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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Japan to Bahrain: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 2 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: 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 13 October 2026From 5 official pages

In short

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)

2 weeks

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Apply for export inspection (NACCS) (at least 14 days before export)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (dogs)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Import permit needed
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance

How early to start (cats)

2 weeks

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Apply for export inspection (NACCS) (at least 14 days before export)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (cats)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Import permit needed
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance

Prefer a feed reader? Japan rule changes · Bahrain rule changes

Japan → Bahrain

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Japan (leaving) or Bahrain (entering) asks for it.

Dogs

  1. Get ready

    1. 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”

    2. 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
    3. 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”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkJapan 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

      Export inspection and AQS export quarantine certificate: Bring your pet and all the original certificates to the AQS at the reserved time (an agent needs a power of attorney from you). The inspection and the English export quarantine certificate usually take 30 to 60 minutes. The inspection is done within 10 days before departure unless the destination sets a different period.

      If the destination's rules set a different period for the inspection, follow that; our 10-day window is Japan's general one.

      “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”

      “Export inspection is conducted within 10 days before departure, unless conditioned by the destination country.”

    2. 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.”

    3. NoticeLeaving Japan

      Apply for export inspection (NACCS)

      Once your travel is confirmed, apply to the Animal Quarantine Service through NACCS (or by email to the AQS where you want the inspection), at least 14 days before you leave. Attach the certificates from your vet clinic, fill in your preferred date and time in the remarks, and wait for AQS to reply: you cannot reserve a time before you have applied.

      Details and the official words

      “Apply for export inspection by NACCS at least 14 days before export.”

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.
  • Your pet must meet both the destination country's entry conditions and Japan's exit conditions. Check the destination's conditions with its animal quarantine authority or its embassy in Japan.
  • Might your pet come back to Japan? Check Japan's re-entry conditions before you leave: depending on the measures taken, the import quarantine can be under 12 hours or up to 180 days. Blood sampling and the rabies antibody test must be done at a vet clinic and a MAFF-designated laboratory.
  • Check that your pet's microchip can be read before the day of export inspection.

Cats

  1. Get ready

    1. 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”

    2. 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
    3. 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”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkJapan 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

      Export inspection and AQS export quarantine certificate: Bring your pet and all the original certificates to the AQS at the reserved time (an agent needs a power of attorney from you). The inspection and the English export quarantine certificate usually take 30 to 60 minutes. The inspection is done within 10 days before departure unless the destination sets a different period.

      If the destination's rules set a different period for the inspection, follow that; our 10-day window is Japan's general one.

      “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”

      “Export inspection is conducted within 10 days before departure, unless conditioned by the destination country.”

    2. 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.”

    3. NoticeLeaving Japan

      Apply for export inspection (NACCS)

      Once your travel is confirmed, apply to the Animal Quarantine Service through NACCS (or by email to the AQS where you want the inspection), at least 14 days before you leave. Attach the certificates from your vet clinic, fill in your preferred date and time in the remarks, and wait for AQS to reply: you cannot reserve a time before you have applied.

      Details and the official words

      “Apply for export inspection by NACCS at least 14 days before export.”

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.
  • Your pet must meet both the destination country's entry conditions and Japan's exit conditions. Check the destination's conditions with its animal quarantine authority or its embassy in Japan.
  • Might your pet come back to Japan? Check Japan's re-entry conditions before you leave: depending on the measures taken, the import quarantine can be under 12 hours or up to 180 days. Blood sampling and the rabies antibody test must be done at a vet clinic and a MAFF-designated laboratory.
  • Check that your pet's microchip can be read before the day of export inspection.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Japan publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

Government fees in total: 5 BHD (each currency separately)

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

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 Japan

Do before your pet leaves Japan (dogs)

  • ISO microchip
  • Rabies vaccination #1
  • Rabies vaccination #2
  • Rabies antibody test at a designated lab

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 8 steps: ISO microchip, advance notification to Animal Quarantine Service, pre-export clinical inspection and government certificate from the exporting country and more.

Do before your pet leaves Japan (cats)

  • ISO microchip
  • Rabies vaccination #1
  • Rabies vaccination #2
  • Rabies antibody test at a designated lab

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 8 steps: ISO microchip, advance notification to Animal Quarantine Service, pre-export clinical inspection and government certificate from the exporting country and more.

Every step from Bahrain to Japan

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Japan 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 Japan to Bahrain?

With nothing done yet, start at least 2 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: 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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