Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Canada → Saudi Arabia
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.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Saudi Arabia publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. MEWA's permit page lists only the conditions below. It does not mention a rabies blood test, quarantine or which origin countries are allowed, and MEWA's older printed pet-import guide is no longer online. Those rules may still exist, so ask MEWA (call 939) what applies to your route before you travel.
How early to start
2 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
2 weeks
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.
Headlines for Saudi Arabia
- Import permit needed
What your dog needs
Dogs
Identification
Microchip or other approved identification
Your pet must be identified with an electronic microchip or another approved method.
Details and the official words
“Pets must be identified with an electronic microchip or another approved identification method.”
Age rule
At least 4 months old
Your pet must be at least four months old.
Details and the official words
The page doesn't say on which date the age is counted; we count it on the day your pet leaves.
“The pet must be at least 4 months old”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
A rabies vaccination certificate must travel with your pet. The vaccination must still have at least 6 months of validity left.
Details and the official words
The page doesn't say on which date the 6 months are counted; we count them from the arrival date. It also doesn't say how long after the shot your pet may travel.
“The remaining validity period of the rabies vaccination must not be less than 6 months.”
Paperwork
Original veterinary health certificate
Your pet must travel with the original veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authorities in your country, plus the rabies vaccination certificate. You upload copies of both (and the vaccination record) with the permit application.
Details and the official words
The page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be.
CFIA endorsement of the export certificate: Your licensed veterinarian completes the export certificate, then an official CFIA veterinarian endorses it. This must happen before your pet leaves Canada: CFIA cannot endorse a certificate once the animal has gone.
“The pet must be accompanied by the original veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authorities and a rabies vaccination certificate (or for any other required diseases).”
“Most pets travelling from Canada to another country will need an export certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian and endorsed by an official Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinarian.”
“the CFIA cannot endorse or issue a certificate if the animal(s) is/are no longer in Canada”
Permit
Entry permit from MEWA (Naama platform)
Apply online on the Naama platform at least 15 days before the shipping date (it takes 5–7 days and is free). The permit is valid for 30 days from issue, and your pet must enter through the port named in it.
Details and the official words
“The request must be submitted at least 15 days before the shipping date”
“The permit is valid for 30 days from the issuance date”
Official stamp
Book your CFIA endorsement appointment
An appointment with an official CFIA veterinarian is required to get your pet's export certificate endorsed. Book as early as you can: the endorsement has to happen before your pet leaves Canada.
Details and the official words
“An appointment is required to get your pet export certificate endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian.”
“Provide as much advance notice as possible when booking an appointment.”
Good to know
- The person applying for the permit must be at least 21 years old for a dog and at least 18 for a cat.
- Banned in Saudi Arabia, pure or mixed: Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Boxer, Mastiff, Tosa, Bulldog and Perro de Presa Canario. Dogs must belong to a breed that is allowed.
- CFIA warns that countries can change their import requirements without telling it. Get the current requirements from the destination country's veterinary authority or embassy and compare them with the export certificate before you start.
- If the destination has no export certificate of its own and its import requirements can be met, the Canadian International Health Certificate can be used. Otherwise CFIA has to negotiate a certificate, which can take several months — contact your CFIA animal health office before you start.
What your cat needs
Cats
Identification
Microchip or other approved identification
Your pet must be identified with an electronic microchip or another approved method.
Details and the official words
“Pets must be identified with an electronic microchip or another approved identification method.”
Age rule
At least 4 months old
Your pet must be at least four months old.
Details and the official words
The page doesn't say on which date the age is counted; we count it on the day your pet leaves.
“The pet must be at least 4 months old”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
A rabies vaccination certificate must travel with your pet. The vaccination must still have at least 6 months of validity left.
Details and the official words
The page doesn't say on which date the 6 months are counted; we count them from the arrival date. It also doesn't say how long after the shot your pet may travel.
“The remaining validity period of the rabies vaccination must not be less than 6 months.”
Paperwork
Original veterinary health certificate
Your pet must travel with the original veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authorities in your country, plus the rabies vaccination certificate. You upload copies of both (and the vaccination record) with the permit application.
Details and the official words
The page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be.
CFIA endorsement of the export certificate: Your licensed veterinarian completes the export certificate, then an official CFIA veterinarian endorses it. This must happen before your pet leaves Canada: CFIA cannot endorse a certificate once the animal has gone.
“The pet must be accompanied by the original veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authorities and a rabies vaccination certificate (or for any other required diseases).”
“Most pets travelling from Canada to another country will need an export certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian and endorsed by an official Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinarian.”
“the CFIA cannot endorse or issue a certificate if the animal(s) is/are no longer in Canada”
Permit
Entry permit from MEWA (Naama platform)
Apply online on the Naama platform at least 15 days before the shipping date (it takes 5–7 days and is free). The permit is valid for 30 days from issue, and your pet must enter through the port named in it.
Details and the official words
“The request must be submitted at least 15 days before the shipping date”
“The permit is valid for 30 days from the issuance date”
Official stamp
Book your CFIA endorsement appointment
An appointment with an official CFIA veterinarian is required to get your pet's export certificate endorsed. Book as early as you can: the endorsement has to happen before your pet leaves Canada.
Details and the official words
“An appointment is required to get your pet export certificate endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian.”
“Provide as much advance notice as possible when booking an appointment.”
Good to know
- The person applying for the permit must be at least 21 years old for a dog and at least 18 for a cat.
- CFIA warns that countries can change their import requirements without telling it. Get the current requirements from the destination country's veterinary authority or embassy and compare them with the export certificate before you start.
- If the destination has no export certificate of its own and its import requirements can be met, the Canadian International Health Certificate can be used. Otherwise CFIA has to negotiate a certificate, which can take several months — contact your CFIA animal health office before you start.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Canada to Saudi Arabia?
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 into Saudi Arabia?
Yes: Apply online on the Naama platform at least 15 days before the shipping date (it takes 5–7 days and is free).
Will my dog be quarantined in Saudi Arabia?
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 must be identified with an electronic microchip or another approved method.