Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Qatar → 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 leaving Qatar publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Qatar publishes no step-by-step guide for taking a pet out. These steps come from the general Veterinary Quarantine Law (an English translation), which sets the rules for exporting any animal, and from one sentence on the government's pets page. The destination decides what the certificate must say, and the veterinary authority may add tests or vaccinations, so ask the Department of Animal Resources early.
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.
Examination and health certificate from the supervising veterinarian: A supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates examines the animal and gives you a health certificate confirming it is free of infectious disease. It records the number and type of animals, their distinguishing characteristics, the export date and the destination.
The destination country decides what else its certificate must say and how recent it must be.
“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).”
“Animal consignments intended for export shall be tested by a supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates in accordance with the provisions of this law.”
“the exporting person shall be given a veterinary health certificate confirming that the animals are free of infectious disease, and indicating the number, type of animals, the distinguished characteristics regarding the animals”
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”
Permit
Export permit from the veterinary authority
The law says exporting animals is prohibited unless the necessary permit was obtained beforehand from the competent veterinary authority. The application states the number and type of animals, the country the animals are going to, the means of transport and the date of shipment.
Details and the official words
The pages don't say where to apply for a pet's export permit or how long it takes: ask the Department of Animal Resources.
“shall be prohibited unless the necessary permit has been previously obtained from the competent veterinary authority.”
Notice
Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before you leave
The law requires the owner of an animal to inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of exit from Qatar.
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.”
Route
Leave through a designated port
The law names Doha Sea Port, Doha International Airport and Abou Samara land port as the ports animals may leave through (the minister may add others).
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 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.
- Qatar's Department of Animal Resources issues import permits and oversees the exportation, transfer and transit of pets across borders.
- The veterinary authority may require any test, health condition or vaccination it considers necessary before it approves an export. The pages don't say which apply to a pet, so ask the Department of Animal Resources.
- These rules 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.
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.
Examination and health certificate from the supervising veterinarian: A supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates examines the animal and gives you a health certificate confirming it is free of infectious disease. It records the number and type of animals, their distinguishing characteristics, the export date and the destination.
The destination country decides what else its certificate must say and how recent it must be.
“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).”
“Animal consignments intended for export shall be tested by a supervising veterinarian competent to issue veterinary certificates in accordance with the provisions of this law.”
“the exporting person shall be given a veterinary health certificate confirming that the animals are free of infectious disease, and indicating the number, type of animals, the distinguished characteristics regarding the animals”
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”
Permit
Export permit from the veterinary authority
The law says exporting animals is prohibited unless the necessary permit was obtained beforehand from the competent veterinary authority. The application states the number and type of animals, the country the animals are going to, the means of transport and the date of shipment.
Details and the official words
The pages don't say where to apply for a pet's export permit or how long it takes: ask the Department of Animal Resources.
“shall be prohibited unless the necessary permit has been previously obtained from the competent veterinary authority.”
Notice
Tell the veterinary authority at least 72 hours before you leave
The law requires the owner of an animal to inform the competent veterinary authority at least seventy-two hours before the date of exit from Qatar.
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.”
Route
Leave through a designated port
The law names Doha Sea Port, Doha International Airport and Abou Samara land port as the ports animals may leave through (the minister may add others).
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 person applying for the permit must be at least 21 years old for a dog and at least 18 for a cat.
- Qatar's Department of Animal Resources issues import permits and oversees the exportation, transfer and transit of pets across borders.
- The veterinary authority may require any test, health condition or vaccination it considers necessary before it approves an export. The pages don't say which apply to a pet, so ask the Department of Animal Resources.
- These rules 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.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Qatar 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.