Mauritius will not let your pet ride with you. Not in the cabin, not as checked baggage — manifest cargo is the only door in, and that reframes the trip before you have booked anything. I read the guidelines twice, convinced I had misunderstood. Luna has flown in cabin more often than I have flown alone, so planning her first cargo booking meant unlearning every habit I had.

Pet import to Mauritius is regulated by Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Livestock and Veterinary Division. The core requirements are summarized below: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the right window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. Some destinations also require a titer test or short quarantine — those are flagged in the table.

Your pet cannot travel in the cabin or as checked baggage to Mauritius.

Mauritius requires pets to travel as manifest cargo.

“In view of COVID-19 pandemic, all live animals (dog, cat or other pets) imported into Mauritius must be registered as manifested cargo. The import of pets as accompanied baggage or in cabin is strictly prohibited.”

How Mauritius handles your pet

All pets arriving in Mauritius must come as manifest CARGO ONLY — import as accompanied baggage or in the cabin is prohibited. Every animal is quarantined for a minimum of 5 days at the Government Quarantine Facility at Reduit.

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

In the cabin Not accepted
In the hold / cargo Accepted

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Not acceptedverified 2026-09-03

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Not acceptedverified 2026-09-03
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-03

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · TypeGovernment Quarantine Facility at Reduitverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Reducible Noverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Duration5 daysverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Estimated costRs 15 per day per animal (kennel/cattery rent)verified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Pre-approval required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Approved facility required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Minimum level iu ml0.5verified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test validity months12 monthsverified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Approved laboratory required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days90 daysverified 2026-09-03
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test must follow vaccination days28 daysverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · CostRs 500verified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Lead time90 daysverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Issuing authorityMinistry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Livestock and Veterinary Divisionverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Documents required to obtain
  • Application form, duly filled and signed by the importer (one per animal)
  • Motivation letter specifying the purpose of the visit, addressed to the Principal Veterinary Officer
  • Copy of the pet's vaccination book/card
  • Sterilisation certificate signed and stamped by a registered veterinarian (except animals for breeding)
  • Copy of the passport or identity card of the owner
  • Authorisation letter where the importer hires a representative
verified 2026-09-03
Flea treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Heartworm test · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Tick treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · IssuerCompetent Authorityverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Endorsed byCompetent Authorityverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Original required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Distemper Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Adenovirus Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Bordetella Noverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Leishmania Noverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Parvovirus Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Leptospirosis Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Canine influenza Noverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination60 daysverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination13 weeksverified 2026-09-03
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Screwworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Internal parasite treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-03
Dangerous breeds banned Yesverified 2026-09-03
Breed restrictions apply Yesverified 2026-09-03

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -60 rabies vaccine deadline · Day 0 arrive at customs

Breed restrictions

Banned breeds: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Blue Nose Pit Bull, Red Nose Pit Bull, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Boerboel verified 2026-09-03

Restricted breeds: Alaskan Malamute, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Blue Nose Pit Bull, Boerboel, Bull Mastiff, Cane Corso, Dobermann, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Kangal, Mastino Napoletano, Presco Canario, Red Nose Pit Bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Terrier verified 2026-09-03

The rabies vaccine carries two separate clocks. It must be given at or after three months of age, and it must be more than 60 days old on the day of export. Meeting the age rule does not satisfy the 60-day rule. Count backwards from the departure date before booking the vaccination, not after.
Nine breeds are refused entry outright under the Fourth Schedule of the Animal Welfare Act: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Blue Nose and Red Nose Pit Bull, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Boerboel. No microchip, titer result or permit changes that. Confirm the breed written on the paperwork matches what a veterinarian will certify.
Two fees fall due per animal when the permit is issued: 500 MUR for the import permit and a further 500 MUR for veterinary clearance. Both are charged at the rate applicable on the day of issue, so a figure quoted months earlier is not a guarantee. Budget them apart from the cargo carrier's own charges.
Mauritius rewarded the paperwork. Luna cleared her five days of quarantine and spent the rest of the trip asleep on a windowsill, entirely unbothered by how long I had spent counting backwards from the flight date. The sequence is what catches people out, not any single requirement. Build your plan around the titer test's ninety-day wait and the rest falls in behind it.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Mauritius →

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.