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Exit guide

Taking a dog or cat out of Qatar

Exit rules verifiedLimited official guidanceChecked 2026-10-12Authority: Ministry of Environment and Climate Change

The steps the authorities in Qatar require before your pet leaves, mostly the health certificate and who has to sign or endorse it. The destination adds its own requirements on top: pick it below, or make a dated plan.

Limited official guidance. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Qatar publishes no step-by-step guide for taking a pet out. These steps come from the general Veterinary Quarantine Law (an English translation), which sets the rules for exporting any animal, and from one sentence on the government's pets page. The destination decides what the certificate must say, and the veterinary authority may add tests or vaccinations, so ask the Department of Animal Resources early.

The steps

  1. Permit

    Export permit from the veterinary authority

    The law says exporting animals is prohibited unless the necessary permit was obtained beforehand from the competent veterinary authority. The application states the number and type of animals, the country the animals are going to, the means of transport and the date of shipment.

    Details and the official words

    The pages don't say where to apply for a pet's export permit or how long it takes: ask the Department of Animal Resources.

    “shall be prohibited unless the necessary permit has been previously obtained from the competent veterinary authority.”

  2. Notice

    Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before you leave

    The law requires the owner of an animal to inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of exit from Qatar.

    Details and the official words

    “The owners of the animal consignments shall inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of arrival or exit from the country.”

  3. Official stamp

    Examination and health certificate from the supervising veterinarian

    A supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates examines the animal and gives you a health certificate confirming it is free of infectious disease. It records the number and type of animals, their distinguishing characteristics, the export date and the destination.

    Details and the official words

    The destination country decides what else its certificate must say and how recent it must be.

    “Animal consignments intended for export shall be tested by a supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates in accordance with the provisions of this law.”

    “the exporting person shall be given a veterinary health certificate confirming that the animals are free of infectious disease, and indicating the number, type of animals, the distinguished characteristics regarding the animals”

  4. Route

    Leave through a designated port

    The law names Doha Sea Port, Doha International Airport and Abou Samara land port as the ports animals may leave through (the minister may add others).

    Details and the official words

    “except through the following ports: 1- Doha Sea Port; 2- Doha International Airport; 3- Abou Samara land port;”

Good to know

  • Qatar's Department of Animal Resources issues import permits and oversees the exportation, transfer and transit of pets across borders.
  • The veterinary authority may require any test, health condition or vaccination it considers necessary before it approves an export. The pages don't say which apply to a pet, so ask the Department of Animal Resources.
  • These rules come from an English translation of Qatar's Veterinary Quarantine Law (the copy on FAO's FAOLEX database), not from the official Arabic text, and the law still names the old ministry (Municipal Affairs and Agriculture): check the current requirements with the Department of Animal Resources.

Where are you taking your pet?

Routes from Qatar where we cover both sides.