Travelling with pets in the UAE

Moving an animal within the Emirates is easy. Moving one in or out of the country is an exercise in dates, and almost every problem people run into is a date that fell in the wrong order. Inside the country No permit is needed to drive between emirates with your own pet. Carry a copy of the microchip and vaccination record anyway; some communities and most boarding facilities ask for it. In summer, the back of a parked car reaches lethal temperatures within minutes — this is not a caution, it is the single most common way pets die in the Gulf. Leaving the UAE You will need an ISO 11784/11785 microchip fitted before the rabies vaccination, a current rabies certificate, an export permit from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and a health certificate issued by an approved veterinarian within a window that most destinations set at ten days. Rabies titre tests, where the destination requires one, take weeks to come back; start three to four months ahead if the country is in that group. Bringing one in An import permit from the ministry, applied for by a UAE resident, plus the microchip, rabies certificate and an origin health certificate. Animals under 15 weeks old cannot be imported. Some breeds are restricted or banned regardless of paperwork, so check the current list before booking anything. The carrier Airlines apply IATA container rules and they are enforced at the counter, not at the gate. The animal must be able to stand, turn around and lie down naturally; the door must be metal, not plastic; and screws must be used, not clips. Buy the carrier weeks in advance and feed the animal in it, so the crate is a familiar place rather than the thing that appears on the worst day of its year. On the day A light meal four hours before, water in a freezable bowl that clips inside the door, and no sedatives unless a veterinarian prescribed them for that specific animal — sedation at altitude is genuinely dangerous. Label the crate with your name, phone number and destination address.