dogs entering the UAE. The path is built around a rabies titre test, an import permit and a banned-breed list, with no quarantine for a compliant pet.
Authority: Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE
Check the banned-breed list, the pet limit and the minimum age firstDon't get this wrong
Before anything else, confirm your pet is eligible. A range of dog breeds are not allowed entry, including the Pit Bull group, many mastiff types, the Tosa and the Presa Canario and their hybrids. The limit is 2 cats, 2 dogs, or 1 cat and 1 dog per person per year, and the pet must be at least 15 weeks old at import.
- Banned dogs include Pit Bull types, many mastiffs, Tosa, Presa Canario and hybrids
- Limit: 2 cats, 2 dogs, or 1 of each, per person per year
- Pet must be at least 15 weeks old
Microchip your pet for identification
The UAE requires cats and dogs to be identified with a microchip, and that number ties together every record in the process. Implant the chip before rabies vaccination and titre sampling, and make sure the number matches across all vaccination and lab records.
- Cats and dogs must be microchipped
- Implant before rabies vaccination and titre sampling
- Chip number must match across all records
Rabies vaccination — the timing rules
Your pet must have a valid rabies vaccination, given when the animal is at least 12 weeks old, with at least 21 days elapsed before travel. Keep the vaccination valid continuously up to travel, and record the product, date and microchip number on the certificate.
- Rabies vaccine given at 12 weeks or older
- At least 21 days between vaccination and travel
- Record product, date and microchip number
Pass the rabies antibody (titre) blood testDon't get this wrong
After rabies vaccination, a blood sample is tested for rabies antibodies. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, and the sample must be collected no more than 12 months before travel. For a first or lapsed vaccination, take the sample at least 21 days after vaccination; for a valid on-time booster, the sample can be the same day. There is no post-titre waiting period and no arrival quarantine for compliant pets.
- Titre result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml
- Sample collected no more than 12 months before travel
- No post-titre waiting period, no quarantine for compliant pets
Complete the other required vaccinations and parasite treatments
Beyond rabies, the UAE requires core vaccinations. Dogs must be vaccinated against distemper, parvovirus, infectious canine hepatitis and leptospirosis; cats against feline panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus. External and internal parasite treatments are given in the 14 days before travel, all recorded on the International Health Certificate.
- Dogs: distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis
- Cats: panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus
- Parasite treatments in the 14 days before travel
Obtain the MOCCAE import permit before travelDon't get this wrong
You must hold a MOCCAE import permit before your pet enters the UAE. Abu Dhabi government guidance states the permit costs AED 200 per pet and is valid for up to 30 days. It is issued by MOCCAE and usually filed by a UAE-based owner or agent, with the microchip, rabies, titre and vaccination records submitted with it.
- Import permit required before entry
- AED 200 per pet, valid for up to 30 days
- Usually filed by a UAE-based owner or agent
Travel as manifested cargo and clear the port of entry
Pets must travel to the UAE as manifested cargo, not in the cabin. Documents are checked by port officials on arrival, and the endorsed original certificate and permit must travel with the pet. Mismatched or missing documents can delay release.
- Travel as manifested cargo, not in cabin
- Endorsed original certificate and permit travel with the pet
- Missing documents can delay release
The kit this move actually needs
Heads up: some links below are affiliate links. Buy through one and Animalsss may earn a small commission — it costs you nothing extra, and it never changes what we list. We put down the kit this particular move actually needs, and nothing we were paid to.
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An IATA-approved travel crate or carrier
Airlines check the container against the IATA live-animal rules before they will load it: hard-sided, well ventilated, and big enough for the animal to stand up and turn around. The wrong crate is the most common reason a booked pet gets bumped at the counter.
See options on Amazon → -
Clip-on food and water cups
The crate has to travel with bowls fixed inside that ground staff can top up without opening the door. Free-standing bowls do not count.
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Absorbent crate lining
A layer that holds an accident through a long leg keeps the animal dry and keeps the crate from being pulled off the ramp for leaking.
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"Live Animal" labels and orientation arrows
Most carriers want the crate marked LIVE ANIMAL with "This Way Up" arrows. A cheap sticker set beats hunting for a marker at check-in.
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An ID tag that reaches you at both ends
A number someone can actually answer on the day — not just your home line — is what reunites a pet with you if the crate and the paperwork get separated in transit.
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Moving a pet abroad? Get free quotes from relocation specialists
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Official sources
Every step above was read off one of these pages. They are the version that counts — check them before you travel or ship.
- USDA APHIS — pet travel to the United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi Government — living with pets (import permit)
Common questions
The questions people ask most about this corridor, answered from the same official sources above.
Does the UAE quarantine pets on arrival?
No — a healthy, compliant pet is not quarantined. The control is a rabies titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml from a sample drawn within 12 months of travel, plus a valid import permit.
What is the UAE import permit fee for a pet?
AED 200 per pet (dog or cat), valid for up to 30 days, according to Abu Dhabi government guidance.
Which dog breeds are banned from entering the UAE?
Pit Bull types, many mastiff-type breeds, the Tosa and the Presa Canario and their hybrids are not allowed entry.
Where to go next
Everything Animalsss holds on these animals — care, prices and listings.
This page tells you where the official rule is and what it says. It is not the rule and it is not legal advice. The official source decides, and the official source is the one that counts if this page and it ever disagree.
Reviewed by the Animalsss Movement Desk. Last reviewed 12 Oct 2026. Written from USDA APHIS and Abu Dhabi government pet-import guidance; the banned-breed list and permit fee checked against those pages.
This page is free to read and always will be. It is written from the official pages linked above; those pages can change, and if one has, the link is the fastest way to see what it says now.
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