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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Australia to Bahrain: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 2 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 4 more.

Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 4 official pages

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Bahrain publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Bahrain publishes only a short description of its cat and dog import permits (in the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture's 2024 services guide, in Arabic) and a list of documents on the Customs Affairs website. Neither says whether a microchip is needed, which vaccinations are required or how long before travel, the minimum result, laboratory or timing of the rabies blood test, how recent the health certificate must be, how long the permit is valid, or which countries pets may come from. Ask the Veterinary Quarantine Section (vetquarantine@mun.gov.bh, +973 17987039) before you book anything.

At a glance

How early to start (dogs)

2 weeks

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export (10 working days ≈ 14 calendar days (our conversion, not an official figure))

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (dogs)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Import permit needed
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance

How early to start (cats)

2 weeks

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export (10 working days ≈ 14 calendar days (our conversion, not an official figure))

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (cats)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Import permit needed
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance

Prefer a feed reader? Australia rule changes · Bahrain rule changes

Australia → Bahrain

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Australia (leaving) or Bahrain (entering) asks for it.

Dogs

  1. Get ready

    1. VaccinationEntering Bahrain

      Vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit

      Before it issues the permit, the Veterinary Quarantine Section checks your pet's vaccination booklet and that all required vaccinations are complete. The guide doesn't list the vaccinations or say how long before travel they must be given. Bahrain also asks for a rabies blood test, which is only meaningful for a pet vaccinated against rabies, so have your pet vaccinated against rabies and ask the section which other vaccinations it wants.

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      Neither the ministry's guide nor Customs names rabies vaccination as such. We list it because the rabies blood test is asked for, and we mark it for confirmation.

      “والتأكد من دفتر التطعيمات”

      “وإكمال كافة التطعيمات المطلوبة”

    2. Blood testEntering Bahrain

      Rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate

      Your pet needs a rabies blood test (a rabies antibody neutralisation test, RANAT), and its certificate is shown on arrival with the health certificate. Neither the ministry nor Customs says what result is needed, which laboratory to use or how long before travel the blood sample must be taken: ask the Veterinary Quarantine Section before you book the test.

      Details and the official words
    3. PermitEntering Bahrain

      Cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section

      Apply in person at the Veterinary Quarantine Section of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture (you, or someone holding your power of attorney if you aren't in Bahrain). Bring a copy of your pet's vaccination booklet and a copy of your ID card. The section checks the booklet and that all required vaccinations are complete, then issues the permit. The fee is 5 Bahraini dinars for a personal import. The guide gives no processing time or validity period, so apply well before you travel.

      Details and the official words

      Cats and dogs are separate permits (services 112 and 113 in the ministry's guide). The guide doesn't say whether one permit covers several animals.

      Bahrain Customs says to contact the Veterinary Quarantine Section before importing a dog or cat. Email vetquarantine@mun.gov.bh or call +973 17987039 or 17987364.

      “تصريح إستيراد قطط”

      “تصريح إستيراد كلب”

      “يجب على صاحب الطلب الحضور إلى قسم المحاجر البيطرية لطلب إصدار تصريح إستيراد كلب”

      “نسخة من دفتر التطعيمات”

      “صورة من بطاقة الهوية وصورة من السجل التجاري أو توكيل عن الشخص المستورد في حال عدم تواجده”

      “5 دينار للشخصي”

      “To contact the Veterinary Quarries Department before importing”

      “vetquarantine@MUN.GOV.BH”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examLeaving Australia

      Final health and welfare exam with your registered vet

      Your registered vet examines your pet and you both sign the pre-export veterinary health and welfare declaration. It must be within 72 hours of departure (or the period the importing country sets), and before your DAFF appointment.

      Details and the official words

      If the importing country sets a shorter or longer period, that period applies instead; check its requirements.

      “This must be within 72 hours of departure, or a period set by the importing country.”

    2. PaperworkAustralia and Bahrain

      Original government health certificate and certificate of origin

      Your pet arrives with an original government health certificate from the country it comes from and an original certificate of origin, together with the rabies blood test certificate. The pages don't say how recent the health certificate must be or what it must state.

      Details and the official words

      DAFF pre-export appointment: export permit and health certificate: At your pre-export appointment with DAFF's certifying veterinary officer (a pet transport company can go for you; some countries need DAFF to see your pet, in which case you bring it), DAFF checks all your documents and issues the export permit and health certificate. You pay at or before the appointment. Your pet must then leave Australia within 72 hours of the permit being issued.

      “عند الوصول شهادة صحية حكومية وشهادة منشأ وشهادة فحص دم عن مرض السعار”

      “Importing live animals (dogs and cats)”

      “An original government health certificate”

      “An original certificate of origin”

      “This appointment must be before your appointment with our certifying veterinary officer.”

      “Your animal must be exported from Australia within 72 hours after the permit is issued. This is a condition of the export permit.”

      “Your export permit and health certificate will be issued when we are satisfied the:”

    3. NoticeEntering Bahrain

      Tell the Veterinary Quarantine Section when your pet arrives

      Pets arriving with a traveller are controlled by the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine. Contact the section in advance and tell it the date and time of arrival, so the checks aren't delayed. No deadline is given.

      Details and the official words

      The Customs page still uses the ministry's older name (Ministry of Municipalities Affairs, Works and Urban Planning). Today it is the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

      If this is missed: If you haven't arranged it, Customs contacts the Veterinary Quarantine and you must wait until its representative arrives and completes the procedures.

      “Domestic animals accompanying the traveler are restricted and subject to the control of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs, Works and Urban Planning - Veterinary Quarantine.”

      “The matter requires that the traveler or the importer coordinate in advance with the concerned parties in the regulatory authority and inform them of the date and time of arrival to prevent any delay in completing the necessary procedures.”

      “In the event that the traveler or the importer does not coordinate, the customs will contact the regulatory authority, and the traveler or importer must wait until the representative of the control authority arrives and finish the necessary procedures.”

    4. NoticeLeaving Australia

      Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export

      Complete the NOI to Export Live Animals (other than Livestock) form with your supporting documents and email it to DAFF's regional office in your state or territory, at least 10 working days before departure (or before any pre-export isolation starts). Use the same form to book your pre-export appointment, and book the final vet exam at the same time. If the destination needs an import permit, send it with the NOI.

      Details and the official words

      If your destination requires pre-export isolation, the 10 working days run to the start of isolation, not to departure. Check the importing country's requirements for the isolation dates.

      NOI approval doesn't guarantee DAFF will issue the export permit and health certificate.

      “Email the NOI and documents to the regional office in the state or territory of departure. Do this at least 10 working days before the departure date or start of isolation.”

Good to know

  • Bahrain Customs lists dog breeds that may not be imported, 'such as' Pit Bull, Mastiff, Tosa and Presa (Presa Canario). The list is given as examples, so check your dog's breed with the Veterinary Quarantine Section.
  • The Veterinary Quarantine Section only issues a cat or dog import permit for pets from countries that Bahrain allows them to be imported from. The list of countries isn't published: ask the section before you plan the trip.
  • Pets arriving with a traveller are controlled by the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine. Once its checks are done, Customs prepares a simplified customs declaration to finish clearance.
  • DAFF says each country has its own health requirements, which can be complex and can change without notice. Get the importing country's requirements in writing (and an import permit if it needs one) and give them to your registered vet.
  • Planning to bring your pet back to Australia? Contact DAFF's imports team before you export. Within 6 months of export, extra pre-export requirements may apply, and some animals can't be imported or returned under any circumstances.
  • Your pet's crate must meet IATA standards, and your registered vet must inspect it before it is used. Some countries (including Fiji and Singapore) require the crate to be sealed; DAFF provides the seal.
  • DAFF charges a fee to assess the Notice of Intention, a time-based fee to prepare the health certificate and a fee for the export permit. We don't show these amounts yet; see DAFF's charging guidelines.

Cats

  1. Get ready

    1. VaccinationEntering Bahrain

      Vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit

      Before it issues the permit, the Veterinary Quarantine Section checks your pet's vaccination booklet and that all required vaccinations are complete. The guide doesn't list the vaccinations or say how long before travel they must be given. Bahrain also asks for a rabies blood test, which is only meaningful for a pet vaccinated against rabies, so have your pet vaccinated against rabies and ask the section which other vaccinations it wants.

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      Neither the ministry's guide nor Customs names rabies vaccination as such. We list it because the rabies blood test is asked for, and we mark it for confirmation.

      “والتأكد من دفتر التطعيمات”

      “وإكمال كافة التطعيمات المطلوبة”

    2. Blood testEntering Bahrain

      Rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate

      Your pet needs a rabies blood test (a rabies antibody neutralisation test, RANAT), and its certificate is shown on arrival with the health certificate. Neither the ministry nor Customs says what result is needed, which laboratory to use or how long before travel the blood sample must be taken: ask the Veterinary Quarantine Section before you book the test.

      Details and the official words
    3. PermitEntering Bahrain

      Cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section

      Apply in person at the Veterinary Quarantine Section of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture (you, or someone holding your power of attorney if you aren't in Bahrain). Bring a copy of your pet's vaccination booklet and a copy of your ID card. The section checks the booklet and that all required vaccinations are complete, then issues the permit. The fee is 5 Bahraini dinars for a personal import. The guide gives no processing time or validity period, so apply well before you travel.

      Details and the official words

      Cats and dogs are separate permits (services 112 and 113 in the ministry's guide). The guide doesn't say whether one permit covers several animals.

      Bahrain Customs says to contact the Veterinary Quarantine Section before importing a dog or cat. Email vetquarantine@mun.gov.bh or call +973 17987039 or 17987364.

      “تصريح إستيراد قطط”

      “تصريح إستيراد كلب”

      “يجب على صاحب الطلب الحضور إلى قسم المحاجر البيطرية لطلب إصدار تصريح إستيراد كلب”

      “نسخة من دفتر التطعيمات”

      “صورة من بطاقة الهوية وصورة من السجل التجاري أو توكيل عن الشخص المستورد في حال عدم تواجده”

      “5 دينار للشخصي”

      “To contact the Veterinary Quarries Department before importing”

      “vetquarantine@MUN.GOV.BH”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examLeaving Australia

      Final health and welfare exam with your registered vet

      Your registered vet examines your pet and you both sign the pre-export veterinary health and welfare declaration. It must be within 72 hours of departure (or the period the importing country sets), and before your DAFF appointment.

      Details and the official words

      If the importing country sets a shorter or longer period, that period applies instead; check its requirements.

      “This must be within 72 hours of departure, or a period set by the importing country.”

    2. PaperworkAustralia and Bahrain

      Original government health certificate and certificate of origin

      Your pet arrives with an original government health certificate from the country it comes from and an original certificate of origin, together with the rabies blood test certificate. The pages don't say how recent the health certificate must be or what it must state.

      Details and the official words

      DAFF pre-export appointment: export permit and health certificate: At your pre-export appointment with DAFF's certifying veterinary officer (a pet transport company can go for you; some countries need DAFF to see your pet, in which case you bring it), DAFF checks all your documents and issues the export permit and health certificate. You pay at or before the appointment. Your pet must then leave Australia within 72 hours of the permit being issued.

      “عند الوصول شهادة صحية حكومية وشهادة منشأ وشهادة فحص دم عن مرض السعار”

      “Importing live animals (dogs and cats)”

      “An original government health certificate”

      “An original certificate of origin”

      “This appointment must be before your appointment with our certifying veterinary officer.”

      “Your animal must be exported from Australia within 72 hours after the permit is issued. This is a condition of the export permit.”

      “Your export permit and health certificate will be issued when we are satisfied the:”

    3. NoticeEntering Bahrain

      Tell the Veterinary Quarantine Section when your pet arrives

      Pets arriving with a traveller are controlled by the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine. Contact the section in advance and tell it the date and time of arrival, so the checks aren't delayed. No deadline is given.

      Details and the official words

      The Customs page still uses the ministry's older name (Ministry of Municipalities Affairs, Works and Urban Planning). Today it is the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

      If this is missed: If you haven't arranged it, Customs contacts the Veterinary Quarantine and you must wait until its representative arrives and completes the procedures.

      “Domestic animals accompanying the traveler are restricted and subject to the control of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs, Works and Urban Planning - Veterinary Quarantine.”

      “The matter requires that the traveler or the importer coordinate in advance with the concerned parties in the regulatory authority and inform them of the date and time of arrival to prevent any delay in completing the necessary procedures.”

      “In the event that the traveler or the importer does not coordinate, the customs will contact the regulatory authority, and the traveler or importer must wait until the representative of the control authority arrives and finish the necessary procedures.”

    4. NoticeLeaving Australia

      Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export

      Complete the NOI to Export Live Animals (other than Livestock) form with your supporting documents and email it to DAFF's regional office in your state or territory, at least 10 working days before departure (or before any pre-export isolation starts). Use the same form to book your pre-export appointment, and book the final vet exam at the same time. If the destination needs an import permit, send it with the NOI.

      Details and the official words

      If your destination requires pre-export isolation, the 10 working days run to the start of isolation, not to departure. Check the importing country's requirements for the isolation dates.

      NOI approval doesn't guarantee DAFF will issue the export permit and health certificate.

      “Email the NOI and documents to the regional office in the state or territory of departure. Do this at least 10 working days before the departure date or start of isolation.”

Good to know

  • The Veterinary Quarantine Section only issues a cat or dog import permit for pets from countries that Bahrain allows them to be imported from. The list of countries isn't published: ask the section before you plan the trip.
  • Pets arriving with a traveller are controlled by the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine. Once its checks are done, Customs prepares a simplified customs declaration to finish clearance.
  • DAFF says each country has its own health requirements, which can be complex and can change without notice. Get the importing country's requirements in writing (and an import permit if it needs one) and give them to your registered vet.
  • Planning to bring your pet back to Australia? Contact DAFF's imports team before you export. Within 6 months of export, extra pre-export requirements may apply, and some animals can't be imported or returned under any circumstances.
  • Your pet's crate must meet IATA standards, and your registered vet must inspect it before it is used. Some countries (including Fiji and Singapore) require the crate to be sealed; DAFF provides the seal.
  • DAFF charges a fee to assess the Notice of Intention, a time-based fee to prepare the health certificate and a fee for the export permit. We don't show these amounts yet; see DAFF's charging guidelines.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Australia publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

Government fees in total: 5 BHD (each currency separately)

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

No published prices yet for Australia: rabies vaccination.

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Round trip

Coming back to Australia

Do before your pet leaves Australia (dogs)

  • ISO microchip
  • Official identity check, at least 180 days before export

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 12 steps: ISO microchip, official identity check, at least 180 days before export, apply for the Australian import permit (BICON) and book post-entry quarantine at Mickleham and more.

Do before your pet leaves Australia (cats)

  • ISO microchip
  • Official identity check, at least 180 days before export

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 9 steps: ISO microchip, official identity check, at least 180 days before export, apply for the Australian import permit (BICON) and book post-entry quarantine at Mickleham and more.

Every step from Bahrain to Australia

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Australia to Bahrain?

Yes: Your pet needs a rabies blood test (a rabies antibody neutralisation test, RANAT), and its certificate is shown on arrival with the health certificate.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Bahrain?

Yes: Apply in person at the Veterinary Quarantine Section of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture (you, or someone holding your power of attorney if you aren't in Bahrain).

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Bahrain?

Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Australia to Bahrain?

With nothing done yet, start at least 2 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 4 more.

Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

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