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Pawhopper

Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Bahrain to the United States: the rules

Possible. There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: microchip, export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and CDC Dog Import Form.

Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 11 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.

At a glance

How early to start (dogs)

No official wait

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

No official wait still means appointments: microchip, export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and CDC Dog Import Form. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.

On this route (dogs)

  • No rabies blood test
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Official stamp on the certificate

How early to start (cats)

No official wait

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

No official wait still means appointments: export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.

On this route (cats)

  • No rabies blood test
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Official stamp on the certificate

Which rules apply to you

The United States puts Bahrain in the group “Dog rabies-free or low-risk country”. See every group

Official name: Dog rabies-free or low-risk

Prefer a feed reader? Bahrain rule changes · United States rule changes

Bahrain → United States

What your pet needs

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

Dogs

  1. Get ready

    1. Age ruleEntering the United States

      Dog at least 6 months old

      Dogs must be at least 6 months old when they enter or return to the U.S.

      Details and the official words

      “Dogs must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S.”

    2. IdentificationEntering the United States

      Microchip

      Your dog must have a microchip that a universal scanner can detect. If it has been in a high-risk country, the chip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccine.

      Details and the official words

      “Dogs must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner to identify them.”

      “The microchip must be implanted before getting the rabies vaccine, or else the vaccine will be invalid.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Official stampLeaving Bahrain

      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.

      Details and the official words

      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.

      “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 the United States

      CDC Dog Import Form

      Fill in the free CDC Dog Import Form online (one per dog) and keep the emailed receipt to show on arrival. You can submit it up to the day of travel; the receipt is valid for 6 months unless your dog visits another country in that time.

      Details and the official words

      The receipt stops being valid if your dog visits a high-risk country, or a different low-risk country, during those 6 months — then you need a new form.

      If your travel date or port of entry changes, submit a new form.

      “the receipt is valid for 6 months from when it's issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time”

Good to know

  • Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.
  • If your dog comes from a region affected by screwworm, USDA requires a certificate from a full-time salaried government vet confirming a screwworm inspection within 5 days before shipment. Check USDA's list of affected regions.

Cats

  1. In the days before you travel

    1. Official stampLeaving Bahrain

      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.

      Details and the official words

      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.

      “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. Travel day and arrival

    1. On arrivalEntering the United States

      Cat appears healthy on arrival

      Cats must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected. No federal proof of rabies vaccination is required, but CDC recommends it and your destination state may require it.

      Details and the official words

      “Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States.”

      “APHIS Veterinary Services does not have any animal health requirements related to bringing (importing) a pet cat”

Good to know

  • Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.

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

We have no published vet or lab prices for Bahrain yet.

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 6 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 6 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 the United States 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 the United States?

No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into the United States?

No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in the United States?

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 Bahrain to the United States?

There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: microchip, export health certificate from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and CDC Dog Import Form.

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

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