Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Iceland to India: official requirements
Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: microchip (its certificate goes with the Advance NOC application), rabies vaccination, Advance NOC on the ATITHI 2.0 portal, at least 7 working days before you fly and official health certificate from the country of origin.
Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 5 official pages
In short
- On this route: import permit needed, quarantine on arrival and arrive at a set entry point.
- No rabies blood test on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
- Coming back to Iceland? One step has to happen before your pet leaves.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering India publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. AQCS's 2026 procedure (ATITHI 2.0) and its older baggage page describe the Advance NOC timing differently, and its pages don't mention a rabies blood test. Confirm the current rules and the Advance NOC deadline with your AQCS station before you apply.
At a glance
The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.
How early to start
4 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet
Set by: Rabies vaccination (more than one month before embarkation)
9 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Set by: Advance NOC on the ATITHI 2.0 portal, at least 7 working days before you fly (at least 7 working days before embarkation: 9 calendar days is our conversion, not an official figure (the procedure also says '7 days' in one place))
The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.
On this route
- No rabies blood test
- Import permit needed
- Quarantine on arrival
- Arrive at a set entry point
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Iceland → India
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Iceland (leaving) or India (entering) asks for it.
Get ready
IdentificationEntering India
Microchip (its certificate goes with the Advance NOC application)
AQCS's 2026 procedure lists a microchip certificate among the documents you upload for the Advance NOC, and the application form asks for the microchip number.
Details and the official words
“Supporting Documents includes: Vaccination and Microchip certificate, Official Health certificate along with Annexure1.1.1 signed by competent authority, Air ticket/Airway bill, passport copy etc.”
VaccinationEntering India
Rabies vaccination
Cats, and dogs three months old or older, must be vaccinated against rabies more than one month, but within 12 months, before embarkation. The details must be officially certified or written in the official health certificate, together with the other vaccinations.
Details and the official words
“must be vaccinated against Rabies more than one month, but within 12 months prior to actual embarkation”
PermitEntering India
Advance NOC on the ATITHI 2.0 portal, at least 7 working days before you fly
Register on the ATITHI 2.0 portal with your own passport details and apply at least 7 working days before embarkation, uploading the vaccination and microchip certificates, the official health certificate with its annexure, your ticket or air waybill and your passport copy. AQCS issues the Advance NOC within 1 working day if the documents are in order. The airline won't carry your pet without it. The processing charge is INR 1,000 per application.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
AQCS's procedure says 'Minimum 07 days before embarkation' in its main text and 'Minimum 7 working days before embarkation' in its flowcharts; we use the longer one. Its older baggage page still says the NOC 'can be issued within 7 days before arrival'. Confirm with your AQCS station.
If this is missed: Without the Advance NOC the pet will not be allowed to board the flight.
“All passengers intending to import their pets under the Baggage Rules shall apply through the portal to obtain an Advance No Objection Certificate (NOC).”
“Minimum 07 days before embarkation, the application will be submitted through ATITHI 2.0 PORTAL by the applicant along with supported documents”
“Minimum 7 working days before embarkation, applicant will submit the following documents on ATITHI 2.0 PORTAL for obtaining Advance No Objection Certificate (NOC) from AQCS”
“concerned Animal Quarantine & Certification Station (AQCS) within 1 working day”
“Minimum 07 days before embarkation, the application will be submitted through”
“Advance NOC can be issued within 7 days before arrival based on the self certified advance copies of all above documents.”
“Advance NOC if not presented to the airlines, the pet will not be allowed to board the flight.”
“The processing charges for an Advance NOC application for import of pets is Rs.1000 per application”
In the days before you travel
PaperworkEntering India
Official health certificate from the country of origin
An official health certificate from the country of origin certifying that your pet shows no clinical signs of infectious and contagious diseases, including rabies, distemper, parvovirus and leptospirosis for a dog (distemper, feline enteritis, panleukopenia and leptospirosis for a cat). The owner's name on it must match the owner's ticket, and it must give the owner's name and address in the country of origin and in India.
Details and the official words
The page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be.
“The official health certificate from the country of origin certifying that the dog is free from clinical sign and symptoms of all infectious and contagious diseases including Rabies, Canine Distemper, Parvo virus infection, Leptospirosis etc.”
“The name of owner in the official health certificate must match with the name as mentioned in the ticket of owner to establish ownership.”
PaperworkEntering India
Qualify under the baggage rule
Show proof of at least two years' stay abroad and of transferring your residence to India (for example a visa copy), plus the owner's ticket. Sign a declaration that the pet is a bona fide pet with no commercial, gift or breeding purpose. If your pet comes as unaccompanied baggage, send a copy of your passport with the immigration stamp within one month of your arrival.
Details and the official words
“Proof of two years of stay abroad.”
“Proof of transferring residence to India”
“The declaration from the owner that the dog/cat is bonafide pet with no commercial interest, gift and breeding purpose.”
Travel day and arrival
RouteEntering India
Enter through one of six ports
Pets can enter India through Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore or Hyderabad. After arrival you bring your pet and the original health documents to the quarantine station.
Details and the official words
“Pet animals can enter India through the ports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.”
On arrivalEntering India
Examination at the quarantine station
AQCS examines your pet and the original health certificate and issues a Provisional Quarantine Clearance Certificate. The original health certificate is kept by AQCS.
Details and the official words
“The animal(s) will be examined at the Quarantine Station for issuing a Provisional Quarantine Clearance Certificate.”
QuarantineEntering India
Quarantine observation if there is doubt
Pets under the baggage rule are not routinely quarantined. AQCS's 2026 procedure says a pet that fails the examination on arrival or shows signs of disease is quarantined at the station for 15 days with testing at your cost, and gets its final NOC if the tests are negative.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
AQCS's older baggage page says final clearance will be issued after 30 days for a pet kept under observation; the 2026 procedure says 15 days. Ask your AQCS station.
“Pets under baggage can also be quarantined in case of doubt.”
“In case the dog(s) fails to clear physical examination or exhibits clinical signs of diseases, it will be taken to the Quarantine Station and will remain under quarantine for 15 days.”
“In case of doubt animal may be kept under Quarantine Observation. Final clearance will be issued after 30 days.”
Good to know
- These steps are for owners who move their residence to India with their pet under the baggage rule. A short visit, research, defence or police use, and anything else outside the baggage rule need a licence from DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade), which we don't cover. A pet that has left India before is treated as a re-import.
- No additional feed or bedding is allowed during the journey.
- AQCS says all notifications, rules, orders and procedures can change at any time and decisions follow the rules in force on the day you apply. Its pages also describe the Advance NOC process differently in places: check the current AQCS notice before you apply.
- A pet arriving without a valid Advance NOC, or with a fake or altered one, is ordered to be deported or re-exported.
- MAST publishes its own procedure only for trips to EU/EEA countries and Great Britain. For other countries, follow the destination's import rules; some destinations need the documents officially endorsed by MAST, so contact petimport@mast.is in good time.
Money
What it costs
Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Iceland publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
AQCS Advance NOC processing charge (per application)Entering India1,000 INR
“The processing charges for an Advance NOC application for import of pets is Rs.1000 per application”
Frequently Asked Questions (AQCS) · as of 2026-10-09
Government fees in total: 1,000 INR (each currency separately)
May also apply, depending on your case
MAST endorsement of the pet health certificateLeaving Iceland6,606 ISK
“The endorsement fee is ISK 6.606.”
Export of animals: cats and dogs to EU/EEA countries, the UK and other countries (MAST) · as of 2026-10-05
MAST clinical examination and export certificate (unaccompanied pet to the EU)Leaving Iceland13,211 ISK
“The endorsement fee is ISK 13.211”
Export of animals: cats and dogs to EU/EEA countries, the UK and other countries (MAST) · as of 2026-10-05
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
We have no published vet or lab prices for Iceland 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 Iceland
Do before your pet leaves Iceland (dogs)
- Rabies vaccination
Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.
The trip back asks for 17 steps: coming from a country that isn't approved: MAST's authorisation, import permit from MAST, book 14 days at a quarantine station and ISO microchip and more.
Do before your pet leaves Iceland (cats)
- Rabies vaccination
Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.
The trip back asks for 15 steps: coming from a country that isn't approved: MAST's authorisation, import permit from MAST, book 14 days at a quarantine station and ISO microchip and more.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Import of Pets under Baggage
- Frequently Asked Questions (AQCS)
- Import of live pet dogs: Standard Operating Procedure, ATITHI 2.0 (AQCS India dogs guidelines)
- Import of live pet cats: Standard Operating Procedure, ATITHI 2.0 (AQCS India cats guidelines)
- Export of animals: cats and dogs to EU/EEA countries, the UK and other countries (MAST)
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 Iceland to India?
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 India?
Yes: Register on the ATITHI 2.0 portal with your own passport details and apply at least 7 working days before embarkation, uploading the vaccination and microchip certificates, the official health certificate with its annexure, your ticket or air waybill and your passport copy.
Will my dog or cat be quarantined in India?
It can be: Pets under the baggage rule are not routinely quarantined.
How early should I start preparing my pet for Iceland to India?
With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: microchip (its certificate goes with the Advance NOC application), rabies vaccination, Advance NOC on the ATITHI 2.0 portal, at least 7 working days before you fly and official health certificate from the country of origin.
Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake
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