Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Israel to Qatar: official requirements
Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: rabies vaccination, import permit from the Department of Animal Resources, official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin and tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival.
Rules checked up to 13 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: import permit needed, tell the authority in advance and arrive at a set entry point.
- No rabies blood test or quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Israel publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Israel's Veterinary Services publish the export procedure on a gov.il service page (last updated June 2025), read from a stored copy because gov.il blocks automated readers. It says that the international health certificate must be signed by the Veterinary Services before your pet leaves and that your private vet applies online through the 'Ye'ela' system. The page's details by destination (the US; Canada, the EU and some other countries; all other countries) load only by script, and no stored copy of them exists, so we don't know how long before departure to apply, where the certificate is signed, or the fee. Ask your vet or the Veterinary Services' import-export unit (03-9688986) before you plan the dates.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Qatar publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Qatar's pets page is a short summary dated 2020, and the general Veterinary Quarantine Law adds only broad rules. Neither mentions a rabies blood test, a quarantine period or which origin countries are allowed, and the veterinary authority may require tests or vaccinations, so ask the Department of Animal Resources what applies to your route before you travel.
At a glance
How early to start (dogs)
4 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet
Set by: Rabies vaccination (at least 30 days before travel)
3 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Set by: Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival (at least 72 hours before arrival)
The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.
On this route (dogs)
- No rabies blood test
- Import permit needed
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
- Arrive at a set entry point
How early to start (cats)
4 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet
Set by: Rabies vaccination (at least 30 days before travel)
3 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Set by: Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival (at least 72 hours before arrival)
The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.
On this route (cats)
- No rabies blood test
- Import permit needed
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
- Arrive at a set entry point
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Israel → Qatar
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Israel (leaving) or Qatar (entering) asks for it.
Dogs
Get ready
Age ruleEntering Qatar
More than four months old
To get approval your pet must be older than four months.
Details and the official words
“the age of pets must be above four months”
VaccinationEntering Qatar
Rabies vaccination
A rabies certificate is required, and vaccinations must have been given at least 30 days before the travel date.
Details and the official words
The page says 'its vaccinations' without naming which ones; only the rabies certificate is named as required.
“A copy of the animal's current vaccination record (rabies certificate is required).”
“has been given its vaccinations at least 30 days before the date of travel”
In the days before you travel
PermitEntering Qatar
Import permit from the Department of Animal Resources
Visit a Department of Animal Resources veterinary clinic (Al Matar Street in Al Rayyan, or Al Shamal), fill in the import request form and bring a copy of your ID card and your pet's current vaccination record. The permit is valid for one month, so it must be used within a month of issue. The law says importing animals is prohibited unless the permit was obtained beforehand.
Details and the official words
“To obtain an import license, visit one of the Department of Animal Resources' veterinary clinics on Al Matar Street in Al Rayyan area or Al Shamal to fill out an import request form”
“The import permit is valid for one month.”
“shall be prohibited unless the necessary permit has been previously obtained from the competent veterinary authority.”
PaperworkIsrael and Qatar
Official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin
The law says animals arriving in Qatar must come with an official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin. It must show the official stamps, the animal's origin, its testing immediately before shipping, and that it is free of the epidemic and infectious diseases the Qatari veterinary authority specifies. You present the documents on arrival, before the animal is unloaded.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
The law covers 'animal consignments' and lists cats and dogs among domestic animals. The government pets page doesn't mention a certificate, so ask the Department of Animal Resources what it wants for a pet. The law gives no number of days for 'immediately before shipping'.
Health certificate signed by Israel's Veterinary Services: Before your pet leaves Israel, its international health certificate must be signed by Israel's Veterinary Services. Your private vet fills in and signs the certificate your destination asks for and submits it online in the Veterinary Services' 'Ye'ela' system; a government veterinarian then signs it. Its dates follow the destination's rules for the certificate.
The service page's details by destination and the list of offices that sign pet export certificates didn't load from the stored copy. Ask your vet how far ahead to submit the request and where the certificate is signed.
“Official veterinary health certificate certified as valid by the country of origin and showing the official stamps of the consignment, its origin, its testing immediately before shipping, and that it is free of epidemic and infectious diseases specified by the competent veterinary authority.”
“The documents shall be presented to the appointee of the quarantine upon the arrival, and before the unloading, of the animal consignment.”
“means animals used for the purpose of domestic keeping, such as cats and dogs”
“שירות זה מספק מידע לאזרחים ולווטרינרים על הנפקת תעודות בריאות בינלאומיות שיש להחתים לפני שמוציאים חיות מחמד לחו"ל.”
“הגשת בקשה מקוונת לווטרינרים במערכת "יעלה" - יצוא חיות מחמד”
“יום החתימה הקובע הוא יום החתימה על ידי הרופא הווטרינר הפרטי”
NoticeEntering Qatar
Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival
The law requires the owner of an animal to inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of arrival.
Details and the official words
“The owners of the animal consignments shall inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of arrival or exit from the country.”
Travel day and arrival
RouteEntering Qatar
Enter through a designated port
The law names Doha Sea Port, Doha International Airport and Abou Samara land port as the ports animals may enter through (the minister may add others). The government's pets page describes pets arriving at Hamad International Airport, where they are kept in a special facility until customs clearance is complete.
Details and the official words
“except through the following ports: 1- Doha Sea Port; 2- Doha International Airport; 3- Abou Samara land port;”
Good to know
- The veterinary authority can run tests on animals before it lets them enter or leave Qatar. The government pages don't say which tests apply to a pet, so ask the Department of Animal Resources.
- The general rules below come from an English translation of Qatar's Veterinary Quarantine Law (the copy on FAO's FAOLEX database), not from the official Arabic text, and the law still names the old ministry (Municipal Affairs and Agriculture): check the current requirements with the Department of Animal Resources.
- The health certificate must be written in Arabic or English, or translated into one of them by a certified translation attested by the embassy of the country of export.
- Banned in Qatar: American Staffordshire Terrier, Boerboel, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Bull Terrier, Bulldog, Chinese Shar-Pei, Doberman, Great Dane, Japanese Akita, Neapolitan Mastiff, Afghan Hound, Rottweiler and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
- Incoming pets are kept at a special facility at Hamad International Airport until customs clearance is complete. Approved pets may come as cargo or excess baggage.
- Until further notice, the Veterinary Services offer no pet-export service at Ashdod port: signed health certificates can't be sent to or collected at Ashdod through the Ye'ela system, and certificates aren't signed by hand there.
- If your destination needs a rabies blood test, an Israeli vet takes the sample, fills in the Veterinary Institute's online form (with the exact sampling date and the microchip number), pays in the ministry's online shop and delivers the printed form and the sample to the Veterinary Institute's reception. The result is emailed to the vet and to you; the cost depends on the number of tests.
- Planning to come back to Israel soon? If no more than 30 days have passed since your private vet signed the export health certificate, Israel accepts that certificate, signed by an Israeli government vet, for the return trip instead of a certificate from the country you're coming from (for a dog, also bring its valid dog licence).
Cats
Get ready
Age ruleEntering Qatar
More than four months old
To get approval your pet must be older than four months.
Details and the official words
“the age of pets must be above four months”
VaccinationEntering Qatar
Rabies vaccination
A rabies certificate is required, and vaccinations must have been given at least 30 days before the travel date.
Details and the official words
The page says 'its vaccinations' without naming which ones; only the rabies certificate is named as required.
“A copy of the animal's current vaccination record (rabies certificate is required).”
“has been given its vaccinations at least 30 days before the date of travel”
In the days before you travel
PermitEntering Qatar
Import permit from the Department of Animal Resources
Visit a Department of Animal Resources veterinary clinic (Al Matar Street in Al Rayyan, or Al Shamal), fill in the import request form and bring a copy of your ID card and your pet's current vaccination record. The permit is valid for one month, so it must be used within a month of issue. The law says importing animals is prohibited unless the permit was obtained beforehand.
Details and the official words
“To obtain an import license, visit one of the Department of Animal Resources' veterinary clinics on Al Matar Street in Al Rayyan area or Al Shamal to fill out an import request form”
“The import permit is valid for one month.”
“shall be prohibited unless the necessary permit has been previously obtained from the competent veterinary authority.”
PaperworkIsrael and Qatar
Official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin
The law says animals arriving in Qatar must come with an official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin. It must show the official stamps, the animal's origin, its testing immediately before shipping, and that it is free of the epidemic and infectious diseases the Qatari veterinary authority specifies. You present the documents on arrival, before the animal is unloaded.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
The law covers 'animal consignments' and lists cats and dogs among domestic animals. The government pets page doesn't mention a certificate, so ask the Department of Animal Resources what it wants for a pet. The law gives no number of days for 'immediately before shipping'.
Health certificate signed by Israel's Veterinary Services: Before your pet leaves Israel, its international health certificate must be signed by Israel's Veterinary Services. Your private vet fills in and signs the certificate your destination asks for and submits it online in the Veterinary Services' 'Ye'ela' system; a government veterinarian then signs it. Its dates follow the destination's rules for the certificate.
The service page's details by destination and the list of offices that sign pet export certificates didn't load from the stored copy. Ask your vet how far ahead to submit the request and where the certificate is signed.
“Official veterinary health certificate certified as valid by the country of origin and showing the official stamps of the consignment, its origin, its testing immediately before shipping, and that it is free of epidemic and infectious diseases specified by the competent veterinary authority.”
“The documents shall be presented to the appointee of the quarantine upon the arrival, and before the unloading, of the animal consignment.”
“means animals used for the purpose of domestic keeping, such as cats and dogs”
“שירות זה מספק מידע לאזרחים ולווטרינרים על הנפקת תעודות בריאות בינלאומיות שיש להחתים לפני שמוציאים חיות מחמד לחו"ל.”
“הגשת בקשה מקוונת לווטרינרים במערכת "יעלה" - יצוא חיות מחמד”
“יום החתימה הקובע הוא יום החתימה על ידי הרופא הווטרינר הפרטי”
NoticeEntering Qatar
Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival
The law requires the owner of an animal to inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of arrival.
Details and the official words
“The owners of the animal consignments shall inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of arrival or exit from the country.”
Travel day and arrival
RouteEntering Qatar
Enter through a designated port
The law names Doha Sea Port, Doha International Airport and Abou Samara land port as the ports animals may enter through (the minister may add others). The government's pets page describes pets arriving at Hamad International Airport, where they are kept in a special facility until customs clearance is complete.
Details and the official words
“except through the following ports: 1- Doha Sea Port; 2- Doha International Airport; 3- Abou Samara land port;”
Good to know
- The veterinary authority can run tests on animals before it lets them enter or leave Qatar. The government pages don't say which tests apply to a pet, so ask the Department of Animal Resources.
- The general rules below come from an English translation of Qatar's Veterinary Quarantine Law (the copy on FAO's FAOLEX database), not from the official Arabic text, and the law still names the old ministry (Municipal Affairs and Agriculture): check the current requirements with the Department of Animal Resources.
- The health certificate must be written in Arabic or English, or translated into one of them by a certified translation attested by the embassy of the country of export.
- Incoming pets are kept at a special facility at Hamad International Airport until customs clearance is complete. Approved pets may come as cargo or excess baggage.
- Until further notice, the Veterinary Services offer no pet-export service at Ashdod port: signed health certificates can't be sent to or collected at Ashdod through the Ye'ela system, and certificates aren't signed by hand there.
- If your destination needs a rabies blood test, an Israeli vet takes the sample, fills in the Veterinary Institute's online form (with the exact sampling date and the microchip number), pays in the ministry's online shop and delivers the printed form and the sample to the Veterinary Institute's reception. The result is emailed to the vet and to you; the cost depends on the number of tests.
- Planning to come back to Israel soon? If no more than 30 days have passed since your private vet signed the export health certificate, Israel accepts that certificate, signed by an Israeli government vet, for the return trip instead of a certificate from the country you're coming from (for a dog, also bring its valid dog licence).
Money
What it costs
Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Israel publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
No government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
We have no published vet or lab prices for Israel 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 Israel
Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Israel (dogs).
The trip back asks for 12 steps: arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat, at least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries), ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination and rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and more.
Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Israel (cats).
The trip back asks for 12 steps: arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat, at least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries), ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination and rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and more.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Pets and Animal Control (Hukoomi)
- Law No. 14 of 2003 on Veterinary Quarantine (English text, FAOLEX)
- הנפקת תעודת בריאות לחיות מחמד היוצאות לחו״ל (Issuing a health certificate for pets going abroad), Veterinary Services service page on gov.il, last updated 26 Jun 2025; read from Common Crawl's copy captured 12 Jul 2025 (CC-MAIN-2025-30)
- תהליך יבוא כלבים וחתולים לישראל (Process for importing dogs and cats into Israel), Veterinary Services service page on gov.il, last updated 19 Feb 2025; read from Common Crawl's copy captured 15 Mar 2025 (CC-MAIN-2025-13)
- בדיקה לנוגדני כלבת ובדיקות אחרות עבור בעלי חיים היוצאים מישראל (Rabies antibody test for animals leaving Israel), Veterinary Services service page on gov.il, last updated 11 May 2025; read from Common Crawl's copy captured 20 May 2025 (CC-MAIN-2025-21)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Israel to Qatar?
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 Qatar?
Yes: Visit a Department of Animal Resources veterinary clinic (Al Matar Street in Al Rayyan, or Al Shamal), fill in the import request form and bring a copy of your ID card and your pet's current vaccination record.
Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Qatar?
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 Israel to Qatar?
With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: rabies vaccination, import permit from the Department of Animal Resources, official veterinary health certificate from the country of origin and tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before arrival.
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
Turn this into dates for your pet
Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.