Okay, India with a dog is a real quest, and I love it. Nala and I map trips like this the way Sam and I map a ridge line: one decision at a time. The one that stops most people cold is the mandatory quarantine, so eyes open there first. Get that piece right and the rest of the paperwork falls into a rhythm you can actually move through.

Bringing a pet to India requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.

How India handles your pet

Key points

  • India does not let tourists bring a pet, and this is the single most important thing on this page. "Import Policy of Pet (dogs/cats) is "restricted" and is permitted for import, only with an authorisation from DGFT." and "Import of cat/dogs/rabbit for Short duration (as a tourist) is generally not permitted/ allowed." DGFT does examine short stays case by case, but permission is granted in rare cases and normally only where the animal is a therapy or emotional-support dog, with a medical certificate for the owner and an undertaking from a local host
  • The one route with no DGFT authorisation is the Customs baggage rule, and it is a relocation route, not a travel route: "Import is allowed as passenger baggage, without DGFT authorisation, only to persons transferring their residence to India after two years of continuous stay abroad
  • Only cats and dogs can be imported under baggage rules." More than two pets, or less than two years abroad, and you are back to needing the authorisation
  • Start early — two months, not two weeks: "The Pet Owners travelling to India are advised to initiate the import authorisation application process at least 2 months in advance of the travel dates." The application goes to the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying for an NOC and then to an inter-ministerial Exim Facilitation Committee that meets once a month, which is what sets the timeline
  • You do not need to be a business to apply: "You may use your own Importer Exporter Code (IEC), if you already have one
  • Alternatively, you may use the permanent IEC No
  • IIHIE0153E." There is a SECOND permit, and people miss it
  • After the DGFT authorisation you still need an advance NOC from the quarantine officer at your arrival port: "This NOC needs to be obtained from the Regional Officer/ Quarantine Officer seven days before the date of travel (relaxable up to 3 days depending on the specific circumstances)." The airline will not load the pet without it
  • Only six ports accept pets: "Import of pet animals is allowed only through airports and seaports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata." Rabies vaccination sits in a window, not a deadline: "The dog (three months of age and older) and Cat must be vaccinated against Rabies more than one month, but within 12 months prior to actual embarkation and all details shall be officially certified or mentioned in the official Health certificate." So a shot given last week is too recent, and one given fourteen months ago is too old
  • Quarantine is a sanction here, not a routine step
  • A sound, healthy pet is cleared at the port of entry itself
  • Only if it fails the arrival examination does it go into quarantine: "it will be taken to the Quarantine Station and will remain under quarantine for 15 days." Testing during that period is charged to the owner
  • Two paperwork traps
  • The owner's name on the health certificate must match the ticket: "The name of owner in the official health certificate must match with the name as mentioned in the ticket of owner to establish ownership." And under the DGFT route, "New born puppies of less than 7 months are not to be allowed." Budget two government charges on top of your vet bills
  • AQCS charges a flat processing fee for import clearance, and pets are named in it: "The processing charges for import clearance by AQCSs to be fixed at Rs.1,000/- per bill of entry or per application for import of livestock, livestock products, pets etc." (with effect from 01.05.2025)
  • DGFT publishes no fee and no validity period for the import authorisation itself anywhere in its pet FAQ, so ask the Regional Authority when you file ANF-2M
  • If your pet does end up in quarantine, you pay for it
  • The same circular sets accommodation charges during quarantine at "4 | Dog/Cat/Small Carnivores | Single | 800.00" — 800 rupees per day for a dog or cat, so the 15-day stay that follows a failed arrival examination ("In case the dog(s) fails to clear physical examination or exhibits clinical signs of diseases mentioned in format at annexure 1.3, it will be taken to the Quarantine Station and will remain under quarantine for 15 days.") runs to about 12,000 rupees, plus the cost of the testing, which the SOP also puts on the owner

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Quarantine · Typenone_if_compliantverified 2026-09-09
Quarantine · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Quarantine · Duration15 daysverified 2026-09-09
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Import permit · Lead time60 daysverified 2026-09-02
Import permit · Issuing authorityDirectorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), on an NOC from the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and approval by the Exim Facilitation Committeeverified 2026-09-02
Import permit · Documents required to obtain
  • Vaccination Book / Pet Passport / Pet Book
  • Passport of the Pet
  • Certificate for Emotional Support (where the import is on that ground)
  • Temporary import only: copy of return ticket or expected date of return
  • Temporary import only: undertaking from a local host/relative/family in India
verified 2026-09-02
Flea treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Heartworm test · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Tick treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · IssuerOfficial Veterinarian / competent authority of the exporting countryverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Endorsed byCompetent authority of the exporting countryverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Validity days30 daysverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Original required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-02
Other vaccinations · Distemper Noverified 2026-09-02
Other vaccinations · Adenovirus Noverified 2026-09-02
Other vaccinations · Parvovirus Noverified 2026-09-02
Other vaccinations · Leptospirosis Noverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination30 daysverified 2026-09-02
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Screwworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Internal parasite treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-02

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -30 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -30 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

Ports of entry (6)

  • Delhi
  • Mumbai
  • Chennai
  • Kolkata
  • Bangalore
  • Hyderabad

verified 2026-09-02

The health certificate carries a hard shelf life of 30 days after issuance. Time the vet visit so the certificate stays inside that window on the arrival date. Book the examination late in the pre-travel schedule, not early. Confirm the issuance date printed on the document. An expired certificate at the counter means the paperwork gets rejected on arrival.
Approved ports of entry issue advance clearance within 7 days of arrival, based on self-certified advance copies of the required documents. Email the full document set ahead of travel. Send legible scans, not photos of partial pages. Confirm receipt before departure. Arriving without that advance notification submitted leaves the clearance unprocessed and stalls the entry at the port.
The import permit application runs on a fixed lead time of 7 days before embarkation. Submit the application form, Annexure 1.1, by email or in person at least 7 days out. Count backward from the departure date and lock the submission slot. Filing inside that 7-day window forfeits the permit and blocks boarding at the gate.
So that's India, decoded. It reads like a lot, but every one of these pieces has a date, a form, and a window you can hit if you sequence them right. Don't wing it from a forum thread. Build the actual timeline for your dog and your departure with Pawgo's plan-builder, and let it stitch these dates into one personalized plan you can follow straight to the gate.
Get YOUR personalized plan for India →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.