🇸🇦Taking a dog or cat to Saudi Arabia: entry rules and flights

✓ Rules checked: September 15, 2026Official sources only

Preparing from scratch takes about 3 weeks, wherever you fly from.

Saudi Arabia sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. From any departure country your pet needs microchip, rabies vaccination, veterinary health certificate, import permit, import declaration, parasite treatment and pet passport. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.

Pets may not enter through just any airport: there are 5 designated points. Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 36 carriers in our directory fly direct to Saudi Arabia, 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

36 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Saudi Arabia. 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.

Airline	Cabin	Hold	Cabin fee	Direct flights
Saudia	✓ up to 5 kg	✓	100 USD per flight	from 70 cities in 37 countries
flynas no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 5 kg	no pets	—	from 50 cities in 29 countries
Turkish Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 50 kg	70 EUR per flight	from 10 cities in 3 countries
Air Algérie	✓ up to 6 kg	✓	—	from 8 cities in 1 country
Pakistan International Airlines	no pets	✓	—	from 7 cities in 1 country
Air Cairo no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	no pets	90 USD per flight	from 6 cities in 1 country
Akasa Air no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 10 kg	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 5 cities in 1 country
EgyptAir no snub-nosed breeds in the cabin · banned breeds: 25	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 45 kg	—	from 5 cities in 1 country
Air Sial	no pets	✓	—	from 5 cities in 1 country
AJet no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 17	✓ up to 8 kg	no pets	65 EUR per flight	from 4 cities in 1 country

Showing the 10 carriers serving the most cities out of 36 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.

Quarantine Not stated in the rules

Banned breeds 20 breeds +

American Pit Bull Terrier
Pit Bull Terrier
American Bully
American Bully XL
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Rottweiler
Boxer
Mastiff
Bullmastiff
Neapolitan Mastiff
Tibetan Mastiff
Spanish Mastiff
Pyrenean Mastiff
Fila Brasileiro
Dogo Argentino
Tosa Inu
Bulldog
American Bulldog
Dogo Canario

Import into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is PROHIBITED (purebred or hybrid/crossbred) for the following dog types: 1) Pit Bull (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier), 2) Rottweiler (breed or hybrid), 3) Boxer, 4) Mastiff (any Mastiff or hybrid, incl. Fila Brasileiro/Brazilian Mastiff and Dogo Argentino/Argentinian Mastiff), 5) Tosa (Japanese Tosa), 6) Bulldog, 7) Perro de Presa Canario. Stated in two official guides of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and the Naama platform.

Pets per person up to 2 +

Maximum 2 animals per permit, and maximum 1 permit per person every 6 months.

Minimum age 4 months+ +

The age of the imported pet must be at least 4 months (120 days).

Points of entry 5 airports +

Applicant (owner submitting the permit request) age: 21+ for dogs, 18+ for cats. Separate from the pet's own age.

What you need to enter Saudi Arabia

The full list of documents and procedures for entering Saudi Arabia. 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+

Dogs and cats must be identified with an electronic chip or other identification means.

«Dogs and cats must be identified with an electronic chip or other identification means. / أن تكون الحيوانات الأليفة معرفة بشريحة إلكترونية أو أي وسيلة تعريفية اخرى»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

Vaccination

Rabies vaccination+

At the time of entry, at least six months must remain before the rabies vaccination expires. This is the remaining validity of the vaccination, not a waiting period after the shot. The pet must be at least 4 months old at entry.

«التأكد بأن الفترة المتبقية من تحصين الحيوان ضد داء الكلب لا تقل عن ستة أشهر. (Ensure that the remaining period of the animal's rabies vaccination is not less than six months.) / Ensure that the remaining period of validity of the rabies vaccination is not less than six months»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

Tests and treatments

Parasite treatment+

Cats should be free from parasites, especially (Toxplasma).

«8- Cats should be free from parasites, especially (Toxplasma).»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 15, 2026government

Documents

Veterinary health certificate+

Original veterinary health certificate approved by the government veterinary authorities of the exporting country, plus proof of rabies vaccination (and other diseases). A copy from an accredited vet clinic is enough for the Anaam platform application, but the ORIGINAL health certificate, original pet passport/vaccination record and original certificate of origin must accompany the shipment/pet.

«يجب أن يكون الحيوان الأليف مصحوب بأصل الشهادة الصحية البيطرية من السلطات الحكومية وشهادة تحصين ضد داء الكلب (Rabies) أو أي أمراض اخرى. (The pet animal must be accompanied by the original veterinary health certificate from the government authorities and a rabies vaccination certificate or any other diseases.) / The original veterinary health certificate approved by the veterinary authorities. A cop»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

Import permit+

The import permit application (Anaam / naama.sa portal) must be submitted at least 15 days before shipment. The permit is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance. Entry must be through the port specified in the permit. Limit: max 1 permit per person every 6 months, max 2 animals per permit. Applicant age: 21+ for dogs, 18+ for cats. The Ministry may reject applications by country based on OIE/WOAH-reported health status, and may schedule the shipment's arrival date according to quarantine capacity.

«يجب ان يتم تقديم طلب إذن الاستيراد قبل الشحن ب (15) يوما. / صلاحية إذن الاستيراد (30) يوما من تاريخ صدور الإذن. / يسمح للأفراد الحصول على إذن استيراد واحد كل (6) أشهر على الا يتجاوز العدد في إذن دخول وخروج عن حيوانين فقط. (Individuals are allowed to obtain one import/entry-exit permit every 6 months, provided the number in one permit does not exceed two animals.) / The import permit is valid for (»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

Import declaration+

The age of imported pet animals must not be less than 4 months (120 days).

«يجب ألا يقل عمر الحيوانات الاليفة عن (4) أشهر. (The age of pet animals must not be less than (4) months.)»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

Pet passport+

A pet passport is required IN ADDITION to the veterinary certificate — two different documents, and one does not cover the other. The certificate is issued for the trip and lasts days; the passport is issued once and keeps the history of the chip, vaccinations and treatments.

Source ↗Rules checked: August 14, 2026government

The order of preparation

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 12 weeks oldvalid after 21 days
Parasite treatment
Import permit
Veterinary health certificate
Pet passport
Import declaration

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.

From	Microchip	Rabies jab	Treatment	Health certificate	Import permit	Declaration	EU pet passport	Earliest departurepreparing from scratch
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇫🇷 France	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇹🇷 Turkey	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇨🇳 China	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇺🇸 United States	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →

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 points5

JEDJeddah RUHRiyadh MEDMedina DMMAd Dammam AHBAbha

Not on the list of entry points6

AJFAl-Jawf GIZJizan AQIQaisumah ULHAl-Ula RSIHanak RAEArar

FAQ

What documents do I need to enter Saudi Arabia?+

From any country: microchip, rabies vaccination, parasite treatment, veterinary health certificate, import permit, import declaration, pet passport.

Is a rabies titre test required for Saudi Arabia?+

No, a titre test is not required for entry.

How many pets can one person bring?+

No more than 2.

How old must the pet be?+

At least 4 months old on the day of entry.

Which breeds are banned from entry?+

American Pit Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Bully, American Bully XL, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Boxer, Mastiff, Bullmastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Tibetan Mastiff, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Tosa Inu, Bulldog, American Bulldog, Dogo Canario.

Which airlines take pets in the cabin?+

For example: Saudia, flynas, Turkish Airlines, Air Algérie, Air Cairo, Akasa Air. The full list with conditions is in the table above.

Для редактора (в демо): текст — 0 слов; цифр, набранных руками мимо данных: 0. Все числа и даты в тексте — подстановки из справочника; правило поменяется — текст поменяется сам.