Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Belgium to Bahrain: official requirements
Possible. There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 3 more.
Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 5 official pages
In short
- Dogs and cats differ on this route: choose Dog or Cat to see just yours.
- On this route: rabies blood test needed, import permit needed and tell the authority in advance.
- No quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Belgium publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. AFSCA's page gives no deadline, fee or booking route for the certificate. Ask your local control unit (ULC) early.
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)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 3 more. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (dogs)
- Rabies blood test needed
- Import permit needed
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
How early to start (cats)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 3 more. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (cats)
- Rabies blood test needed
- Import permit needed
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
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Belgium → Bahrain
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Belgium (leaving) or Bahrain (entering) asks for it.
Dogs
Get ready
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”
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
“عند الوصول شهادة صحية حكومية وشهادة منشأ وشهادة فحص دم عن مرض السعار”
“A blood test for rabies (RANAT)”
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”
In the days before you travel
PaperworkBelgium 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
Health certificate checked and certified by AFSCA (local control unit): In most cases the destination requires a health certificate for your pet. AFSCA's website lists the procedure and the types of certificate. Your local control unit (ULC) has to be able to check that the certification is possible.
AFSCA's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's rules decide.
“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”
“Dans la majorité des cas, un certificat sanitaire est exigé par le pays de destination pour que votre animal puisse vous accompagner dans ce pays.”
“L’Unité locale de Contrôle (ULC) doit pouvoir contrôler que la certification sera possible.”
PaperworkLeaving Belgium
Bring proof of the destination's conditions to your local control unit
If the destination has its own conditions, or conditions AFSCA hasn't published, bring official proof that the destination's authority asked for them (with a sworn translation if needed) to your local AFSCA control unit (ULC) beforehand, not on the day of certification, so it can check that certification will be possible. Start preparing early.
Details and the official words
“vous devez présenter une preuve officielle attestant que ces conditions ont bien été exigées par l’autorité du pays de destination”
“Les conditions imposées par le pays de destination doivent être présentées au préalable”
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.”
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.
- To travel outside the EU, the destination country's conditions apply. For some countries AFSCA publishes them; for others you must ask the embassy or the regional export-promotion organisations. It is your responsibility that the destination accepts your pet.
- AFSCA recommends a European passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. For a limited number of countries the rabies vaccination is not required, but AFSCA still advises it because it is needed to come back to the EU. Many non-EU countries count a vaccine as valid for one year, so check its date before you leave.
- Even after a short stay in a non-EU country, your pet has to meet the rules for entering Belgium from outside the EU when it comes back. Where a blood test is needed, the conditions are relaxed if you do it before you leave.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
Cats
Get ready
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”
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
“عند الوصول شهادة صحية حكومية وشهادة منشأ وشهادة فحص دم عن مرض السعار”
“A blood test for rabies (RANAT)”
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”
In the days before you travel
PaperworkBelgium 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
Health certificate checked and certified by AFSCA (local control unit): In most cases the destination requires a health certificate for your pet. AFSCA's website lists the procedure and the types of certificate. Your local control unit (ULC) has to be able to check that the certification is possible.
AFSCA's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's rules decide.
“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”
“Dans la majorité des cas, un certificat sanitaire est exigé par le pays de destination pour que votre animal puisse vous accompagner dans ce pays.”
“L’Unité locale de Contrôle (ULC) doit pouvoir contrôler que la certification sera possible.”
PaperworkLeaving Belgium
Bring proof of the destination's conditions to your local control unit
If the destination has its own conditions, or conditions AFSCA hasn't published, bring official proof that the destination's authority asked for them (with a sworn translation if needed) to your local AFSCA control unit (ULC) beforehand, not on the day of certification, so it can check that certification will be possible. Start preparing early.
Details and the official words
“vous devez présenter une preuve officielle attestant que ces conditions ont bien été exigées par l’autorité du pays de destination”
“Les conditions imposées par le pays de destination doivent être présentées au préalable”
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.”
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.
- To travel outside the EU, the destination country's conditions apply. For some countries AFSCA publishes them; for others you must ask the embassy or the regional export-promotion organisations. It is your responsibility that the destination accepts your pet.
- AFSCA recommends a European passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. For a limited number of countries the rabies vaccination is not required, but AFSCA still advises it because it is needed to come back to the EU. Many non-EU countries count a vaccine as valid for one year, so check its date before you leave.
- Even after a short stay in a non-EU country, your pet has to meet the rules for entering Belgium from outside the EU when it comes back. Where a blood test is needed, the conditions are relaxed if you do it before you leave.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
Money
What it costs
Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Belgium publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
Cat or dog import permit, personal importEntering Bahrain5 BHD
Government fees in total: 5 BHD (each currency separately)
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
Rabies blood test: the lab’s own pricean approved laboratory; your vet adds the blood draw and the courier · for: rabies blood test (RANAT) certificatePrices from 8 countries
Austria: 1 published price
- AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety), Institute for Veterinary Investigations Mödling: Lab price for the rabies antibody titre test for pets (EU-recognised lab), samples sent from EU countries, 20% VAT included; transport to the lab paid by the sender97.26 EUR · per sample · read 2026-10-13
France: 2 published prices
- Laboratoire départemental de la Haute-Garonne (LD31 EVA): Lab price for the FAVN (WOAH/OMSA method) rabies antibody test, VAT included, price guaranteed until 31/12/2026 (from the lab's order form)99 EUR · per test · read 2026-10-13
- Inovalys (laboratory): Lab price only: rabies antibody titration (COFRAC accredited), ordered online by the owner; the page says the blood sample is taken by your vet and sending it to the lab is the owner's responsibility (no amounts given for those)99.18 EUR · per test · read 2026-10-13
the United Kingdom: 2 published prices
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for dogs and cats for pet travel (test code TC0712), single sample, excluding VAT72.30 GBP · per test · read 2026-10-13
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for dogs and cats, extended method (test code TC0570), single sample, excluding VAT106 GBP · per test · read 2026-10-13
Japan: 1 published price
- Research Institute for Animal Science in Biochemistry and Toxicology (RIAS, 一般財団法人生物科学安全研究所): Lab fee only: rabies antibody test at RIAS (a MAFF-designated lab), tax included, paid in advance by bank transfer; vet's blood draw and shipping not included15,000 JPY · per sample · read 2026-10-13
Poland: 1 published price
- National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet-PIB), Puławy: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test, standard service (max 21 calendar days), electronic report only, gross (VAT included)280 PLN · per test · read 2026-10-13
Sweden: 1 published price
- Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA): Lab price for the FAVN rabies vaccination-check antibody test (article D142410), excluding VAT (exkl. moms)1,365 SEK · per test · read 2026-10-13
the United States: 1 published price
- University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for pet travel/export (University of Missouri VMDL One Health-Rabies Laboratory); shipping not stated79 USD · per test · read 2026-10-13
South Africa: 1 published price
- Agricultural Research Council – Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR): Lab price for the rabies neutralization (antibody) test per clear serum sample, VAT included; the price list does not name FAVN or RFFIT (ARC-Onderstepoort diagnostic price list, PDF created May 2026)2,030 ZAR · per clear serum sample · read 2026-10-13
No published prices yet for Belgium: 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 Belgium
Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Belgium.
The trip back asks for 5 steps: microchip, rabies vaccination, EU animal health certificate and non-commercial declaration and more.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- دليل خدمات وزارة شؤون البلديات والزراعة (Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture services guide, 2024): cat and dog import permits (services 112 and 113) and export health certificate (service 117)
- IM-2312-LIC: Animal Control Department, Quarries and Veterinary Control Department (Bahrain Customs Affairs)
- Personal Pets: importing live pets (Bahrain Customs Affairs)
- En voyage avec des animaux de compagnie: Partir de Belgique (AFSCA)
- EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals in the EU (Your Europe)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-12.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Belgium 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 Belgium to Bahrain?
There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: vaccinations, including rabies, complete before the permit, rabies blood test (RANAT) certificate and cat or dog import permit from the Veterinary Quarantine Section and 3 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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Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.