🇰🇪Taking a dog or cat to Kenya: entry rules and flights
✓ Rules checked: June 1, 2026Official sources only
Preparing from scratch takes about 6 months, wherever you fly from.
Kenya sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. From any departure country your pet needs import permit, microchip, rabies vaccination, additional vaccination and veterinary health certificate. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.
There is no quarantine if the rule's conditions are met — otherwise the pet is held. Pets may not enter through just any airport: there is only one designated point. Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 6 carriers in our directory fly direct to Kenya, and their pet conditions differ.
Check your own route
Free, no signup: timings, documents and airlines for your pet
🐕 🐈 Same rules for dogs and cats
Airlines with direct flights
6 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Kenya. Their conditions differ — the cabin weight limit, whether they carry pets in the hold, the fee and breed restrictions — so it is worth choosing the carrier before buying the ticket.
Showing the 6 carriers serving the most cities out of 6 with direct flights. Schedules: AeroDataBox, AirLabs, Travelpayouts; pet conditions come from our airline directory.
Restrictions
The limits people find out about last: how many animals one person may bring, the minimum age and which breeds are turned away at the border.
QuarantineYes, if the conditions are not met+
What the quarantine depends on:
No quarantine if the pet is properly rabies-vaccinated (primary shot 6–12 months before departure) and microchipped.
If the pet is NOT rabies-vaccinated or does not meet the conditions (microchip + correct vaccination timing), Kenyan authorities may place it in quarantine for up to 6 months at the owner's cost.
On inspection at the arrival airport the pet must be free of any signs of contagious disease.
Banned breedsNo bans+
These are the country's rules. Airlines refuse some breeds on their own — their limits are in the carrier table above.
Pets per personNot stated
Minimum ageno limit; vaccination from 13 weeks
Points of entry1 airports+
NBO
What you need to enter Kenya
The full list of documents and procedures for entering Kenya. Every item carries its official source and last-checked date, and is marked as always required or required only from some departure countries.
Identification
Microchip+
Your pet's passport to enter Kenya will include proof of microchip, rabies and other vaccinations, an import permit, and a pet health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian in the origination country.
«Your pet's passport to enter Kenya will include proof of microchip, rabies and other vaccinations, an import permit, and a pet health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian in the origination country.»
Rabies vaccination with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine. PRIMARY vaccination must be given NOT LESS than 6 months and NOT MORE than 1 year before shipment, and when the animal was at least 3 months old. Booster vaccination: not more than 1 year before shipment. A pet vaccinated more recently than 6 months before departure (or unvaccinated) may be placed in quarantine for up to 6 months at the owner's cost. Exception: a pet kept since birth or for the last 6 months in a country defined rabies-free by WOAH (Russia is not one of them).
«All cats and dogs over three months of age must be vaccinated for rabies between 21 days and 12 months prior to entering Kenya. Multi-year rabies vaccinations are not recognized unless administered within 12 months of import.»
Dogs are recommended to be vaccinated against distemper, canine hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis. This is NOT part of the official DVS import conditions (which mandate only rabies) — a general recommendation; confirm with your vet.
«Dogs must be vaccinated against distemper, canine hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis.»
An import permit issued in advance by Kenya's Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS). Valid for a maximum of 90 days and only for one consignment; it must accompany the animal during importation. Processing usually takes 2–3 working days.
«An import permit from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is required in advance when entering Kenya with a personal pet. The permit can be applied for online.»
International veterinary health certificate dated NOT MORE than 48 hours before shipment (a very tight window). It attests the animal showed no clinical signs of rabies on the day of shipment and is free of other contagious diseases and internal/external parasites. Endorsed by the origin-country authority responsible for import/export of live animals.
«An inspection within 48 hours of transport is also required. The health certificate must be endorsed by the agency in the origin country that is responsible for the import and export of live animals.»
The order matters more than the list: a step done too early has to be repeated. The intervals come from the same rule fields the engine uses for the earliest departure date.
Microchip
before the rabies vaccination
Rabies vaccination
pet at least 13 weeks oldvalid after 180 days
Additional vaccination
Import permit
Veterinary health certificate
no earlier than 2 days before entry
Steps marked “depends on origin” are not needed by everyone — see the table above or check your own route.
Compared by departure country
The requirements are the same whichever country you fly from — this country draws no distinction between departure countries. Below is the same engine answer on six examples, counted from zero: no microchip and no vaccination yet, preparation starting today.
If the microchip and vaccination are already done, the wait is shorter: the clock runs from the vaccination date, not from today. Breed, weight and connections change the answer too — check your own route with the form above.
Arrival airports
Pets may not enter through just any airport. Below: where direct flights go and whether animals are accepted.
On the list of entry points1
NBONairobi
Not on the list of entry points4
MBAMombasaWILNairobiKISKisumuMRESerena
FAQ
What documents do I need to enter Kenya?+
From any country: microchip, rabies vaccination, additional vaccination, import permit, veterinary health certificate.
Is a rabies titre test required for Kenya?+
No, a titre test is not required for entry.
Which breeds are banned from entry?+
The country's rules list no breed bans. Individual airlines have their own restrictions — see the carrier table.
Which airlines take pets in the cabin?+
For example: Neos S.p.A., Ethiopian Airlines, FlexFlight ApS, Brussels Airlines. The full list with conditions is in the table above.
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