South AfricaPet shipping to South Africa runs on its own rules: since April 2024, every dog needs two separate government permits before a flight is booked.
Last updated 20 Oct 2026i
Four things that make South Africa’s process different from a typical destination.
Dogs need both an AIA permit and a Veterinary Import Permit since April 2024
Vietnam isn’t on the exempt list, so dogs are held for two weeks on arrival
Unlike Australia, Japan or the EU, no rabies titer test is required here
Cats skip the permit, the blood panel, and the quarantine entirely
Six requirements that decide whether a South Africa-bound flight can be booked.
Every dog and cat needs an ISO 11784/11785 microchip on record before any test or vaccine. Dogs entering as permanent companions must also be at least 8 months old and sterilized under the AIA framework.
A valid rabies vaccination is required more than 30 days and less than 12 months before travel. Unlike most strict destinations, South Africa does not require a rabies antibody titer test from any origin country.
Dogs must test negative for five diseases, with blood drawn no more than 30 days before arrival. One of them, Trypanosoma evansi, can only be tested at one of two OIE Reference Laboratories worldwide.
Introduced in April 2024, this dog-only permit must clear DALRRD’s Registrar of Animal Improvement before the Veterinary Import Permit is filed. Cats never touch this system.
Required for both dogs and cats, issued by DALRRD’s Animal Health directorate. For dogs it can only be submitted once the AIA permit copy is attached to the application.
Dogs from Vietnam are held at Kempton Park or Milnerton on arrival, since Vietnam is not on the exempt-country list — cats are not routinely quarantined at all.
Two mechanics that catch owners who’ve researched a different destination first.
Animal Health issues the Veterinary Import Permit. The Registrar of Animal Improvement, a separate office, issues the AIA permit — and only for dogs.
South Africa does not allow pets as checked baggage or in the cabin, regardless of size — every dog and cat clears the border as manifest cargo.
One test in the five-disease panel doesn’t work like the other four — together they turn South Africa’s 30-day compliance window into a much tighter gap for the rest of the paperwork.
Trypanosoma evansi must be tested at a laboratory formally accredited by WOAH (OIE) — currently only in Belgium or Japan, not Vietnam.
A result from the wrong lab or method is no longer held in quarantine to sort out — it now risks the dog being returned or euthanized.
Two 30-day windows run in parallel, not back to back — booking the blood test and the AIA permit on day one is what shortens the total.
Microchip & Vaccine
Every later document ties back to this microchip number. The rabies vaccine follows, valid more than 30 days before travel.
Blood Tests Begin
Book the Trypanosoma evansi sample first — it ships to an OIE Reference Laboratory abroad and sets the pace for everything after it.
AIA Permit (Dogs)
Submitted at least 30 days before travel to DALRRD’s Registrar of Animal Improvement — this must clear before the next permit is filed.
Veterinary Permit
Filed with the approved AIA copy attached, this typically clears in 5–10 working days through DALRRD’s Animal Health office.
Quarantine Booking
Dogs need a confirmed space at Kempton Park or Milnerton before the Veterinary Import Permit is finalized, paid by bank transfer only.
Health Certificate
Issued within 10 days of travel, matching the microchip number and every lab report exactly before the certificate is endorsed.
Flight Day Matters
Landing on the wrong day of the week has been known to add a full extra week of quarantine, purely from station scheduling.
Arrival & Clearance
Pets clear as manifest cargo at OR Tambo, Cape Town, or Durban, then dogs move directly into quarantine station intake.
Airport access depends on quarantine status, not on which city is closer. There is no direct flight from Vietnam, so every pet flies as manifest cargo on a connecting route. Some transit airports require their own transit permit.
The only two airports that accept dogs subject to quarantine — the case for every dog arriving from Vietnam.
Open only to pets from South Africa’s quarantine-exempt countries — an option not available to a Vietnam-origin dog.
Same destination, same DALRRD office — a completely different path once species enters the picture.
South Africa splits “no breed ban” from “no breed paperwork” — they aren’t the same thing.
Applied to every pet flying the South Africa route.
Eight weeks and fully weaned is the floor for carriage, and some airlines set it higher. Pregnant animals are not accepted.
IATA and IPATA both advise against sedation, and a pet known to be sedated can be refused at the counter. Crate conditioning on a six-week schedule does that work instead.
Pet owners work with a single point of contact while we coordinate every stage — from the AIA permit application to clearance at the South Africa border post.
Every shipment is priced by species, permit path, and lab logistics — we break down every line, no hidden fees.
Last updated 20 Oct 2026
Compiled by our specialists from the regulations in force on the date above, for reference only. Rules may change after this date. Please verify with the competent authorities or contact us for the most accurate information.
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