🇦🇪Taking a dog or cat to United Arab Emirates: entry rules and flights

To leave the UAE the animal must be identified by a permanent ISO 11784/11785 microchip (a non-encrypted 15-digit number). The chip number is entered into the export health certificate and must match the implanted chip — at the MOCCAE inspection the chip is scanned. If the chip is non-standard, bring your own scanner.

The rabies vaccination is mandatory and must be valid on the departure date. Vaccination details are entered into the export health certificate, so bring the vet passport with a current record. If the destination requires an antibody titer, blood for it is drawn no sooner than 21 days after vaccination, so vaccinate the pet well in advance.

Not always required — only if the destination country asks for it (e.g. the EU, Japan, etc.). Blood is drawn at an accredited laboratory no sooner than 21 days after the rabies vaccination; the antibody level must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. MOCCAE records the test result on the export health certificate. Many countries also require a 3-month wait after the blood draw before entry — plan the test well ahead.

No pet is released from the UAE without an export veterinary health certificate, issued only by MOCCAE (Ministry of Climate Change and Environment). The application is filed online: on the moccae.gov.ae portal or in the MOCCAE smart app, logging in via UAE Pass. Under 'Our services → Service directory → Export and import services' you select 'Request for a veterinary health certificate for exporting or re-exporting live animals', complete the electronic form (pet details, chip number, vaccinations, itinerary), attach documents and pay the fee online. Fee: roughly AED 100 for a personal consignment of up to 2 animals. This is the first step — the certificate itself is issued later, after the in-person inspection.

Before the certificate is issued, the pet must be shown in person to a MOCCAE vet. The inspection takes place at a MOCCAE-approved veterinary point (usually at Dubai, DXB, and Abu Dhabi, AUH airports) or at a ministry office. Bring the pet, the vet passport with current vaccinations and (if the destination requires it) the titer report. The vet examines the animal, scans and verifies the microchip, checks that documents match and endorses the certificate. Per the official MOCCAE service, the animal is presented at the export point no later than 48 hours before dispatch.

After the in-person inspection the MOCCAE vet endorses and issues the export veterinary health certificate — the final export document the pet travels on. The certificate is valid for 30 days from issuance, so do not obtain it too early relative to the flight date. Note separately that many airlines and destination countries require a vet examination within a few days before departure — check the carrier's and the destination's rules. The certificate is prepared in advance (not on the departure day), so no extra paperwork is usually needed at the airport.