Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Mexico → 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 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.
SENASICA export certificate (CZE), first stamp: When the destination's and Mexico's requirements are met, SENASICA prepares the CZE and gives it a first stamp and signature: you don't need to bring your pet for this. It is free, and valid for 8 calendar days (the destination can set a different validity).
“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).”
“Es gratuito y tiene una vigencia de 8 días naturales (puede variar en caso de que el país destino establezca una vigencia diferente)”
“se elaborará el CZE y se otorgará un primer sello y firma, no es necesario presentar a tu mascota”
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”
Vet exam
Health certificate from a private vet
A private vet examines your pet and issues a good-health certificate with its name, microchip number (if it applies), breed, coat colour, sex and age, your name and address in Mexico, and a statement that it has no fresh wounds or signs of infectious disease. It must be no more than five days old (or the validity the destination sets) when you apply.
Details and the official words
“de no más de cinco días de expedido o de acuerdo a la vigencia establecida por el país de destino”
Official stamp
Apply for the CZE at a SENASICA office
Apply for the Certificado Zoosanitario para Exportación (CZE) at any authorised SENASICA office with the application form, the owner's official ID (plus a signed power of attorney with two witnesses if someone else applies), the health certificate, the vaccination record, a deworming record, a microchip document and lab results, when the destination asks for them. It is delivered within three working days after the working day you submit it.
Details and the official words
“Se te entregará en un plazo de tres días hábiles posteriores al día hábil de la fecha de entrega de tu solicitud”
Vet exam
Physical exam and second stamp on the day of travel
On the day you travel, bring your pet to SENASICA's office at the point of departure. Officials examine it and, if all is in order, give the CZE its second stamp and signature.
Details and the official words
“El día de tu viaje deberás llevar a tu mascota a la oficina de Senasica en el punto de salida, en donde el personal oficial realizará un examen físico, y si todo está en orden, otorgará el segundo sello y firma a su CZE.”
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.
- SENASICA tells you to look up the destination in its requirements module first: it shows the vaccinations or treatments your pet needs, and when they must be given. If a country isn't in the module, ask SENASICA at reqzoosan.dgsa@senasica.gob.mx.
- If the documents are incomplete or wrong, SENASICA can ask you to complete or correct them, or refuse the request, so leave time.
- The vaccination record must show the vaccine name, laboratory, batch number, expiry date, date given and validity period. Without a stated validity it counts as one year. The rabies vaccine counts from three months of age.
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.
SENASICA export certificate (CZE), first stamp: When the destination's and Mexico's requirements are met, SENASICA prepares the CZE and gives it a first stamp and signature: you don't need to bring your pet for this. It is free, and valid for 8 calendar days (the destination can set a different validity).
“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).”
“Es gratuito y tiene una vigencia de 8 días naturales (puede variar en caso de que el país destino establezca una vigencia diferente)”
“se elaborará el CZE y se otorgará un primer sello y firma, no es necesario presentar a tu mascota”
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”
Vet exam
Health certificate from a private vet
A private vet examines your pet and issues a good-health certificate with its name, microchip number (if it applies), breed, coat colour, sex and age, your name and address in Mexico, and a statement that it has no fresh wounds or signs of infectious disease. It must be no more than five days old (or the validity the destination sets) when you apply.
Details and the official words
“de no más de cinco días de expedido o de acuerdo a la vigencia establecida por el país de destino”
Official stamp
Apply for the CZE at a SENASICA office
Apply for the Certificado Zoosanitario para Exportación (CZE) at any authorised SENASICA office with the application form, the owner's official ID (plus a signed power of attorney with two witnesses if someone else applies), the health certificate, the vaccination record, a deworming record, a microchip document and lab results, when the destination asks for them. It is delivered within three working days after the working day you submit it.
Details and the official words
“Se te entregará en un plazo de tres días hábiles posteriores al día hábil de la fecha de entrega de tu solicitud”
Vet exam
Physical exam and second stamp on the day of travel
On the day you travel, bring your pet to SENASICA's office at the point of departure. Officials examine it and, if all is in order, give the CZE its second stamp and signature.
Details and the official words
“El día de tu viaje deberás llevar a tu mascota a la oficina de Senasica en el punto de salida, en donde el personal oficial realizará un examen físico, y si todo está en orden, otorgará el segundo sello y firma a su CZE.”
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.
- SENASICA tells you to look up the destination in its requirements module first: it shows the vaccinations or treatments your pet needs, and when they must be given. If a country isn't in the module, ask SENASICA at reqzoosan.dgsa@senasica.gob.mx.
- If the documents are incomplete or wrong, SENASICA can ask you to complete or correct them, or refuse the request, so leave time.
- The vaccination record must show the vaccine name, laboratory, batch number, expiry date, date given and validity period. Without a stated validity it counts as one year. The rabies vaccine counts from three months of age.
Government fees we know of
- SENASICA export zoosanitary certificate (CZE): free of charge0 MXN
Vet, lab and courier costs are not included. The final amount can depend on how many tests or pets are on the certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Mexico 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.