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Pawhopper

Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Bahrain to Israel: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 5 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip, before the rabies vaccination, rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival and most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival and 4 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 8 official pages

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Bahrain publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Bahrain describes the export health certificate for dogs and cats in a few lines of the ministry's 2024 services guide (in Arabic). It doesn't say how long before departure to apply or how long the certificate is valid. The destination decides what the certificate must say, so ask the Veterinary Quarantine Section early.

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Israel publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Israel's Veterinary Services publish their current information sheet on gov.il, which blocks automated readers with a security check, so we couldn't read it. These rules come from the Veterinary Services' own earlier information sheet and model certificate (requirements in force from May 2010), their forms and their letter of June 2020 that is still in force, and the certificate and guidance the US agreed with Israel. The current sheet may differ in details, for example which countries count as rabies-free and how long a rabies vaccination may be before arrival. Check the current sheet on the Veterinary Services' website, or write to the import-export unit (vs-ie@moag.gov.il), before you travel.

At a glance

How early to start (dogs)

5 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the vaccination (result shown on the health certificate)

4 days

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Notify the Veterinary Services and get written approval before you fly (two working days before loading; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span a weekend (Friday and Saturday in Israel))

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

On this route (dogs)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Tell the authority in advance
  • Arrive at a set entry point

Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.

How early to start (cats)

5 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the vaccination (result shown on the health certificate)

4 days

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Notify the Veterinary Services and get written approval before you fly (two working days before loading; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span a weekend (Friday and Saturday in Israel))

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

On this route (cats)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Tell the authority in advance
  • Arrive at a set entry point

Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.

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

Bahrain → Israel

What your pet needs

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

Dogs

Bringing a dog or cat into Israel: we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

  1. Get ready

    1. Age ruleEntering Israel

      At least 4 months old on arrival

      Your dog or cat must be at least 4 months old when it arrives in Israel. (Pets from countries Israel treats as rabies-free may come from 3 months old: see the note on rabies-free countries.)

      Details and the official words
    2. IdentificationEntering Israel

      ISO microchip, before the rabies vaccination

      Your pet needs an ISO 11784/11785 microchip (134.2 kHz), implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination recorded on the health certificate. If the chip isn't ISO-compliant, bring your own reader.

      Details and the official words

      “All dogs and cats must be tagged with a subcutaneous electronic chip that transmits on a frequency of 134.2 kilohertz and can be read with a chip reader that conforms to the provisions of the ISO Standard No. 11784 or of Annex A of ISO Standard 11785.”

      “If the chip does not conform to these standards, the importer or the importer's representative is required to be in possession of another means to read it.”

      “Please note that the pet's microchip must be implanted before or on the same date as the rabies vaccination documented on the health certificate.”

      “the microchip was implanted prior to, or on the same day as, the most recent rabies vaccination”

    3. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival

      Your pet must be vaccinated against rabies and the vaccination must still be valid on arrival. After a first vaccination (or a booster given after the previous one had run out), wait at least 30 days before arriving in Israel. A booster given while the previous vaccination was still valid needs no wait.

      Details and the official words

      “They have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “If primary vaccination is needed, or if booster does not occur during the period of validity of the previous vaccination, this booster should be considered a primary vaccination, and animals are required to wait at least 30 days prior to importation.”

      “there is no waiting period before the importation of the animals”

    4. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival

      Israel's earlier information sheet asks for a rabies vaccination given no more than one year before your pet arrives. If your pet's most recent shot will be older than that on arrival day, give a booster before you leave (while the current one is still valid, so no new wait applies).

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

      Details and the official words

      The certificate the US agreed with Israel only asks that the pet is current on its rabies vaccination, so we don't apply this to pets from the US. Israel's current sheet may accept the vaccine maker's validity period instead of one year: ask the Veterinary Services.

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      “They have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “All pets listed on this certificate are current on rabies vaccinations.”

    5. Blood testEntering Israel

      Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the vaccination

      A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH (formerly OIE) must find at least 0.5 IU/ml. The result stays valid for your pet's life as long as its rabies vaccinations are kept up to date without a gap. There is no wait after the test, but the result must be ready before the health certificate is issued, so leave time for the laboratory.

      Details and the official words

      “Not less than 30 days after the rabies vaccination, A serological test for the animal, carried out on a sample taken by an approved veterinarian and tested in an OIE-approved laboratory, which states that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer was equal to or greater than 0,5 IU/ml.”

      “The sample referred to in Part V must have been taken more than 1 month after the rabies vaccination”

      “The sample must be taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination, and the laboratory results are valid for the life of the animal, as long as the dog/cat remains current on rabies vaccinations”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkBahrain and Israel

      Official health certificate, issued no more than 10 days before arrival

      Your pet travels with Israel's veterinary health certificate, issued no more than 10 days before arrival and signed by a government veterinarian of your country (or by an authorised vet and then endorsed by the government). It confirms the clinical examination (no signs of contagious or infectious disease), the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the blood test result.

      Details and the official words

      Export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section: Go in person to the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine Section with your dog or cat and say which country it is going to. Bring the destination country's import permit and your pet's original vaccination booklet. A vet examines your pet and issues the health certificate once satisfied that it is healthy for export. The fee is 5 Bahraini dinars for a personal export.

      The guide lists the destination's import permit as a required document. If your destination doesn't issue import permits, ask the section what to bring instead.

      If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements in full are returned, destroyed or quarantined at the Director's discretion, at the owner's cost.

      “The import must be accompanied by an official veterinary health certificate, which was issued not more than 10 days prior the arrival and signed by a government veterinarian of the country of origin”

      “At the time of examination it did not exhibit any symptoms of contagious or infectious diseases”

      “All U.S. pet dogs and cats must be accompanied by the Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to the State of Israel, issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA-APHIS, no more than 10 days prior to arrival.”

      “Any health certificate without APHIS endorsement is not valid for dogs or cats entrance to Israel.”

      “شهادة صحية للتصدير (طيور /كلاب/ قطط)”

      “يجب الحضور الشخصي أو حضور ممثل عن الشركة لتقديم الطلب لشهادة صحية للتصدير مع إحضار الكلاب والقطط والطيور المراد تصدريها وتحديد الدولة المراد التصدير لها”

      “يجب إحضار تصريح الإستيراد”

      “معاينة الكلاب والقطط وفحص الطيور”

      “يتم إصدار الشهادة الصحية بعد التأكد من صحة الحيوانات لتصديرها من قبل الطبيب البيطري وتحصيل الرسوم المطلوبة على ذلك”

      “تصريح الإستيراد من الدولة المستوردة”

      “دفتر التطعيمات الأصلي للقط أو الكلب”

      “5 دينار للشخصي”

    2. PaperworkEntering Israel

      Owner's declaration (Annex C): your pet for at least 90 days

      Sign Israel's owner declaration (Annex C): the pet travels with the person responsible for it, it isn't for sale, and it has been in your possession for at least 90 days before you bring it to Israel. It goes with the health certificate. A pet you've had for less than 90 days can't use the no-licence route for accompanied pets: ask the Veterinary Services.

      Details and the official words

      “The certificate should be accompanied by a declaration by the owners that the animals had been in their possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel, annex C.”

      “The animals had been in my possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel.”

      “The animals are not intended for commercial purposes.”

    3. NoticeEntering Israel

      Notify the Veterinary Services and get written approval before you fly

      At least two working days before your pet is loaded on the plane or ship, send the Veterinary Services at your port of arrival the 'Notification on Pet Arrival' (Annex B) and a copy of the health certificate. For Ben Gurion Airport the address is vs-airport@moag.gov.il. Since June 2020, every passenger must also have the Veterinary Services' written flight confirmation by email before travelling, and your pet isn't released on arrival until the port's Veterinary Services authorise it.

      Details and the official words

      The Veterinary Services' letter of 4 June 2020 (COVID-19) is still listed by USDA as applying to all dogs and cats entering Israel until further notice. Its other points, about quarantine hotels, no longer apply in practice.

      If this is missed: The pet is not released until the Veterinary Services at the port of entry have authorised it; pets arriving against these guidelines can be confiscated or returned to the country of origin.

      “The fax must be sent two working days prior to loading the shipment on the vessel (plane or ship).”

      “The shipment is not to be released until this has been authorized by the Veterinary Services at the port of entry.”

      “Import of dogs and cats as accompanied baggage also requires provision of details as indicated in paragraph 8 above.”

      “Notification on Pet Arrival”

      “Ben Gurion Airport e-mail: vs-airport@moag.gov.il”

      “Every passenger / importer must receive a written flight confirmation (by email) from the veterinary services at Ben Gurion Airport.”

      “These guidelines are valid beginning the 04th of June 2020 and until further notice.”

      “This applies to all dogs and cats entering Israel, effective June 4, 2020, and until further notice.”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. RouteEntering Israel

      Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat

      Pets may only enter Israel through Ben Gurion Airport or the seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat.

      Details and the official words

Good to know

  • Israel's Veterinary Services say the version that counts is the Hebrew one on their website. We couldn't read their current information sheet (gov.il blocks automated readers), so this plan uses their earlier sheet and the certificate agreed with the US. Check the current sheet, or ask vs-ie@moag.gov.il, before you book.
  • Israel does not allow dogs of dangerous breeds, or crosses of them that look and behave like them, except with a special licence from the Director of the Veterinary Services: American Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Amstaff), Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, Fila Brasileiro and Rottweiler. To apply for that licence, email vs-ie@moag.gov.il.
  • Dogs and cats that are healthy on arrival and have the right documents don't go into quarantine in Israel. If the requirements aren't fully met, the Director of the Veterinary Services decides: the pet is sent back, put down or placed in quarantine, at the owner's cost.

Cats

Bringing a dog or cat into Israel: we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

  1. Get ready

    1. Age ruleEntering Israel

      At least 4 months old on arrival

      Your dog or cat must be at least 4 months old when it arrives in Israel. (Pets from countries Israel treats as rabies-free may come from 3 months old: see the note on rabies-free countries.)

      Details and the official words
    2. IdentificationEntering Israel

      ISO microchip, before the rabies vaccination

      Your pet needs an ISO 11784/11785 microchip (134.2 kHz), implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination recorded on the health certificate. If the chip isn't ISO-compliant, bring your own reader.

      Details and the official words

      “All dogs and cats must be tagged with a subcutaneous electronic chip that transmits on a frequency of 134.2 kilohertz and can be read with a chip reader that conforms to the provisions of the ISO Standard No. 11784 or of Annex A of ISO Standard 11785.”

      “If the chip does not conform to these standards, the importer or the importer's representative is required to be in possession of another means to read it.”

      “Please note that the pet's microchip must be implanted before or on the same date as the rabies vaccination documented on the health certificate.”

      “the microchip was implanted prior to, or on the same day as, the most recent rabies vaccination”

    3. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival

      Your pet must be vaccinated against rabies and the vaccination must still be valid on arrival. After a first vaccination (or a booster given after the previous one had run out), wait at least 30 days before arriving in Israel. A booster given while the previous vaccination was still valid needs no wait.

      Details and the official words

      “They have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “If primary vaccination is needed, or if booster does not occur during the period of validity of the previous vaccination, this booster should be considered a primary vaccination, and animals are required to wait at least 30 days prior to importation.”

      “there is no waiting period before the importation of the animals”

    4. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival

      Israel's earlier information sheet asks for a rabies vaccination given no more than one year before your pet arrives. If your pet's most recent shot will be older than that on arrival day, give a booster before you leave (while the current one is still valid, so no new wait applies).

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

      Details and the official words

      The certificate the US agreed with Israel only asks that the pet is current on its rabies vaccination, so we don't apply this to pets from the US. Israel's current sheet may accept the vaccine maker's validity period instead of one year: ask the Veterinary Services.

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      “They have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “All pets listed on this certificate are current on rabies vaccinations.”

    5. Blood testEntering Israel

      Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the vaccination

      A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH (formerly OIE) must find at least 0.5 IU/ml. The result stays valid for your pet's life as long as its rabies vaccinations are kept up to date without a gap. There is no wait after the test, but the result must be ready before the health certificate is issued, so leave time for the laboratory.

      Details and the official words

      “Not less than 30 days after the rabies vaccination, A serological test for the animal, carried out on a sample taken by an approved veterinarian and tested in an OIE-approved laboratory, which states that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer was equal to or greater than 0,5 IU/ml.”

      “The sample referred to in Part V must have been taken more than 1 month after the rabies vaccination”

      “The sample must be taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination, and the laboratory results are valid for the life of the animal, as long as the dog/cat remains current on rabies vaccinations”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkBahrain and Israel

      Official health certificate, issued no more than 10 days before arrival

      Your pet travels with Israel's veterinary health certificate, issued no more than 10 days before arrival and signed by a government veterinarian of your country (or by an authorised vet and then endorsed by the government). It confirms the clinical examination (no signs of contagious or infectious disease), the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the blood test result.

      Details and the official words

      Export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section: Go in person to the ministry's Veterinary Quarantine Section with your dog or cat and say which country it is going to. Bring the destination country's import permit and your pet's original vaccination booklet. A vet examines your pet and issues the health certificate once satisfied that it is healthy for export. The fee is 5 Bahraini dinars for a personal export.

      The guide lists the destination's import permit as a required document. If your destination doesn't issue import permits, ask the section what to bring instead.

      If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements in full are returned, destroyed or quarantined at the Director's discretion, at the owner's cost.

      “The import must be accompanied by an official veterinary health certificate, which was issued not more than 10 days prior the arrival and signed by a government veterinarian of the country of origin”

      “At the time of examination it did not exhibit any symptoms of contagious or infectious diseases”

      “All U.S. pet dogs and cats must be accompanied by the Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to the State of Israel, issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA-APHIS, no more than 10 days prior to arrival.”

      “Any health certificate without APHIS endorsement is not valid for dogs or cats entrance to Israel.”

      “شهادة صحية للتصدير (طيور /كلاب/ قطط)”

      “يجب الحضور الشخصي أو حضور ممثل عن الشركة لتقديم الطلب لشهادة صحية للتصدير مع إحضار الكلاب والقطط والطيور المراد تصدريها وتحديد الدولة المراد التصدير لها”

      “يجب إحضار تصريح الإستيراد”

      “معاينة الكلاب والقطط وفحص الطيور”

      “يتم إصدار الشهادة الصحية بعد التأكد من صحة الحيوانات لتصديرها من قبل الطبيب البيطري وتحصيل الرسوم المطلوبة على ذلك”

      “تصريح الإستيراد من الدولة المستوردة”

      “دفتر التطعيمات الأصلي للقط أو الكلب”

      “5 دينار للشخصي”

    2. PaperworkEntering Israel

      Owner's declaration (Annex C): your pet for at least 90 days

      Sign Israel's owner declaration (Annex C): the pet travels with the person responsible for it, it isn't for sale, and it has been in your possession for at least 90 days before you bring it to Israel. It goes with the health certificate. A pet you've had for less than 90 days can't use the no-licence route for accompanied pets: ask the Veterinary Services.

      Details and the official words

      “The certificate should be accompanied by a declaration by the owners that the animals had been in their possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel, annex C.”

      “The animals had been in my possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel.”

      “The animals are not intended for commercial purposes.”

    3. NoticeEntering Israel

      Notify the Veterinary Services and get written approval before you fly

      At least two working days before your pet is loaded on the plane or ship, send the Veterinary Services at your port of arrival the 'Notification on Pet Arrival' (Annex B) and a copy of the health certificate. For Ben Gurion Airport the address is vs-airport@moag.gov.il. Since June 2020, every passenger must also have the Veterinary Services' written flight confirmation by email before travelling, and your pet isn't released on arrival until the port's Veterinary Services authorise it.

      Details and the official words

      The Veterinary Services' letter of 4 June 2020 (COVID-19) is still listed by USDA as applying to all dogs and cats entering Israel until further notice. Its other points, about quarantine hotels, no longer apply in practice.

      If this is missed: The pet is not released until the Veterinary Services at the port of entry have authorised it; pets arriving against these guidelines can be confiscated or returned to the country of origin.

      “The fax must be sent two working days prior to loading the shipment on the vessel (plane or ship).”

      “The shipment is not to be released until this has been authorized by the Veterinary Services at the port of entry.”

      “Import of dogs and cats as accompanied baggage also requires provision of details as indicated in paragraph 8 above.”

      “Notification on Pet Arrival”

      “Ben Gurion Airport e-mail: vs-airport@moag.gov.il”

      “Every passenger / importer must receive a written flight confirmation (by email) from the veterinary services at Ben Gurion Airport.”

      “These guidelines are valid beginning the 04th of June 2020 and until further notice.”

      “This applies to all dogs and cats entering Israel, effective June 4, 2020, and until further notice.”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. RouteEntering Israel

      Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat

      Pets may only enter Israel through Ben Gurion Airport or the seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat.

      Details and the official words

Good to know

  • Israel's Veterinary Services say the version that counts is the Hebrew one on their website. We couldn't read their current information sheet (gov.il blocks automated readers), so this plan uses their earlier sheet and the certificate agreed with the US. Check the current sheet, or ask vs-ie@moag.gov.il, before you book.
  • According to Israel's Nature and Parks Authority, Bengal cats cannot be imported into Israel (the UK's export guidance for Israel says so).
  • Dogs and cats that are healthy on arrival and have the right documents don't go into quarantine in Israel. If the requirements aren't fully met, the Director of the Veterinary Services decides: the pet is sent back, put down or placed in quarantine, at the owner's cost.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Bahrain 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 Bahrain: microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate (vet’s fee).

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 Bahrain

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Bahrain (dogs).

The trip back asks for 5 steps: cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section, vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and original government health certificate and certificate of origin and more.

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Bahrain (cats).

The trip back asks for 5 steps: cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section, vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and original government health certificate and certificate of origin and more.

Every step from Israel to Bahrain

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 Bahrain to Israel?

Yes: A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH (formerly OIE) must find at least 0.5 IU/ml.

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

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Israel?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

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

With nothing done yet, start at least 5 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip, before the rabies vaccination, rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival and most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival 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

Turn this into dates for your pet

Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

Make a dated plan