- Fully licensed
- MOCCAE approved
- Liaising with trusted vets
Peace of mind for your pet’s journey,
from start to finish
Expert, dedicated pet relocation services to, from, and through the UAE—covering big moves, little holidays, and everything in between.
Get to know our founder
Our Services
Paws & Planes offers tailored pet relocation services for travel to or from the UAE, providing both individual and door-to-door solutions.
Whether relocating or traveling for a holiday, we ensure a seamless experience for all travel types: manifest cargo, in-cabin, or excess baggage.
Our services include:
- Door-to-door relocations to and from the UAE
- Full import service for manifest cargo arrivals into the UAE
- In cabin & excess baggage travel assistance
- IATA-approved travel crates
- Vet visits for health certification
- Endorsing paperwork with UAE government vet
- Expert guidance on flight routes
- Ensuring full compliance with UAE regulations
Our Services: Leaving the UAE
Flight Options
For leaving the UAE, your pet can travel in-cabin, as manifest cargo, or as excess baggage, depending on size, destination, and airline regulations.
Paperwork:
At minimum, A MOCCAE health certificate (valid for 30 days) and fit-to-fly certificate are required. Additional paperwork is often required and depends on the destination, pet and airline.
Vet Requirements:
Pets must at minimum be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. Many destinations require additional pre travel tests and/or require parasite treatments prior to travel which we will advise on when you enquire.
Timeline:
The sooner you reach out, the better! We require at least 2-3 weeks to prepare vet visits, paperwork, and crates. Some destinations, like Australia, require up to 6 months of preparation due to strict health regulations.
Why Choose Paws & Planes?
At Paws & Planes, founded in 2024, we bring a fresh, customer-first approach to pet relocation. While we know we’re up against industry giants, our smaller size is an advantage—allowing us to offer you a truly personalized, flexible service tailored to your pet’s needs.
We prioritize clear communication and handle every detail personally—flights, vet visits, paperwork, and compliance—so you don’t have to. On travel day, we manage check-in and, if you opt for our door to door service, ensure smooth customs clearance and safe delivery on ‘the other side’
Our Services: Entering the uae
UAE PET IMPORTS
By law, all pets must enter into Dubai International Airport as manifest cargo. Excess baggage or in cabin option is not possible for any commercial airline arrivals into DXB.
If your pet is under 8kg, it might be possible to arrive in cabin into Abu Dhabi (‘Zayed’) International Airport. Only certain airlines allow this.
We also work with trusted companies that offer ‘pay per seat’ chartered jet options. With this mode of travel, your pet of any size can travel in cabin into Dubai with you
No matter how your pet arrives into the UAE, the following requirements apply:
- Vaccination booklet or certificate containing pet name, breed, sex, date of birth, microchip number and date, vaccination history.
- Scannable microchip
- Valid rabies vaccination
- Health certificate endorsed by authority in origin country
- Internal & external parasite treatment within 14 days of travel, administered by a licensed vet
- Not be a banned breed (unless a trained service animal)
- Be at least 12 weeks of age at time of travel
Additional requirements from high risk countries
- Your pet will need a rabies titre test if arriving from a high risk country. They must also be a minimum of 15 weeks of age. This does not to returning/resident pets, as long as a valid export health certificate can be shown.
You can check all import requirements on the MOCCAE government website.
How we'll assist with your pets import into the UAE, step by step
- First, we’ll determine arrival details, including the airport, travel mode, and pet specifics
- Next, we’ll share the exact import cost and ensure compliance with UAE entry requirements
- Then, we’ll review health paperwork to confirm it meets UAE regulations
- For manifest cargo arrivals, we’ll liaise with the export agent to finalize your pet’s airway bill
- We’ll apply for your import permit through our MOCCAE company account
- When your pet arrives in the UAE in the UAE, we will be there to complete customs clearance at the airport. For manifest cargo arrivals, there is no need for you to be at the airport.
- Finally, we’ll deliver your pet safely from the airport to your home in our private transport vehicle
Our Services: Additional Pet Relocation Services
We also help with
In addition to our import and export services, we’re also able to provide:
FAQs
All pets must arrive into Dubai International Airport as manifest cargo on a commercial airline. However, it is possible for your pet to fly into Abu Dhabi in cabin. Your pet must be under 8kg and comply with the airline policies. Alternatively, it is possible for your pet to arrive anywhere in the UAE on a private jet. We can assist with pets arriving in cabin. View the import costs HERE
It’s normal to feel a bit worried about your pet traveling as ‘cargo.’ This mode of travel involves your pet flying in a different section of the plane to you. Even though you won’t be able to visit, it is temperature-regulated and dimly lit for your pets comfort.
Pets travelling as cargo receive priority boarding, meaning they’ll be last on and first off.
Pets travel in and out of the UAE as cargo everyday and it is very safe. Cargo FAQ’s
Your pet must travel in IATA-compliant carrier, whether in the cabin or as cargo. Paws & Planes will assist with measuring your pet and can also supply an appropriate crate when you book your pets travel with us. We always use the IATA reference guide to ensure a proper and safe fit
When your pet lands in Dubai, they will be taken off the plane in their crate and moved to a secure animal holding area within the cargo terminal. Here, they will be looked after by trained airline staff while customs clearance and minister vet checks take place. With our full import into UAE service, you don’t need to be at the airport at all. We will handle everything for you and then deliver your pet straight to your home, keeping you updated at every stage.
Read more about how we handle your pets customs clearance here
For your pet cat or dog to be successfully imported into the UAE, the following is required:
- Microchip
- Valid Rabies Vaccine
- Rabies Titre Test (if the country you are travelling from is ‘high risk’
- Up to date annual vaccinaions (DHPPL for dogs, FVCRP for cats)
- Valid health certificate from the origin country, endorsed by the relevant authority.
- At least 12 weeks of age (or 15 weeks if travelling from a high risk country)
- Internal & External parasite treatment, administered within 14 days by a licensed vet.
- Not be a banned breed
These requirements are enforced by The Ministry of Climate Change & Environment and can be viewed on their official government page here
This depends on many factors such as the destination, your pet’s current vaccination status and pre travel requirements. We recommending reaching out to us as soon as you have your destination and travel date in mind so we can provide a realistic timeline estimate.
This depends on the time of the year, airline policies and your pets health. Many airlines restrict travel for snub nosed breeds during the summer; some airlines do not permit them at all. When you get in touch, we’ll explore your options and assist with the additional paperwork required for your special breed.
Yes, Paws and Planes offers a door-to-door service for most destinations, where we manage every aspect of your pet’s journey. This includes working with overseas agents to take care of procedures like import permits, customs clearance, quarantine, and delivery to your pet’s final destination, ensuring a smooth and stress-free experience from start to finish.
We provide full import service for pets arriving into UAE from all major airports.You can view the import fees HERE
As of July 2024, the banned breeds in the UAE include:
- Mastiff (Dogo Argentino)
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- French Mastiff (Dogue de Bordeaux)
- Boerboel
- Bullmastiff
- Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff)
- Bully Kutta (Alangu Mastiff, Indian Mastiff)
- Perro De Presa Canario (Canary Mastiff)
- Japanese Tosa
- Presa Canario
If you have a service animal or an emotional support animal, special permission is required in advance along with attested supporting documentation.
If you are traveling from one of the following countries, additional rabies testing is not required:
- Australia, Austria, Andorra, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, French Polynesia, Falkland Islands, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Malta, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Palau, Latvia, Albania, Croatia, Maldives, Spain (excluding Melilla), Cyprus, Korea, Montenegro, Seychelles, Suriname, Micronesia, Greece, Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Lithuania, and Macedonia.
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