Moving to Dubai with a dog: 2026 rules, permits and costs

Moving to Dubai with a dog: 2026 rules, permits and costs

Moving to Dubai with a dog is regulated at three levels: federal import rules set by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), a federal law that governs how dogs may be kept, and local Dubai Municipality procedures for registration and veterinary care. This guide was checked against the official pages on 28 October 2026, and each number below is attributed to the body that publishes it.

You will find the permit and fee rules, the health documents and the rabies requirements, the age limit and the cap on the number of animals, the list of entry points and what happens on arrival, the breeds named in UAE law, how airlines handle dogs flying into Dubai, what registration and public-space rules apply once you live here, how tenancy and community rules work, and what leaving the UAE with a dog later involves. Where an official page does not give a number, this guide describes the cost component without inventing one.

Which UAE bodies handle dogs

Several authorities are involved, and they do different jobs. Knowing who does what saves time when a form asks for a document from the wrong office. For anyone moving to Dubai with a dog, the first body to deal with is MOCCAE, because the federal ministry issues the import permit and runs the veterinary quarantine centres where dogs are checked and released after landing.

The federal import rules sit in Ministerial Resolution No. 109 of 2021 on regulating the import of cats and dogs, which took effect on 6 May 2021 and replaced Ministerial Resolution No. 204 of 2016. In its text the resolution says its purpose is to prevent contagious and infectious animal diseases. A later Ministerial Resolution No. 21 of 2025, dated 20 January 2025, replaced Articles 6 and 7 of the 2021 text, which deal with the release procedure and with animals that do not meet the requirements. Both resolutions are hosted on the MOCCAE website, and the practical summary lives on its service page called Import of pets (cats / dogs).

The rules on keeping a dog are different. Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 regulates the possession of animals the law labels dangerous, and it also contains a short chapter on dogs: a licence from the competent local authority, a register of licensed dogs, a leash rule and the list of dog breeds in Annex 2. In Dubai, pet registration and the municipal veterinary clinics are run by the veterinary services section of Dubai Municipality. A dog owner therefore deals with a federal ministry before arrival and with a municipal service afterwards.

Import requirements for moving to Dubai with a dog today

The checklist below follows MOCCAE’s service page for the import of pets and Ministerial Resolution No. 109 of 2021 as amended. It applies to a privately owned dog travelling with or ahead of its owner. The column on the right gives the source and the date on which it was checked. Where a rule depends on the country the dog leaves from, the next section explains the classification.

Two points in the table deserve a closer look. First, the 90-day validity applies to the permit, not to the health documents, so the permit should be requested when the travel date is reasonably certain. Second, the animal cap is counted per person per year, which matters for a family moving with several dogs: the page speaks of personal import, and it excepts resident animals leaving and entering the country. Anyone planning to bring more than two animals should read the page itself and ask MOCCAE’s call centre on 8003050 before booking anything.

The vaccination record has to carry specific data. MOCCAE asks for the microchip number, a full description of the animal and, for each vaccine, the product name, the manufacturing company, the batch number and the date. A hand-written entry without these fields does not match the description on the page. The same page says the validity period of each vaccine follows the manufacturer’s instructions, and that the dog must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated.

The page also lists a separate group of documents for service dogs, emotional support dogs and medical dogs: a certified training-centre document, a medical report on the owner supported by the competent authority in the country of origin, and a pledge by the owner not to transfer ownership, abandon the dog or breed it. For these dogs MOCCAE gives a processing time of 5 working days, against 1 working day for an ordinary pet.

Rabies risk countries, the titre test and age limits

Under Article 2 of the resolution, countries are sorted into low risk and high risk for rabies. A low-risk country is one that has recorded no rabies cases in the previous two years according to the World Organisation for Animal Health, provided rabies is a notifiable disease there. Every country not on the low-risk list is treated as high risk. The ministry’s department reviews the list when a country’s health situation changes, so it can be amended without a new resolution.

The low-risk list printed on MOCCAE’s import page on 28 October 2026 names these countries and territories: Australia, Austria, Andorra, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, French Polynesia, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Malta, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Palau, Latvia, Albania, Croatia, Maldives, Spain (excluding Melilla and Ceuta), Cyprus, Korea, Montenegro, Seychelles, Suriname, Micronesia, Greece, the Marshall Islands, the Bahamas, Lithuania and Macedonia.

That list is not identical to the annex printed with the 2021 resolution. Germany, Italy, Qatar and Slovakia appear in the 2021 annex but are not on the current page, while Lithuania and Macedonia appear on the page but not in the annex. Because the resolution allows the department to amend the annex administratively, the live page is the version to rely on, and an owner leaving from one of the countries that changed should look at it again shortly before applying.

The titre test deserves a precise description because it drives the schedule. For a dog from a high-risk country, the lab certificate must show the sampling date, the date and method of the examination, and the result of the rabies antibody titration, and the laboratory must be accredited by the competent authority of the exporting country. If the dog is vaccinated for the first time, or its vaccination was interrupted, at least 21 days must pass after the rabies vaccination before the blood is tested. If the dog has a valid booster, MOCCAE says no 21-day interval is needed and the test can be done directly. The result must not be below 0.5 IU/ml.

The certificate for the test is valid for 365 days, on condition that the rabies vaccine stays valid and no booster is given. If a booster is given, or the vaccination lapses, the test must be repeated under the same rules. The test result can be recorded in the health certificate instead of being issued as a separate document. This is the origin of a figure that appears in many unofficial summaries as a fixed “vaccination between 21 days and 12 months before entry”. The MOCCAE page does not set a window of that kind: it ties the 21 days to the blood test, the 365 days to the lab certificate, and the vaccine’s validity to the manufacturer.

The resolution adds a safety net. Under Article 7 as replaced in 2025, a dog that arrives without meeting the requirements is detained in a quarantine or pet shelter licensed by the ministry, at the owner’s expense, and is not released until it is confirmed that all conditions are met. If they are not met, the dog is refused entry and the importer is required to re-export it. The MOCCAE page also states that for non-compliance the pet is rejected at the owner’s expense or confiscated. Treat this as the outcome to avoid rather than a route to plan around.

Timeline for moving to Dubai with a dog

No official page gives a countdown, so the schedule below is a planning sequence built on the dated rules above: the 90-day permit, the 21-day interval before the titre test, the 365-day lab certificate and the 14-day parasite window. The months are a suggestion, not a legal period, and the order is what matters.

Some practical consequences follow from the sequence. A high-risk origin needs the longest lead time, because the titre test cannot be taken until 21 days after a first rabies vaccination, and the exporting country may take time to return the result. A low-risk origin has a shorter list of tasks, but the microchip, the vaccination record and the health certificate still have to match. The 14-day parasite window and the 90-day permit mean that the dates on the travel documents, not the date of booking, decide whether the paperwork is still valid on the day the dog lands.

The exporting country’s veterinary authority sets its own procedure for signing the health certificate, and the airline may ask for a recent date on the document, so it helps to agree the certificate date with the airline or cargo agent before the appointment. Ask your vet for the national timetable, and keep one folder with the permit, the certificate, the vaccination record and the titre result in the same order the quarantine centre will request them.

Entry points and what happens on arrival

Older summaries say that only Abu Dhabi airport has a veterinary inspection facility for pets. That does not match what MOCCAE lists today. The channels listed on its pet import page include veterinary quarantine centres at Dubai Airport Cargo Village and at Dubai Airport Free Zone, as well as at Sharjah Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah Airport, together with several seaports and border crossings.

For a dog flying into Dubai the relevant point is normally the quarantine centre at the airport cargo area, because the carriage is booked as cargo. The release process described by MOCCAE has four steps: fill in the application to release the consignment, pay the fee, have the application reviewed with a visual inspection and laboratory tests if required, and receive the release permit. The documents for release are a customs declaration or bill of lading showing the delivery data, the vaccination document or passport, the certified health certificate and, for a high-risk origin, the lab certificate for the titre test.

Dubai Customs adds a point of procedure in its service guide: arriving owners are asked for the original import permit from the MOCCAE veterinary quarantine section, and for a government health certificate from the country of origin. Carry the permit itself rather than only a copy. Dubai Customs also says passengers must declare goods above AED 3,000 ($817), which concerns luggage and not the animal.

MOCCAE gives a service time of 1 working day for ordinary pets. That is the time to obtain the service, which is not the same as the time a dog spends at the airport; the carrier and the cargo handler set the practical timetable for collection. Dubai Municipality notes in its 2026 report on veterinary services that it regulates the entry of pets into the emirate and oversees the related procedures, so the municipal side begins once the federal release is complete.

Banned and restricted breeds under UAE law

Two official lists matter for breeds, and they are not the same. One is Annex 2 of Federal Law No. 22 of 2016, which the law titles the List of Dangerous Dogs. Article 14 prohibits every natural or legal person from possessing, trading or breeding the dogs listed there, subject to the exception for licensed facilities in Article 4. The other is the list of dog breeds whose import is banned, printed on MOCCAE’s pet import page. This guide reports what each list says and does not rank or describe any breed.

The wording on crosses matters. For the first three groups and for Rottweilers, the annex text explicitly covers hybrids or mixed breeds of the listed dogs. A dog that is a cross of a listed breed is therefore not outside the list simply because it is not purebred. The annex does not describe how a breed is identified, and the law leaves implementation to its executive regulation, which is Cabinet Resolution No. 15 of 2019.

The MOCCAE page states the exception in a bracket: the ban does not apply to dogs used as service animals, emotional support animals or for medical purposes, in accordance with the regulating requirements, which are the documents described earlier. The page prints the Presa Canario twice under two spellings, so its list has 16 entries but 15 distinct breeds.

Comparing the two lists shows that Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers and Boxers appear in Annex 2 of the law, which covers possession, while they do not appear in the import ban list printed on the MOCCAE page. Mastiff-type breeds such as the Tibetan Mastiff, the Neapolitan Mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Bullmastiff, the Boerboel and the Cane Corso appear on the import page, and the law refers to “any Mastiff”. Some older summaries speak of seven types of mastiffs and three types of Dobermans, a wording that matches neither list. An owner of any of these breeds, or of a cross, should settle the question with MOCCAE on 8003050 before booking a flight, because a refused dog is returned at the owner’s expense under the 2025 amendment.

What about a dog that already lives in the UAE? Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 contained a transitional rule in Article 26: whoever possessed a regulated animal had to regularise the situation within six months of the law coming into force. That period began in 2016 and the text has no similar window for newcomers. The MOCCAE page gives return rules for resident dogs, but those concern health documents and the rabies vaccine, not breed. Nothing on the pages checked creates a separate regime for a dog on the Annex 2 list based on how long it has lived in the country.

Flying a dog to Dubai: cabin, hold and cargo

MOCCAE requires that dogs be shipped under IATA conditions for pet transport and directly from the exporting country. The airlines apply their own rules on top. For a dog flying to Dubai the practical question is whether the carrier accepts the animal as cargo, because Emirates, the airline based at the Dubai hub, states that itineraries ending in Dubai must use cargo.

For anyone moving to Dubai with a dog the main lesson is that cabin travel is not an option on Emirates for a journey that ends in Dubai, whatever the dog’s size. The airline’s help page leaves exceptions for guide dogs and for falcons on certain routes. The same page describes a checked-baggage option for dogs on journeys that start in Dubai, up to a total journey time of 17 hours, and that option is covered in the section on leaving the UAE.

The airline’s cargo leaflet adds that Emirates SkyCargo has temperature-controlled facilities in line with MOCCAE for pets departing from, arriving in and transiting through Dubai, and that a dedicated team reviews the pet details, the crate details with pictures, the medical and veterinary reports, the vaccination certificates and the confirmation from the destination airport. The leaflet carries no date. Where it differs from the airline’s live help page, the live page should be preferred, and the carrier’s cargo office can confirm the current version.

The leaflet is also the place where the airline lists the UAE-banned breeds for its own purposes. It says the import into Dubai of the listed fighting breeds or their hybrids is banned under UAE regulations, and it says Emirates SkyCargo can handle them only when they are not destined to the UAE and are allowed by the origin and destination authorities, with reinforced containers. This is the airline repeating the national rule, not creating a separate one.

Other carriers publish their own pet policies on their own cargo or baggage pages, and conditions change by season and by route, so this guide does not reproduce a table of every airline. Whichever carrier is chosen, the booking should be confirmed in writing, with the aircraft type, the crate dimensions, the connection time and the name of the cargo handler at the Dubai end.

Heat, crates and the IATA rules

Dubai’s summer matters when moving to Dubai with a dog because the carriers apply temperature and breed restrictions. Emirates SkyCargo’s leaflet lists snub-nosed dog breeds, together with their crosses, that are not permitted for carriage except under specific conditions during the winter season, which the leaflet gives as November to April. The dog list in the leaflet includes the Boxer, the Bulldog in all types, the Pug in all types, the Shih Tzu, the Pekingese, the Boston Terrier and other short-muzzled breeds, and Boxer is also one of the breeds named in Annex 2 of the UAE law.

IATA’s Traveler’s Pet Corner describes the same problem in general terms. It uses the term snub nose dogs, with boxers, pugs, bulldogs and Pekingese as examples, and says transport in hot weather is not recommended because these dogs have difficulty maintaining normal body temperature. It also recommends a container 10 percent larger for snub-nosed breeds. An owner of a short-muzzled dog planning an arrival in the UAE should therefore expect the carrier to ask for the date first and the paperwork second.

The crate rules come from the same IATA page, which is a summary of the Live Animals Regulations. Measure the dog from the nose tip to the base of the tail (A), from the ground to the elbow joint (B), across the shoulders or at the widest point (C), and standing from the top of the head or ear tip to the floor (D). For a single animal the internal dimensions are then: length equals A plus half of B, width equals twice C, and height equals D plus bedding. For two animals in a container the width is three times C. Adult animals sharing a crate must be two at most, of comparable size, up to 14 kg each and used to living together, while animals over 14 kg are crated individually.

Other IATA advice for owners covers a short list of habits. The organisation suggests getting the crate weeks or months before the flight so the dog is used to confinement; microchipping and attaching two identifications to the collar, one permanent and one for the trip; reconfirming with the airline at least 48 hours before departure; choosing weekday shipments where possible; checking that the air freight facility at the destination is open so the pet can be collected; and reducing food the day before while keeping water available. On sedation the position is firm: IATA recommends not to sedate or tranquilize pets in transit, and any sedation for medical reasons must be directed by a veterinarian and recorded on the health certificate.

Emirates also states that it does not accept a pregnant animal for transport if it is beyond one third of its normal gestation period or has given birth within 48 hours of travel. This kind of carrier-specific limit is one more reason to read the airline’s own page rather than rely on a general checklist.

Registering and licensing your dog in Dubai

Once the dog is released, the local rules apply. Article 12 of Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 states that no one may possess a dog without a licence from the competent authority, and Article 13 requires a register of licensed dogs that holds the possessor’s name, ID number, address, age, nationality and residence, and for the dog its origin, type, colour, distinctive marks, the electronic chip number and the vaccination record. The implementing regulation sets the conditions.

Dubai Municipality describes its side of this in its 2026 report on veterinary services. Its pet registration services let owners register, microchip and update the records of cats and dogs, which it says supports animal identification and health monitoring. It reports that it registered 4,100 pets in the first half of 2026 and gave 6,585 vaccinations to cats and dogs in the same period. For dogs the vaccines it names are rabies and DHPPi. This guide quotes no registration fee, because the municipality’s report itemises none.

The municipality’s veterinary services section runs three clinics: Al Khawaneej, Al Lisaili and Hatta. For pet animals the opening hours it lists are Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Al Khawaneej, and the same hours at Hatta. Appointments for pets are requested through the Dubai Municipality website, with confirmation by SMS and email, and the clinic line is 800900. The section also monitors and certifies veterinary establishments and clinics in the emirate, and it lists requirements for clinics, hospitals, laboratories and pet shelters.

The federal law sets the penalties for the main duties. The table gives the amounts as written, with the dollar equivalent at 3.6725 dirhams to the dollar. The amounts are maximums and minimums set by the law, and a court or the competent authority applies them to the facts of each case. Article 31 allows conciliation for fine-only offences, for a sum not exceeding half of the maximum fine, with the details to be set by Cabinet decision.

The leash rule in Article 15 reads that dogs must be leashed during hiking or when taken outside the boundaries of their shelters, with appropriate collars in a manner that controls them. Beyond that general rule, the signs and notices at a given park, beach or building add their own conditions, so owners should read them where they walk.

Some places have announced dog-specific facilities. The developer Nakheel said in a press release dated 1 May 2023 that Dubai Islands Beach is open from sunrise to sunset and allows dogs to swim, and the Dubai Media Office reported on 28 June 2020 that the free-zone authority DMCC opened a gated dog park of 475 square metres in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Both announcements are dated and the operators set the current rules, so check their sites for today’s hours and conditions.

Renting or buying a home when moving to Dubai with a dog

A building’s pet rules come from its governing documents, so the tenancy contract is only one of the papers involved. Under Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property, an occupant must comply with the Master Community Declaration, the Statute and the Building Management Regulation to the extent they apply to that occupant (Article 6(b)), and an owner who leases a unit must ensure the tenant remains bound by them (Article 16(a)). The law text published on the Dubai Legislation Portal does not itself mention pets, so the rules on dogs sit in those community documents.

A 2021 reader question answered by a Dubai lawyer in the Khaleej Times describes the same structure from the resident’s side. It says keeping pets in jointly owned property may be lawful if the owner complies with the owners committee’s rules and the master community declaration, and it sets out an escalation for a barking dog: a complaint to the owners committee, a request to fix the problem, and only if it continues a complaint to Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality. It is a commentary rather than an official source, and it is nearly five years old, so use it as an illustration of the process.

In practice, three documents matter to a tenant with a dog. The first is the building or community rulebook, which can restrict the number, size or access routes for animals. The second is the tenancy contract and any addendum, where permission from the landlord can be written down so that it covers the specific dog. The third is the dog’s own paperwork: the municipal registration and the vaccination record that a manager or committee may ask to see. Asking for the pet rules before signing is a normal request, since the landlord’s consent does not replace the building’s own regulations.

Houses and villas in master communities follow the same pattern, with the community declaration of the master developer in place of a building rulebook. For readers comparing home types before a move, the site has neutral guides on villa communities in Dubai and lower-priced villa communities, a guide to apartment prices per square metre by area, a note on the cost of buying an apartment, an explanation of freehold and leasehold in Dubai, and a comparison of property types in Dubai.

The wider market picture is in the Dubai real estate market guide and in the guide on how buyer protection works in Dubai, and the country overview is on the UAE page. None of these pages deals with pets; they are listed here for readers who are also choosing a home. Whatever the home type, a villa with outdoor space does not cancel the leash rule, and an apartment does not cancel the registration duty.

Living with a dog in Dubai’s heat

Heat is the practical side of life with a dog in the UAE, and it shapes daily routines long after the work of moving to Dubai with a dog is done. The guidance below comes from the ASPCA, a United States animal welfare organisation, and should be read as general veterinary advice rather than a Dubai rule. The ASPCA says asphalt heats quickly and can burn sensitive paw pads, that walks should be kept short when it is very hot, that pets should be kept indoors on extremely hot days, that fresh water and shade must be available, and that pets must never be left alone in a parked vehicle.

The same organisation lists the signs of heat stroke: excessive panting or trouble breathing, faster heart and breathing rates, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or collapse, seizures, bloody diarrhoea or vomit, and a body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It adds that flat-faced pets overheat more easily because they cannot pant as well, and that elderly, overweight and heart- or lung-diseased pets need cool, air-conditioned spaces. The practical translation in a city where summer pavements are hot is to choose the time of day and the surface before the route.

For care, the municipality’s clinics are one route, and licensed private veterinary clinics are another, since Dubai Municipality says it monitors and certifies veterinary establishments and clinics. Boarding and daycare for dogs are run by private operators, and the municipality’s section also certifies pet shelters; ask any provider for its licence and for the vaccination records it requires. This guide does not name providers.

The municipality opened an integrated pet shelter at the Birds and Pets Market in Warsan, announced on 27 July 2026. It houses stray and loose companion animals, offers a digital adoption platform, and includes a centre for reuniting lost pets with owners after identification and ownership are verified. For a registered, microchipped dog this is a reason to keep the registration details up to date: identification is what allows a lost animal to be matched to its owner.

Adoption has its own conditions. Dubai Municipality says applicants must be at least 21 years old, have no recorded violations related to animal abuse or mistreatment, attend Al Khawaneej Veterinary Clinic in person and pay the applicable vaccination and registration fees. It reported 298 animals adopted in the first half of 2026. An owner who already has a dog from abroad does not need this route, but it explains why the shelter exists and how its records are used.

Costs of moving to Dubai with a dog

Government fees are the only costs with official figures. Everything else depends on the exporting country, the vet, the carrier and the crate, so those lines describe the component without a number. Dirham amounts are converted at 3.6725 to the dollar and rounded.

Cost planning for moving to Dubai with a dog therefore starts with the three fixed federal figures, AED 200 for the permit and AED 500 for the release, which together come to AED 700 ($191) for one dog. The remaining lines vary by country and provider. The MOCCAE page says payment is made by card, and permit, release and certificate fees are all described as federal fees.

One more cost sits outside the official tables: the price of an error. A dog that does not meet the requirements on arrival is detained in a licensed quarantine or pet shelter at the owner’s expense, and if the problem cannot be solved the dog goes back to the exporting country, also at the importer’s cost. That is why the checks in the timeline come before the booking, not after it.

Leaving the UAE with your dog later

Moving to Dubai with a dog is not always a one-way decision, and leaving the UAE has its own steps, while returning is covered by a separate rule. Before the dog leaves, MOCCAE issues a veterinary health certificate for export or re-export after examining the animal. On the page captured on 16 November 2025 the certificate is valid for 30 days from the date of issue, costs AED 400 ($109) or AED 100 ($27) for a personal consignment of not more than two animals including pets, and takes one working day. Dogs and cats are excluded from the certificate-of-origin requirement, and the copy of the importing country’s permit is not required for companion animals. The importing country may ask for extra tests, and it sets its own entry conditions.

If the owner intends to bring the dog back to the UAE, MOCCAE sets rules for returning resident cats and dogs: the animal must have obtained a MOCCAE veterinary health certificate before leaving, be identified by microchip, be accompanied by a certificate from the competent authority of the exporting country, and have a rabies vaccination that was valid when it left the UAE and stays valid until it returns. If the vaccination lapses, the dog is treated as imported for the first time, with all the first-import conditions. An import permit is needed for the return as well.

On the carrier side, Emirates describes a checked-baggage option for journeys starting in Dubai to countries that accept animals as excess baggage, provided the total journey time including transit is under 17 hours and the journey is booked before the departure date. The journey time counts roughly an hour for check-in and an hour until delivery of the animal at the destination. Animals transiting through Dubai must travel as cargo if the connection time exceeds 6 hours. Dubai Municipality’s advice for travelling pets is that they be microchipped and registered in the approved system, hold all mandatory vaccinations and carry an approved veterinary health certificate; it tells owners to check the importing country’s requirements with MOCCAE and to confirm the carriage with the airline.

Moving a dog out of the country is easier to plan when the first import was documented well. The permit, the original health certificate, the rabies certificates and the registration papers form a record that the next authority will ask to see, so keep both the originals and scans. If the dog is registered with Dubai Municipality, remember to update the record when contact details or the dog’s status change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit for moving to Dubai with a dog?

Yes. MOCCAE requires a prior import permit, requested through its website after registering in its digital services system. The permit costs AED 200 ($54) per head and is valid for 90 days from the date of issue, and a dog cannot be imported on an expired permit.

Is my dog quarantined when moving to Dubai with a dog?

MOCCAE’s published rules describe inspection at the entry centre and release once the dog is confirmed to comply with the permit and the requirements. Quarantine is the outcome for a dog that does not meet the requirements: under the 2025 amendment it is held in a licensed quarantine or pet shelter at the owner’s expense until it complies, and otherwise it must be re-exported.

How many dogs can I bring?

MOCCAE allows personal import of no more than 2 cats, or 2 dogs, or a dog and a cat, per person per year. Resident animals leaving and entering the country are excepted, provided they are identified by microchip and meet the health requirements.

Does my dog need a rabies antibody test?

Only if it comes from a country not on the low-risk list. For those dogs the test result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, the sample is taken at least 21 days after a first rabies vaccination, and the certificate is valid for 365 days if the vaccine stays valid and no booster is given.

How old must the dog be?

MOCCAE sets 12 weeks for dogs from low-risk countries and 15 weeks for dogs from high-risk countries, and the first rabies vaccination may not be given before 12 weeks. Emirates SkyCargo also states its own minimum of 15 weeks.

Can I bring a Rottweiler, a Doberman or a Boxer?

These three are listed in Annex 2 of Federal Law No. 22 of 2016, which prohibits possessing, trading or breeding the listed dogs. They are not on the import ban list printed on the MOCCAE import page, but the two lists answer different questions. Ask MOCCAE on 8003050 before booking, because a dog refused on arrival is returned at the owner’s expense.

Can my dog travel in the cabin to Dubai?

Emirates states that animals are not permitted in its cabin apart from guide dogs for the visually impaired and falcons on certain routes, and that for all itineraries ending in Dubai animals must travel as cargo. Check any other airline’s page for its own rule.

Which airports can receive my dog?

MOCCAE lists veterinary quarantine centres at Dubai Airport Cargo Village, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Sharjah Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah Airport, plus several seaports and land crossings. The older claim that only Abu Dhabi has an inspection facility does not match this list.

Do I have to register my dog in Dubai?

Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 says no one may possess a dog without a licence from the competent authority and requires a register of licensed dogs. Dubai Municipality runs pet registration, microchipping and record updates for cats and dogs through its veterinary services.

Can I rent an apartment or villa with a dog?

It depends on the building or community rules and on the landlord. Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 binds occupants to the master community declaration, statute and building management regulation, so ask for the pet rules before signing and have any permission written into the tenancy paperwork.

Last checked: 28 October 2026. Sources: MOCCAE, Import of pets (cats / dogs); Ministerial Resolution No. 109 of 2021; Ministerial Resolution No. 21 of 2025; Federal Law No. 22 of 2016; MOCCAE, veterinary health certificate for export; Dubai Customs Service Guide; Dubai Municipality, veterinary services H1 2026; Dubai Municipality, pet shelter; Dubai Municipality, Veterinary Services section; Emirates, travelling with animals; Emirates SkyCargo pets leaflet; flydubai Cargo animal transportation; IATA Traveler’s Pet Corner; Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019; Khaleej Times, 17 January 2021; Nakheel, Dubai Islands Beach; Dubai Media Office, JLT dog park; ASPCA, hot weather safety.