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Dog or cat from Kenya to Türkiye: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least about 4 months ahead. The main steps: microchip, rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) and rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait and 3 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 5 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Türkiye → Kenya

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Kenya publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Kenya's Directorate of Veterinary Services doesn't publish its export procedure for pets on its own website. We use KenTrade's InfoTrade description of the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), last updated in 2022. It gives no processing time, doesn't say how long before departure to apply, and lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. Confirm with the Directorate (infodvs@kilimo.go.ke) before you travel.

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Türkiye publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. The conditions come from the ministry's border veterinary offices (Istanbul Airport, Trabzon Port) and its certificate form; the regulation they refer to is not quoted here. An older notice named banned dog breeds, but the current pages we read don't, so ask the border office at your entry point. The Istanbul page says the certificate is issued within 2 days before travel while the certificate itself says the clinical examination is within 24 hours: plan for the stricter.

At a glance

The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.

How early to start

about 4 months

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait (enter at least 3 months after the blood sample (Istanbul: 90 days from the result date, so allow a few days' margin))

about 3 months

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait (enter at least 3 months after the blood sample (Istanbul: 90 days from the result date, so allow a few days' margin))

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

On this route

  • Rabies blood test needed

Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.

Prefer a feed reader? Kenya rule changes · Türkiye rule changes

Kenya → Türkiye

What your pet needs

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

Taking a dog or cat out of Kenya (DVS international veterinary certificate): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

  1. Get ready

    1. IdentificationEntering Türkiye

      Microchip

      Your pet must be microchipped (ISO 11784 / ISO 11785), and the rabies vaccination must be given after the microchip. Bring a reader if your chip isn't ISO standard.

      Details and the official words

      “The pet must be microchipped.”

      “Rabies vaccination must be administered subsequent to the microchip implantation.”

      “When electronic identification is used, the type of microchip must comply with ISO Standard 11784 or ISO Standard 11785.”

    2. VaccinationEntering Türkiye

      Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine)

      Vaccinate your pet against rabies after its microchip was implanted, with an inactivated vaccine produced to the WOAH (OIE) rules. A booster given after the previous vaccination has expired counts as a first vaccination.

      Details and the official words

      “The rabies vaccine used must be an inactivated vaccine produced in accordance with OIE”

      “Rabies vaccination must be administered subsequent to the microchip implantation.”

    3. Blood testEntering Türkiye

      Rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait

      At least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, a vet takes a blood sample for a rabies antibody titration test at an EU-approved laboratory, with a result above 0.5 IU/ml. After the first test you must wait 90 days (the Trabzon office counts 3 months from the blood sample) before entering Türkiye. The wait applies only to the first test: if the vaccination is renewed within its validity, later trips don't need it.

      Details and the official words

      Older notices gave a different interval between the vaccination and the test (21 days); the current Istanbul page says 30 days.

      “At least 30 days following the rabies vaccination, a rabies antibody titration test must be conducted at an accredited laboratory listed below, and the test result must demonstrate a titre value exceeding 0.5 IU.”

      “In the case of the initial titration test, a waiting period of 90 days from the date of the test result must be observed prior to travel.”

      “Dikkat: kuduz titrasyon testi için kan serumu alınma tarihinden itibaren en erken 3 ay sonra ülkeye giriş yapılabilir.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering Türkiye

      Clinical examination within 24 hours before travel

      The certificate's clinical examination (your pet is free of clinical signs and fit to travel) must be done within 24 hours before movement.

      Details and the official words

      “The clinical examination(Part IX) must be done within 24 hours before movement.”

    2. Vet examLeaving Kenya

      Health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board

      A vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board examines your pet and issues a veterinary health certificate. You upload a copy of it, with a copy of your pet's vaccination certificate, when you apply for the export certificate.

      Details and the official words

      “Issued by registered veterinarians with Kenya Veterinary Board.”

    3. PaperworkKenya and Türkiye

      Veterinary health certificate from the exporting country's authority

      The competent authority of the exporting country issues the ministry's Veterinary Health and Origin Certificate within 2 days before travel (it records the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the antibody test, and is signed and stamped by the official vet).

      Details and the official words

      International veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services: Apply online on KenTrade's Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) for the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), issued per consignment. You need a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number and copies of the vet's health certificate, the vaccination certificate and the import permit from the destination country; for the European Union, also a copy of the EU health certificate. Pay the processing fee (up to KES 500 per pet) by M-PESA or at the bank, then receive the certificate on the platform.

      Processing fee: KES 0 to 500 per pet (KenTrade's estimate). M-PESA paybill 522522, account 1106972791.

      InfoTrade lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. If your destination doesn't issue one (EU countries and the UK, for example), ask DVS what to upload instead.

      “Within 2 days prior to travel, a Veterinary Health Certificate , as stipulated in the annex of the relevant regulation below, must be issued by the competent authority of the exporting country.”

      “I have seen an official record of the result of a serological test for the animal”

      “The certificate is processed through the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP), and is issued per consignment.”

      “Unique consignment reference (UCR) number”

      “From the country of destination.”

      “EU export health certificate (copy)”

      “For MPESA payments, the paybill number is 522522 and the account number is 1106972791.”

      “KES 0 - KES 500 per pet”

Good to know

  • A passenger may bring a maximum of 2 animals (for example 2 cats, or 1 cat and 1 dog). The documents must be made out separately for each animal.
  • At entry you need the animal's passport (identification document), the original rabies antibody test result and the veterinary health certificate.
  • If you only pass through Türkiye to another country and your pet does not enter, you only have to meet the destination country's health conditions.
  • Unvaccinated cats, dogs and ferrets under 3 months old may be allowed in only if they meet the health conditions the ministry sets for the rabies status of the country they come from: ask the border office.
  • The Directorate of Veterinary Services issues the certificate only once the destination's conditions are met and your pet is healthy and free of disease, so find out your destination's requirements first.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Kenya 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

No published prices yet for Kenya: microchip, rabies vaccination, vet examination, health certificate (vet’s fee).

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 Kenya

Do before your pet leaves Kenya (dogs)

  • Rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment
  • Rabies blood test, 3 to 24 months before shipment

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

The trip back asks for 8 steps: import permit (VS01) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, microchip (or other permanent identification), rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment and rabies vaccination within the last year and more.

Do before your pet leaves Kenya (cats)

  • Rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment
  • Rabies blood test, 3 to 24 months before shipment

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

The trip back asks for 8 steps: import permit (VS01) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, microchip (or other permanent identification), rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment and rabies vaccination within the last year and more.

Every step from Türkiye to Kenya

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.

Entering TürkiyeLeaving KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Kenya to Türkiye?

Yes: At least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, a vet takes a blood sample for a rabies antibody titration test at an EU-approved laboratory, with a result above 0.5 IU/ml.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Türkiye?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Türkiye?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Kenya to Türkiye?

With nothing done yet, start at least about 4 months ahead. The main steps: microchip, rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) and rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait 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

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