Pet Relocation and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is becoming increasingly pet friendly, with an expat community from all over the world opting to relocate with their animals. What do you need to know about moving to Saudi Arabia with dogs and cats?

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Stop before you start - Banned Breeds

Saudi Arabia will allow the import of dogs for a "purpose" which can get confusing as a pet owner! For most of us they are snuggle bugs and useless at anything else. But don't worry, family pets can still be imported.

If you are the pet parent to any of the following breeds then sadly they cannot enter Saudi Arabia:

• Pit Bulls - American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier
• Rottweiler including mixes
• Boxer
• Mastiff and Mastiff mixes - Brazilian Mastiff, Argentinian Mastiff
• Japanese Tosa
• Bull dogs- All (including French Bulldogs)
• Perro de Presa Canario - Canary Mastiff

Small breeds are allowed but permission is not always granted, pictures must be submitted of any dog at the time of import permit application; approval is subject to the approval of the veterinary authorities.

Bengal Cats should 5^th gen and have breed certificate and will require National Wildlife Commission approval in advance of any import permit being issued

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The Basics

There are a few things to have in place before an import permit can be secured:

• Microchip
• Rabies vaccine (less than 6 months old at the time of import and over 30 days old)
• DHP/L4 for dogs and tricat or equivalent for cats

You will also need to have a Saudi Iqama (residency) to be allowed to have an import permit. The permit allows for 2 pets to be imported and the person importing the pets must be over 30 years of age.

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Methods of Entry

Saudi will allow the entry of pets as cargo, in the cabin, as checked baggage and also by road (handy for neighbouring GCC countries). Where possible we recommend flying with your pets as accompanied baggage and be mindful of the temperature, summers get HOT in Saudi and are unsuitable for pet travel, plan for any movement to happen in the winter.

Leaving

Whilst no one wants to think about leaving before they have arrived, if you are taking pets to Saudi Arabia it's really important that you consider the next posting you are likely to go to. Saudi Arabia is seen as high risk for rabies by many popular expat countries and this creates complications when moving. Even when going to Europe and the United Kingdom your pets will need a rabies titre test (blood test) in order to travel. These tests require a wait period after the blood has been drawn so you must plan well in advance and speak to an IPATA agent, like ourselves, who can advise you on the latest regulations.

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More questions? Send us an email and we'll add to this article for the benefit of everyone.