Nepal is the destination that made my spreadsheet look silly. Every relocation blog listed a rabies titer test; the Animal Quarantine Office in Kathmandu wrote back and said plainly that no titer test is required. Not reduced. Not conditional. Not required. Luna would call that a rounding error in her favour, and she would be wrong: it is three weeks and a laboratory bill you never pay.

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

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-04
Microchip · StandardISO compliant 15-digit (ISO 11784/11785)verified 2026-09-04
Microchip · Tattoo accepted Noverified 2026-09-04
Microchip · Must be done before vaccination Noverified 2026-09-04
Quarantine · Typenone_if_compliantverified 2026-09-04
Quarantine · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
Import permit · CostNo feeverified 2026-09-04
Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-09-04
Import permit · Issuing authorityAnimal Quarantine Office, Kathmanduverified 2026-09-04
Flea treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
Tick treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
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
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Endorsed byGovernment veterinary authority of the exporting countryverified 2026-09-04
Health certificate · Validity days10 daysverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-04
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Noverified 2026-09-07
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-09-07
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination13 weeksverified 2026-09-04
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
Internal parasite treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-04
Health certificate valid within days · Health certificate valid within days10 daysverified 2026-09-03

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-03

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -10 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

Nepal does not require the microchip to be implanted before the rabies vaccination. The Animal Quarantine Office calls that order recommended, not mandatory, so a pet chipped after its rabies shot is still accepted. The chip itself is not optional: it must be an ISO-compliant 15-digit transponder, and tattoos are refused. Chipping first still costs nothing, and it removes the question at every counter.
Nepal charges nothing. The Animal Quarantine Office confirms there is no fee for any part of the process, from issuing the No Objection Certificate to the quarantine certificate handed over on arrival. The budget for this trip sits entirely in the departure country: the vet visit, the government endorsement, the microchip, the airline. Nepal itself adds zero.
Nepal is the rare destination where the paperwork is free and the office answers its email, twice in our case, the second time to correct us. Start the No Objection Certificate as soon as your documents exist rather than three days out; the office has to read them before it signs anything. Build your personalized plan with your real dates and it will count the twenty-one days backwards for you.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Nepal →

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.