Domestic pets like dogs, cats, birds etc. are permitted to be imported. Import of pets (dog and cat only) upto two numbers per passenger are allowed at one time subject to production of required health certificate from country of origin and examination of the said pets by the concerned quarantine officer.

Imports of pets over and above this quantity shall be allowed only against an Import sanitary permit issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry and dairying or against an import license issued by the DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade).

In the USA, the Rabies vaccine, administered to dogs, carries a validity of three years. The Indian quarantine rules require that the Rabies vaccine administered to the pet is not earlier than one year. Hence, if the vaccine administered in the USA is more than a year old the pet will have to revaccinate for import into India.

The “quarantine officer” mentioned above means a “Government Quarantine Officer/Vet’ concerned who issues certificates for import and export of pets.

Pet Imports and Quarantine in India

Details of the paperwork needed to bring an animal into India, and information on quarantine…

The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries oversees the importation of pets into India.

To visit its website: Click here

Animal Quarantine and Certification Service Officers are present at Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata airports to deal with the importation and exportation of pets.

See below for contact details.

Required Documents

Paperwork should be presented on arrival in India to the quarantine officer in customs. Hiring a pet relocator will help with this process.

No Objection Certificate (NOC): These must be obtained from a quarantine centre in India 15 days before importation. The easiest way is to hire a local pet relocator agent to assist with the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service

Original veterinary certificate: Dogs must be free from Aujeszky’s Disease, distemper, rabies, leishmaniasis and leptospirosis, while cats must be free from rabies and distemper. Imported pets should also be micro chipped

Vaccination record: Pets must have a certificate proving that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies.

For further details please visit Air India website http://www.airindia.in/international-pets.htm

If the pet is travelling in the cargo hold, the following documents will be also be required:

Copy of the owner/caretaker's passport

Copy of the owner/caretaker's e-ticket

Copy of the airway bill

Quarantine

India does not generally quarantine pets from countries with no or low incidences of rabies that have been vaccinated from:

Dogs: Aujeszky’s disease, distemper, rabies (no fewer than 30 days prior to travel and no more than one year), leishmaniasis and leptospirosis

Cats: rabies (no fewer than 30 days prior to travel and no more than one year) and distemper

It is rare for a pet to be quarantined, but when it does happen, it will last for between 30 days and three months.

Useful Contacts

Contact details of the main locations of Animal Quarantine and Certification Service Stations, part of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, are listed below:

New Delhi

At: Kapashera (Crossing), New Delhi 110 001

Tel: + 91 11 2506 3272        

Fax: +91 11 2506 0647

Kolkata

At: Narayanpur, P.O R-Gopalpur, North 24-Parganas, West Bengal 7435

Tel: +91 33 2573 9777

Fax: +91 33 2573 9777

Mumbai

At: Cargo Terminal Building, Phase I, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Sahar, Mumbai 400099

Tel: +91 22 2682 8194

Chennai

At: Velachery Main Road, Pallikaranai, Chennai 601302

Tel: +91 44 2246 0659        

Fax: +91 44 2246 0659

Bangalore

At: Alpha 3, Room No. 024, 1st Floor, Bangalore International Airport, Devanahalli, Bangalore 560300

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