Bringing Pets from Malaysia to Vietnam: MAQIS Export & Flight Guide

To bring pets from Malaysia to Vietnam, you must meet three sets of rules: Malaysia’s export rules, Vietnam’s import rules and the airline’s conditions. Malaysia checks the pet’s Pet Passport before it issues the export permit. Vietnam checks the microchip and the rabies vaccination, and the airline decides whether the pet flies in the cabin, in the hold or as cargo.

Short Answer: Can You Bring a Pet from Malaysia to Vietnam?

• Is it possible? Yes. Vietnam does not issue an import permit for one or two personal pets, and there is no quarantine if the documents are in order.
• What does Malaysia require? A Malaysian Pet Passport first. Then an export permit from MAQIS and a health certificate from the state office of the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
• Can the pet fly with you? Yes. Vietnam Airlines takes a pet in the cabin if pet and bag weigh 6 kg or less. Heavier pets fly in the hold of your flight, or as manifest cargo without you.
• How long does it take? The flight can only be 30 days or more after the rabies vaccination. A pet starting with no microchip needs about five weeks.
• Can the pet go back to Malaysia later? Yes. It needs an import permit from MAQIS and at least seven days of quarantine in Malaysia.

The rules that apply to pets from every country are in our Vietnam pet import requirements.

What Must Be Ready Before You Book the Flight?

Check these points first. If one is missing, the trip stops or the date moves.

• Pet Passport. Since 1 January 2024, every dog and cat exported from Malaysia must have a Malaysian Pet Passport. DVS checks the passport before it issues the export permit (DVS confirmed this to Daisy Pet by email, 16 October 2026). Foreign residents living in Malaysia can register their pets too.
• Microchip. DVS issues a Pet Passport only to a microchipped pet. Implant the chip before the rabies vaccination. The number must match on every document.
• Rabies vaccination. Given at least 30 days before the flight and no more than 12 months old on arrival in Vietnam. See how rabies vaccine validity is counted.
• Age. The rabies vaccine is given from 12 weeks old. With the 30-day wait, the earliest departure is at about four months old.
• Weight and breed. The cabin is possible only on Vietnam Airlines, for a pet of 6 kg or less with its bag. Vietnam Airlines refuses some breeds, including snub-nosed cats such as Persians and Exotics. Malaysia Airlines restricts snub-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs and cats. Get the airline’s answer in writing before you pay for vet work.

Vietnam itself has no national breed ban. Our page on breed restrictions for Vietnam explains where the limits come from.

Not needed: a rabies titer test (RNATT), a Vietnamese import permit or quarantine in Vietnam. This applies to one or two personal pets. Three or more pets in one shipment follow Vietnam’s commercial import process.

This guide covers pets leaving Peninsular Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Pets in Sabah or Sarawak need separate permits from those states.

How Can Your Pet Fly from Malaysia to Vietnam?

Direct flights leave KLIA for Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, Noi Bai in Hanoi and Da Nang. The way your pet flies changes who does each step, so decide it first.

In the Cabin With You: Vietnam Airlines Only

Vietnam Airlines accepts dogs and cats from 10 weeks old in the cabin. Pet and bag together must weigh 6 kg or less, in a bag of up to 35 × 30 × 20 cm. Contact the airline at least 24 hours before departure. Malaysia is not on its list of excluded routes (Vietnam Airlines: travelling with pets).

Malaysia Airlines never carries pets in the cabin. Its conditions of carriage say animals travel in the cargo compartment.

In the Hold on Your Ticket: Checked Baggage

Both Vietnam Airlines and Malaysia Airlines carry pets as checked baggage on their direct flights. On Vietnam Airlines, pet and crate together must weigh 32 kg or less. Malaysia Airlines sets a similar limit of about 32 kg. The pet lands with you and is inspected at the airport where you arrive.

As Manifest Cargo, Without You

A pet over the checked-baggage limit, or a pet flying alone, travels as manifest cargo on its own air waybill. From KLIA, this usually means MASkargo, the cargo arm of Malaysia Airlines. The pet arrives at the cargo terminal in Vietnam. There, an agent must file the customs declaration, because an individual owner cannot.

AirAsia, VietJet and Batik Air do not carry pets on their international flights. Compare the airlines that do in our overview of airlines flying pets into Vietnam.

Flying to Da Nang from Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Airlines flies direct from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang. A pet can use this flight as checked baggage or cargo only if Malaysia Airlines accepts animals on it. Confirm this when you book, because the flight uses a smaller aircraft. The pet is then inspected at Da Nang airport by the Central Regional Animal Health and Production Office.

If you want the cabin, or Malaysia Airlines does not accept the pet, fly to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi first. The pet clears quarantine and customs at that first airport. It then needs a domestic quarantine certificate for the flight on to Da Nang. Options for that last leg are in our page on domestic pet transport within Vietnam.

A cargo pet flying straight into Da Nang still needs an agent to file the customs declaration at Da Nang airport.

7 Steps to Bring a Pet from Malaysia to Vietnam (About Five Weeks)

The plan below assumes the pet has no microchip yet. If it already has a chip, a valid rabies vaccination and a Pet Passport, start at Step 3.

• Day 1: microchip and rabies vaccination.
• Days 2–7: Pet Passport.
• Days 7–14: book the flight and the bag or crate.
• From Day 31, shortly before the flight: export permit, DVS exam and health certificate.
• About 48 hours before landing: Form 3 filed in Vietnam.
• Departure day: check-in at KLIA.
• Arrival day: inspection, Form 15a, duty and customs.

Step 1 (Day 1): Microchip, Then the Rabies Vaccine

Who: you and a vet clinic in Malaysia.

The vet implants an ISO microchip first and then gives the rabies vaccine. Ask for a vaccination card that shows the chip number and the vaccination date. If the pet may later return to Malaysia or move on to another country, tell us now. We then check the next country’s rules before the first flight.

Step 2 (Days 2–7): Register the Malaysian Pet Passport

Who: you, at a state DVS office or a private clinic appointed by DVS as a registrar.

The official name of the booklet is the Malaysia Animal Identification Card (Pet Passport). It records the pet’s identity, owner, microchip and vaccinations. Bring the pet, your passport or identity card and any vaccination records. If the pet has an older vaccination card from a private clinic, attach it to the Pet Passport as a supporting document. For the list of registrars and what each page records, see how to register for the Malaysian Pet Passport.

Registration usually takes one visit, and the fee is RM7 per dog or cat. Waiting times, appointments and payment methods differ between offices and clinics, so call ahead. DVS explains the system on its Pet Passport registration page.

Step 3 (Days 7–14): Book the Flight and the Bag or Crate

Who: you, or Daisy Pet on your behalf.

• Cabin: book the pet with Vietnam Airlines when you buy your ticket. Use a soft bag within the size limit.
• Checked baggage: book the pet onto your flight and choose a crate big enough for the pet to stand, turn and lie down. See how to size an IATA-compliant pet crate.
• Cargo: the agent books space with the airline’s cargo service.

Start crate or bag training now, so the pet is used to it by the flight.

Step 4 (From Day 31, Shortly Before the Flight): Export Permit and Health Certificate

Who: you or the agent we work with in Malaysia, then the state DVS vet.

Malaysia issues two documents, from two agencies:

• Export permit: issued by MAQIS, the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services. The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Act 728, sections 11 and 12) requires it for every animal export.
• Veterinary Health Certificate: issued by the state DVS office after a vet examines the pet at that office.

You apply for both online through the ePermit system run by Dagangnet. Only an exporter or agent registered with MAQIS may export an animal. You can open your own account and register, or let the agent apply. The sequence is on the DVS import and export page.

DVS does not publish how many days before the flight the exam must take place. Ask the state DVS office or the agent when you book the exam.

Step 5 (About 48 Hours Before Landing): Form 3 in Vietnam

Who: Daisy Pet, or you if the pet flies with you.

Form 3 is the quarantine declaration. It goes to the quarantine station at the arrival airport, with copies of the Malaysian documents. Filing about 48 hours ahead leaves time to fix a mistake. Form 3 is a request to be inspected, not an import permit. See our guide to Vietnam’s Form 3.

Step 6 (Departure Day): Check-in at KLIA

Who: you and the airline, or the agent for cargo.

The original health certificate, export permit and Pet Passport travel with the pet. If the pet flies with you, keep them in your hand luggage. For cargo, they travel attached to the crate. Pets that arrive without the original documents can be refused entry to Vietnam.

Step 7 (Arrival Day): Inspection, Form 15a, Duty and Customs

Who: the airport quarantine station, customs, and the agent for cargo.

Vietnam’s airport quarantine stations always have an officer on duty. The officer checks the original documents, scans the microchip and examines the pet. A pet that passes receives Form 15a, the import animal quarantine certificate, valid for 60 days.

For a pet travelling with its owner, Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT (Article 14.1) allows one working day from the inspection to issue Form 15a. If samples must be tested, it allows five working days. Complete documents and a pet that meets every condition keep clearance short.

You then pay the quarantine fee and import duty. Duty applies to one or two pets as well. A cargo pet is cleared at the cargo terminal, where customs inspects the shipment before release.

Why cargo needs an agent in Vietnam: a cargo customs declaration must be filed by a declarant with a customs account. An individual owner does not have one. You can still be named as consignee on the air waybill, but you then sign in person at the cargo terminal.

If the pet does not pass: there is no fixed list of outcomes. The quarantine officer decides based on the pet and the documents. What you control is the paperwork: one microchip number everywhere, a valid rabies date and the originals travelling with the pet.

What Does It Cost to Bring a Pet from Malaysia to Vietnam?

There is no single price, because several parties charge at both ends. Costs fall into three groups:

• In Malaysia: vet visits, microchip and vaccination, the Pet Passport (RM7), the DVS and MAQIS fees, and the bag or crate. If the agent we work with handles the export, we quote the Malaysian side per case.
• Airfare: the airline charges a pet in the cabin or hold by the weight of pet and bag or crate. Cargo is charged on the chargeable weight of the crate.
• In Vietnam: Daisy Pet’s clearance service for a pet flying with its owner is about USD 350 per pet. It covers Form 3, the arrival inspection and Form 15a. Import duty is paid separately. Clearance for a cargo pet is quoted per case.

Current ranges by route and pet size are in our pet shipping cost guide for Vietnam.

Can Your Pet Return to Malaysia from Vietnam Later?

Yes. Malaysia treats Vietnam as a non-scheduled country, so the pet enters as a new import. The main conditions are:

• Import permit: issued by MAQIS. The quarantine place must be booked first, at least 14 days before arrival.
• Documents: a health certificate from Vietnam’s government vet, issued after an exam within 7 days of the flight. Keep the Malaysian Pet Passport, because it can serve as the pet’s identity document.
• Vaccinations: rabies and core vaccines given within 12 months before the flight.
• Quarantine: at least seven days in Malaysia. No rabies titer test is required for pets from Vietnam.

Tell us early if the pet may go back, so the steps fit the first trip. The full return route is in our guide to Malaysia’s pet import rules.

Moving three or more pets at once changes Vietnam’s process. See shipping multiple pets to Vietnam.

FAQ: Bringing a Pet from Malaysia to Vietnam

Does my pet need a Malaysian Pet Passport to leave Malaysia?

Yes. Since 1 January 2024, every dog and cat exported from Malaysia must have a Malaysian Pet Passport. DVS checks it before it issues the export permit. Foreign residents can register their pets at a state DVS office or an appointed clinic.

Can my pet fly in the cabin from Kuala Lumpur to Vietnam?

Only on Vietnam Airlines, if pet and bag weigh 6 kg or less and the bag is no larger than 35 × 30 × 20 cm. Malaysia Airlines carries pets only in the hold. AirAsia, VietJet and Batik Air do not carry pets on international flights.

Can I apply for the Malaysian export permit myself?

Yes, if you register with MAQIS and open an ePermit account with Dagangnet. Otherwise, an agent registered with MAQIS applies for you. The pet must still be examined at the state DVS office for the health certificate.

Does Vietnam require an import permit, titer test or quarantine for pets from Malaysia?

No. For one or two personal pets, Vietnam requires a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 30 days before the flight and the Malaysian health certificate. No import permit, titer test or quarantine is needed.

Can I fly my pet from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang?

Yes. Malaysia Airlines flies direct, if it accepts the pet on that flight as checked baggage or cargo. Otherwise, the pet flies to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, clears quarantine there and continues to Da Nang on a domestic flight.

How long does airport clearance take when a pet lands in Vietnam?

For a pet travelling with its owner, the rules allow one working day from the inspection to issue Form 15a, or five if samples are tested. Complete original documents and a pet that meets every condition keep it short.

For questions about Vietnam’s side that apply to every route, see our Vietnam pet import FAQ.