Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Finland → 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 leaving Finland publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Ruokavirasto's page gives no deadline, fee or booking route for the certificate: the destination's conditions decide, and the municipal or city vet issues the official certificate.
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.
Health certificate for the trip, official one from a municipal or city vet: Almost always your pet must travel with a certificate about its health. It can be free-form or follow the exact model the destination sets, and, depending on the destination, it can be issued by an official vet or a private vet. An official certificate is always issued by a municipal or city vet, who must be able to confirm where the pet comes from and know the conditions for taking it to the destination.
Ruokavirasto's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's own requirements decide.
“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).”
“Virallisen todistuksen myöntää aina kunnan- tai kaupungineläinlääkäri”
“Voidakseen myöntää virallisen todistuksen, kunnan- tai kaupungineläinlääkärin on pystyttävä varmistumaan lemmikin alkuperästä ja tiedettävä ehdot, joilla lemmikki voidaan viedä kohdemaahan.”
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”
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.
- Destination countries, and any countries you pass through, almost always set conditions for bringing a pet in or through. Under Finland's Animal Disease Act, whoever takes the pet out of Finland is responsible for finding out those conditions and for meeting them.
- Learn the conditions well and early, so that all the vaccinations and their waiting times are done before the trip.
- If the conditions of the destination or a transit country are not met, the pet may have to be sent back to Finland, held in isolation for a set period or put down, depending on the country. The person travelling with the pet, or the recipient in the destination, pays the costs.
- Some destinations accept the EU pet passport as proof of the animal's health, and Ruokavirasto recommends getting one for every travelling pet.
- 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.
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.
Health certificate for the trip, official one from a municipal or city vet: Almost always your pet must travel with a certificate about its health. It can be free-form or follow the exact model the destination sets, and, depending on the destination, it can be issued by an official vet or a private vet. An official certificate is always issued by a municipal or city vet, who must be able to confirm where the pet comes from and know the conditions for taking it to the destination.
Ruokavirasto's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's own requirements decide.
“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).”
“Virallisen todistuksen myöntää aina kunnan- tai kaupungineläinlääkäri”
“Voidakseen myöntää virallisen todistuksen, kunnan- tai kaupungineläinlääkärin on pystyttävä varmistumaan lemmikin alkuperästä ja tiedettävä ehdot, joilla lemmikki voidaan viedä kohdemaahan.”
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”
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.
- Destination countries, and any countries you pass through, almost always set conditions for bringing a pet in or through. Under Finland's Animal Disease Act, whoever takes the pet out of Finland is responsible for finding out those conditions and for meeting them.
- Learn the conditions well and early, so that all the vaccinations and their waiting times are done before the trip.
- If the conditions of the destination or a transit country are not met, the pet may have to be sent back to Finland, held in isolation for a set period or put down, depending on the country. The person travelling with the pet, or the recipient in the destination, pays the costs.
- Some destinations accept the EU pet passport as proof of the animal's health, and Ruokavirasto recommends getting one for every travelling pet.
- 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.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Finland 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.