Nepal turned out to be the cheapest entry in my whole spreadsheet, and I mean that literally: there is no fee at any stage of the quarantine process. A microchip is mandatory, an import permit is required, and the notification period is measured in hours rather than months. Luna would approve of a column with a zero in it.
Pet import to Nepal is regulated by Animal Quarantine Office, Kathmandu. 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.
How Nepal handles your pet
Key points
- Nepal's pet-import rules are not published online
- Everything below was confirmed to Pawgo in writing by the Animal Quarantine Office, Kathmandu (ktmquarantine@gmail.com), the government office that handles pet imports and inspects animals at Tribhuvan International Airport - first on 4 September 2026, then corrected by the office itself on 7 September 2026
- NOC, not a permit: The document your airline will ask for is a No Objection Certificate
- AQO issues it and charges nothing for it. "The NOC is required by the airlines carrying pets to Nepal and is issued by us(Animal Quarantine Office, Kathmandu)
- No payment is required for the NOC." Start the NOC as early as you can: AQO asks travellers not to leave it late. "The process of obtaining NOC should be started as soon as possible rather than waiting for 72 hours as we need to verify the documents before issuing the NOC." Email ktmquarantine@gmail.com with your flight details, a passport copy, the health certificate and the rabies card as soon as those documents exist
- There is no minimum lead time and no fee
- 72 hours is the latest notice, not the starting gun: "The time frame of 72 hours serves as reminder for us about the incoming pets." Telling AQO three days out is acceptable, but BEGINNING the application then leaves the office no time to verify your paperwork before you fly
- Nothing in the process costs money: "There is no fee required for the whole process of quarantine (issuance of NOC to issuance of quarantine certificate for entry to Nepal)." Customs duty is a separate matter AQO does not handle, so we publish no import-tax figure
- On arrival: "the owner should contact the quarantine cabin at the arrival section with original and copies of the documents for further processing." Microchip before vaccination is advised, not required: "Microchipping of pets before vaccination is recommended." Chipping first is still the safer order, because many origin countries and airlines require it
- Your pet must be immune on the day it travels: "The pets should have immunity whether it is via primary vaccine or booster dose
- The vaccine is considered effective from 21 days after it has been administered till effective time period." Either a primary course or a booster satisfies Nepal; what matters is that the vaccination is still inside its own validity period when you fly
- The 21 days apply to whichever dose you rely on: A rabies dose counts only from the 21st day after it was given, so a vaccination or booster administered inside the three weeks before you travel does not yet help you
- Parasite treatment is recommended, not required: "Although not mandatory, the parasite treatment is highly recommended." That covers tapeworm, internal and external parasites alike
- Any border, not just Kathmandu airport: "The pets can enter through any border and is examined by the quarantine checkposts of respective borders." Who to contact depends on where you arrive: "We are only responsible of entry of pets through the Tribhuvan International Airport
- For entry through other ports, you should contact the respective quarantine offices." If you are crossing a land border, write to that border's quarantine office rather than to ktmquarantine@gmail.com
- Health certificate issuer: "Generally we require the health certificate be issued by the government agency of the country
- In case it is not possible, the health certificate issued by the private veterinary clinic should be attested/endorsed by the government veterinarian." The quarantine officer can refuse entry: pets are held "only if the documents are not complete or even if the documents are complete, there is suspicion of any infectious disease
- In this regard, the quarantine officer has authority to deny entry to Nepal, and even return the pets to the origin country." Arrive with complete, endorsed paperwork
- Breed rules may change: "There are no current banned breeds in Nepal though that is likely to change in the future." We re-confirm this with AQO every 12 months
- Number of pets: "There is no restriction on the number of pets from the Quarantine Service however, there may be some restrictions from Airlines or Custom Services." Check with your airline
Downloadable forms
Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.
Health & documents
Health certificate · IssuerGovernment veterinary agency of the exporting country; a private veterinary clinic certificate is accepted only if attested/endorsed by the government veterinarianverified 2026-09-04
Other rules
Timing chain
Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -10 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs
The microchip is mandatory for entry to Nepal and must be an ISO-compliant 15-digit microchip. Tattoos and other marks are not accepted. Microchipping before vaccination is recommended rather than required here, which is a genuine difference from EU practice. Confirm the chip is 15 digits and ISO-compliant before the veterinary certificate is drawn up.
The no-objection certificate process should be started as soon as possible rather than waiting for the 72-hour mark, because the documents must be verified before the certificate is issued. The 72 hours is a reminder threshold, not a processing time. Submit the documents well ahead of it, since a verification query inside three days leaves no room to respond.
There is no fee for the whole quarantine process, from issuance of the no-objection certificate through to the quarantine certificate for entry to Nepal. That is unusual enough to state plainly: the official side of this entry costs nothing. The microchip, the veterinary certificate and the flight remain the only real expenses on the route.
Nepal is administratively light and genuinely free on the official side, with a 72-hour notification threshold that should be treated as a deadline rather than a target. Start the no-objection certificate early, keep the chip ISO-compliant, and the rest is a normal flight. Put your arrival date into the plan builder and it will hold the sequence.
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.