São Tomé and Príncipe bans six breeds outright — Rottweilers and Pit Bulls among them — while asking everyone else for a health certificate and an import permit instead. I keep a spreadsheet row just for breed bans like this one, because missing it entirely means the trip simply doesn't happen at all.

Pet import to Sao Tome and Principe is overseen by Direcção da Pecuária. Confirmed against an official source so far: a health certificate and an import permit. Anything else — commonly a microchip, rabies vaccination and health certificate — is not yet confirmed for Sao Tome and Principe against an official source, so it's flagged in the table below rather than assumed.

How Sao Tome and Principe handles your pet

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

Health & documents

Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-10-09
Import permit · Lead time10 daysverified 2026-10-09
Import permit · Issuing authorityDirecção da Pecuáriaverified 2026-10-09
Health certificate · Issuermédico veterinário oficial do país exportador (official veterinarian of exporting country)verified 2026-10-09
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-10-09
Health certificate · Endorsed bymédico veterinário oficial do país exportador (official veterinarian of exporting country)verified 2026-10-09
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-10-09

Breed restrictions

Banned breeds: Cão de fila brasileiro, Dogue argentino, Pit bull terrier, Rottweiler, Staffordshire terrier americano, Staffordshire bull terrier, Tosa inu verified 2026-10-09

São Tomé and Príncipe requires animals entering the country to have already passed a sanitary examination conducted by an official, government-endorsed veterinarian, not a private clinic visit on its own. That health certificate has to be completed and documented before the animal is cleared for entry at the border. Confirm the examining veterinarian's government standing before scheduling the certificate appointment itself.
Cão de Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier are all classified as potentially dangerous breeds and banned from São Tomé and Príncipe entirely. That ban covers crosses of these breeds too, not only purebred lines specifically. A dog matching any of these six breeds, or a cross of them, cannot be imported under any circumstances.
The competent authorities in São Tomé and Príncipe must be notified at least 10 days before the expected date of entry into the territory itself. That 10-day notice period runs independently of the health certificate and import permit timelines already required beforehand. File the 10-day notification as its own separate step, not folded into the permit application process.
Luna disapproves of taxiing, but a banned-breed surprise at the border would earn a much stronger reaction from her than that. Get the breed check, the 10-day notice, and the vet exam lined up well ahead of the actual trip. Get a personalized plan from Pawgo to confirm every requirement for São Tomé and Príncipe before you travel.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Sao Tome and Principe →

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.