Pet Shipping Timeline from Vietnam to the UAE: Documents and Steps (2026)

To ship a pet from Vietnam to the UAE, you meet three sets of rules: Vietnam’s export rules, the UAE’s import rules and the airline’s conditions. The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) decides the documents. The airline decides how your pet can fly.

With a rabies vaccination that is already valid, the process takes about five to six weeks. With a new vaccination, plan for about eight to nine weeks.

Short Answer: What Does Your Pet Need for the UAE?

• Is it possible? Yes. Dogs and cats from Vietnam enter the UAE with a MOCCAE Import Permit and a rabies titer test. There is no quarantine if the documents are correct.
• How long does it take? Five to six weeks with a valid rabies vaccination. Eight to nine weeks if your pet needs a new one.
• How old must the pet be? At least 15 weeks on arrival. Airlines can ask for more.
• Can the pet fly with you? On Emirates, no: pets fly as cargo. In the cabin, only on Etihad into Abu Dhabi, through Bangkok. See airlines and flight options to the UAE.
• How many pets? One person can import two pets a year.

Can Your Pet Go? Check These Four Things First

Check these before you pay for a test or a flight. If one fails, the plan changes.

• Age. MOCCAE sets 15 weeks on arrival for pets from Vietnam. The rabies vaccine can only be given from 12 weeks. Emirates SkyCargo accepts pets from 15 weeks but may ask for 27 weeks from high-risk countries, according to its pet leaflet. Etihad’s minimum is 16 weeks.
• Breed. The UAE bans Pit Bull types, Mastiff types, the Japanese Tosa and the Presa Canario, plus their crosses. Etihad also refuses Rottweilers, Dobermans and Boxers. The full list is in our guide to banned dog breeds in the UAE.
• Flat-faced breeds. Pugs, Bulldogs, Persians and British Shorthairs face airline limits. Emirates carries them only from November to April, under extra conditions.
• Number of pets. Two per person per year, for example two dogs, two cats, or one of each. Pets that already live in the UAE and are coming back do not count.

UAE Pet Import Requirements from Vietnam

MOCCAE treats Vietnam as a high-risk rabies country. That is why pets from Vietnam need a titer test, which pets from low-risk countries skip. These are the requirements printed on the MOCCAE Import Permit and on MOCCAE’s pet import service page.

• Microchip. A permanent chip. The number must match every document.
• Rabies vaccination. Given at 12 weeks or older, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Core vaccinations. Dogs: distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and leptospirosis. A negative leptospirosis test can replace that vaccine. Cats: panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus.
• Vaccination record. Each entry shows the vaccine name, manufacturer, batch number and date.
• Rabies titer test. A result of at least 0.5 IU/mL from an approved laboratory.
• Parasite treatment. Internal and external, within 14 days before export, written on the health certificate.
• Health certificate. Vietnam’s export certificate plus the MOCCAE form Annex No.(3), signed by a Vietnamese government vet.
• Transit. If the pet changes planes in another country, it must not mix with other animals there.

Step-by-Step Timeline from Vietnam to the UAE

The steps below follow the calendar. Weeks are counted for a pet that already has a valid rabies vaccination.

Step 1 (Week 1): Microchip and rabies vaccination

Who: your vet, with Daisy checking the records.

The vet scans the chip and checks the vaccination record. If the rabies vaccination is valid and has no gap, the blood test can be done on the same day. If the pet has never been vaccinated, or the last vaccination lapsed, it gets a new rabies shot. The blood test then waits 21 days. Our guide to microchips for international travel explains which chips are readable abroad.

Step 2 (Week 1): Blood sample for the titer test

Who: the vet takes the sample; Daisy sends it to the laboratory.

The test measures rabies antibodies. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/mL. The sample must be taken no more than 12 months before the flight. The laboratory can be in Vietnam or abroad, as long as it is approved. Allow about three weeks for the result. The rabies titer test (FAVN) guide covers the method.

The result belongs to the current rabies vaccination. A later booster does not extend it. Airlines such as Etihad count it as valid for 365 days. There is no waiting period after the blood draw for the UAE.

Step 3 (Week 4): MOCCAE Import Permit

Who: the receiving party in the UAE applies; Daisy prepares the pet’s details.

The Import Permit is applied for online with MOCCAE. The fee is AED 200 per animal, and MOCCAE processes it in 1 working day. One permit covers one pet. It names the port of entry, such as Dubai airport or Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and the expected arrival date. The permit is valid for 90 days, and MOCCAE refuses pets with an expired permit. The application steps are in our MOCCAE Import Permit guide.

Step 4 (Week 4): Booking the flight

Who: Daisy books with the airline.

For cargo, Daisy books Emirates non-stop flights: EK393 from Ho Chi Minh City or EK395 from Hanoi to Dubai. We do not book cargo on routes that change planes, because of the longer journey and the heat. Emirates SkyCargo reviews the documents at least 72 hours before departure. For the cabin route through Bangkok, Etihad needs the documents 72 hours before the flight.

Step 5 (Weeks 4–5): Parasite treatment

Who: the vet treats; Daisy records it.

The pet receives internal and external parasite treatment within 14 days before export. The treatment goes on the health certificate. Daisy treats every pet leaving Vietnam for both internal and external parasites. For the UAE, the timing must also fall inside that 14-day window.

Step 6 (Week 5–6): Health check and export certificate

Who: the airport animal quarantine station in Vietnam, with Daisy.

The quarantine station at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai issues Vietnam’s export certificate, Form 13a. The same official vet signs and stamps MOCCAE’s Annex No.(3). The Annex states that the pet was examined within 24 hours before shipping and showed no signs of disease. That is why this step is booked right before the flight.

Step 7 (Week 5–6): Departure from Vietnam

Who: Daisy at the cargo terminal, or you at check-in for the cabin route.

For cargo, Daisy hands the pet and the original documents to the airline at the cargo terminal. The crate carries the live-animal labels and a 24-hour contact number.

Step 8 (Arrival day): Inspection and release in the UAE

Who: MOCCAE vets at the airport and the receiving agent.

MOCCAE vets check the pet, the microchip and the original documents at the airport. The release request costs AED 500 per dog or AED 250 per cat. After release, the pet goes home with you or the agent. MOCCAE does not let a pet enter on an expired permit or with missing documents.

How Much Does It Cost?

The government fees are AED 200 for the permit and AED 250 to 500 for the release. Freight is the largest part, and it depends on the crate size. Our pet relocation cost to the UAE guide lists each item with 2026 ranges.

Flying in the Cabin Through Bangkok

No flight from Vietnam to the UAE takes pets in the cabin directly. The working route is Vietnam Airlines to Bangkok, then Etihad to Abu Dhabi. This route adds three things.

• A transit approval from Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development, issued before the flight.
• The transit declaration on Annex No.(3), stating the pet did not mix with other animals in Bangkok.
• An Abu Dhabi customs pre-clearance, filed by a clearing agent before departure.

Etihad approves each one-way trip separately.

Moving Again Later: Back to Vietnam or Back to the UAE

A pet leaving the UAE later needs a MOCCAE export health certificate. The steps are in our guide to bringing a pet from Dubai to Vietnam.

A pet that lives in the UAE and comes back can skip the titer test. The condition is that the rabies vaccination given before leaving the UAE is still valid on return. Keep a copy of the MOCCAE export certificate from that departure.

Real Cases on This Route

Daisy has flown cats and dogs from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dubai on Emirates cargo, in October 2025, May 2026 and August 2026. In June 2026, a poodle flew in the cabin from Hanoi to Abu Dhabi through Bangkok. In the August case, the blood sample went to the laboratory 35 days before the flight, and the permit was issued nine days before it. Real cases are collected on our Vietnam to UAE pet relocation page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to ship a pet from Vietnam to the UAE?

About five to six weeks if the rabies vaccination is valid. About eight to nine weeks if the pet needs a new vaccination, because the blood test waits 21 days after it.

Does my pet need a rabies titer test for the UAE?

Yes. MOCCAE requires it for pets from Vietnam. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/mL, and the sample must be taken no more than 12 months before the flight.

How long is the MOCCAE Import Permit valid?

90 days from the issue date. MOCCAE does not accept pets that arrive on an expired permit.

Is there quarantine in the UAE for pets from Vietnam?

No, if the documents are correct. MOCCAE vets inspect the pet at the airport, and the pet is released after the release fee is paid.

What is the minimum age to fly a puppy or kitten to the UAE?

15 weeks on arrival under MOCCAE rules. Airlines can set a higher age, so check with the airline when booking.