Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Argentina → the United Arab Emirates
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
1 day
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Argentina is in the group “Not on the low-risk list — rabies titer test needed” in the United Arab Emirates’s published list.See every group
Headlines for the United Arab Emirates
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Import permit needed
What your dog needs
Dogs
Permit
UAE import permit
Apply online on the MOCCAE website before your pet travels (AED 200 per animal). It's issued in 1 working day and is valid for 90 days — your pet can't enter on an expired permit.
Details and the official words
“validity of permit is 90 days. It is not allowed to import pets with an expired import permit”
Identification
Permanent microchip
Your pet needs a permanent microchip, and the number on the health certificate must match it.
Details and the official words
“The cats and dogs must be identified with a permanent microchip”
Age rule
Minimum age
From a low-risk country your pet must be at least 12 weeks old; from a high-risk country at least 15 weeks old.
Details and the official words
“the minimum age for importing from the high risk countries is not less than 15 weeks”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
A valid rabies vaccination (per the vaccine maker's instructions), with the first dose given at 12 weeks old or older, recorded with vaccine name, maker, batch number and date.
Details and the official words
“initial dose should not be applied before 12 weeks of animal age”
Blood test
Rabies blood test (titer)
Because your pet comes from a country the UAE treats as high-risk, it needs a rabies antibody test (at least 0.5 IU/ml) at a lab approved in the exporting country, done before shipping. After a first vaccination (or a lapse) wait at least 21 days before the test; after a valid booster it can be done straight away. The result is valid for 365 days — but a new booster means repeating the test. There's no waiting period after the test.
Details and the official words
Allow time for the lab result before you fly — the certificate (or the result on the health certificate) must travel with your pet.
“a period not less than 21 days must pass from vaccination against Rabies”
“The test result should not be less than (0.5 IU / ml)”
“The validity of the Rabies Testing certificate is 365 days, in a condition that the rabies vaccine is valid and continue and no booster dose was given”
Vaccination
Core vaccinations
Dogs: distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis (or a lab test if your country doesn't vaccinate for it). Cats: panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus.
Details and the official words
“Leptospirosis (Can be dispensed with and replaced by lab test in case that the exporting country does not apply vaccination)”
Treatment
Internal and external parasite treatment
Treat your pet for internal and external parasites within the 14 days before it's shipped, and have it recorded on the health certificate or passport.
Details and the official words
“The animal was received preventive doses for internal and external parasites during the 14 days prior to shipment”
Paperwork
Health certificate from your country's veterinary authority
An authorised health certificate issued by the competent veterinary authority of the country you're travelling from, with the microchip number.
Details and the official words
SENASA International Veterinary Certificate (CVI): SENASA issues the CVI based on the destination's requirements. Every certifying office works by appointment (self-service booking is possible up to a month before the trip in offices that offer it, from a computer, not a phone). Go on the day with the vet's original documents and the copies required. The CVI is issued in the name of the person travelling with the pet.
A digital CVI exists only for travel by land to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile.
“Authorized health certificate issued from the competent veterinary authorities.”
“deberán tramitar un Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI) emitido por Senasa en base a las exigencias sanitarias del país de destino”
“Todas las oficinas certificadoras atienden con TURNO PREVIO”
“El CVI se emite a nombre de la persona que se traslada con el perro o gato.”
On arrival
Release on arrival (dog)
On arrival, apply for release with the customs declaration or bill of lading, vaccination record, health certificate (and titer certificate if needed). Your dog is inspected; the release fee is AED 500 per dog.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements are rejected at the owner's expense or confiscated.
“A customs declaration or bill of lading showing the delivery data”
Vet exam
Registered vet certifies the destination's requirements
A registered vet certifies that the destination's health requirements are met: vaccines, treatments, certificates and so on, using products approved by SENASA in Argentina.
Details and the official words
“El veterinario matriculado debe certificar el cumplimiento de las exigencias sanitarias que solicita el país de destino”
Good to know
- Banned in the UAE: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Tibetan Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, Boerboel, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Bully Kutta, Presa Canario and Japanese Tosa (service, support and medical dogs excepted under the rules).
- The UAE only lists low-risk countries; everywhere else — including the USA, Canada, Germany, France and Italy — counts as high-risk, so a rabies blood test is needed.
- The destination country sets both the health requirements and how many calendar days the certificate stays valid, so check its deadlines before you plan the appointment.
- Treatments given abroad are not valid for the SENASA certification. Vaccination certificates from a foreign vet can be accepted if they are in force and meet the destination's requirements.
- On the day of travel bring the CVI and the original rabies vaccination certificate, which always stays with the owner.
What your cat needs
Cats
Permit
UAE import permit
Apply online on the MOCCAE website before your pet travels (AED 200 per animal). It's issued in 1 working day and is valid for 90 days — your pet can't enter on an expired permit.
Details and the official words
“validity of permit is 90 days. It is not allowed to import pets with an expired import permit”
Identification
Permanent microchip
Your pet needs a permanent microchip, and the number on the health certificate must match it.
Details and the official words
“The cats and dogs must be identified with a permanent microchip”
Age rule
Minimum age
From a low-risk country your pet must be at least 12 weeks old; from a high-risk country at least 15 weeks old.
Details and the official words
“the minimum age for importing from the high risk countries is not less than 15 weeks”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
A valid rabies vaccination (per the vaccine maker's instructions), with the first dose given at 12 weeks old or older, recorded with vaccine name, maker, batch number and date.
Details and the official words
“initial dose should not be applied before 12 weeks of animal age”
Blood test
Rabies blood test (titer)
Because your pet comes from a country the UAE treats as high-risk, it needs a rabies antibody test (at least 0.5 IU/ml) at a lab approved in the exporting country, done before shipping. After a first vaccination (or a lapse) wait at least 21 days before the test; after a valid booster it can be done straight away. The result is valid for 365 days — but a new booster means repeating the test. There's no waiting period after the test.
Details and the official words
Allow time for the lab result before you fly — the certificate (or the result on the health certificate) must travel with your pet.
“a period not less than 21 days must pass from vaccination against Rabies”
“The test result should not be less than (0.5 IU / ml)”
“The validity of the Rabies Testing certificate is 365 days, in a condition that the rabies vaccine is valid and continue and no booster dose was given”
Vaccination
Core vaccinations
Dogs: distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis (or a lab test if your country doesn't vaccinate for it). Cats: panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus.
Details and the official words
“Leptospirosis (Can be dispensed with and replaced by lab test in case that the exporting country does not apply vaccination)”
Treatment
Internal and external parasite treatment
Treat your pet for internal and external parasites within the 14 days before it's shipped, and have it recorded on the health certificate or passport.
Details and the official words
“The animal was received preventive doses for internal and external parasites during the 14 days prior to shipment”
Paperwork
Health certificate from your country's veterinary authority
An authorised health certificate issued by the competent veterinary authority of the country you're travelling from, with the microchip number.
Details and the official words
SENASA International Veterinary Certificate (CVI): SENASA issues the CVI based on the destination's requirements. Every certifying office works by appointment (self-service booking is possible up to a month before the trip in offices that offer it, from a computer, not a phone). Go on the day with the vet's original documents and the copies required. The CVI is issued in the name of the person travelling with the pet.
A digital CVI exists only for travel by land to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile.
“Authorized health certificate issued from the competent veterinary authorities.”
“deberán tramitar un Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI) emitido por Senasa en base a las exigencias sanitarias del país de destino”
“Todas las oficinas certificadoras atienden con TURNO PREVIO”
“El CVI se emite a nombre de la persona que se traslada con el perro o gato.”
On arrival
Release on arrival (cat)
On arrival, apply for release with the customs declaration or bill of lading, vaccination record, health certificate (and titer certificate if needed). Your cat is inspected; the release fee is AED 250 per cat.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements are rejected at the owner's expense or confiscated.
“A customs declaration or bill of lading showing the delivery data”
Vet exam
Registered vet certifies the destination's requirements
A registered vet certifies that the destination's health requirements are met: vaccines, treatments, certificates and so on, using products approved by SENASA in Argentina.
Details and the official words
“El veterinario matriculado debe certificar el cumplimiento de las exigencias sanitarias que solicita el país de destino”
Good to know
- The UAE only lists low-risk countries; everywhere else — including the USA, Canada, Germany, France and Italy — counts as high-risk, so a rabies blood test is needed.
- The destination country sets both the health requirements and how many calendar days the certificate stays valid, so check its deadlines before you plan the appointment.
- Treatments given abroad are not valid for the SENASA certification. Vaccination certificates from a foreign vet can be accepted if they are in force and meet the destination's requirements.
- On the day of travel bring the CVI and the original rabies vaccination certificate, which always stays with the owner.
Government fees we know of
- MOCCAE import permit200 AED (+200 per extra pet)
- MOCCAE release (dog)500 AED (+500 per extra pet)
- MOCCAE release (cat)250 AED (+250 per extra pet)
Vet, lab and courier costs are not included. The final amount can depend on how many tests or pets are on the certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Argentina to the United Arab Emirates?
Yes: Because your pet comes from a country the UAE treats as high-risk, it needs a rabies antibody test (at least 0.5 IU/ml) at a lab approved in the exporting country, done before shipping.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog into the United Arab Emirates?
Yes: Apply online on the MOCCAE website before your pet travels (AED 200 per animal).
Will my dog be quarantined in the United Arab Emirates?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet needs a permanent microchip, and the number on the health certificate must match it.