Your pet to Dubai: no titre test from the Netherlands, but a breed list that goes further than you think

A dog or cat from the Netherlands needs no titre test for the Emirates. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, MOCCAE, puts the Netherlands on its list of countries with a low rabies risk, and the NVWA confirms this in its export instruction. That saves months. What you do need: an import permit, a full set of vaccinations with rabies at least 21 days in advance, and an inspection by an NVWA vet within 24 hours before departure. The real trap is the breed list. It is longer than the list of fighting dogs most people have in mind.

Which dogs are not allowed in?

The MOCCAE page on the import permit bans the import of, among others, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bully, several mastiffs (including the Fila Brasileiro, the Dogo Argentino, the Neapolitan Mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Boerboel, the Bullmastiff and the Cane Corso), the Presa Canario and the Tosa.

But that is not the end of it. Federal animal law 22 of 2016 also lists the Rottweiler, the Dobermann and the Boxer as dangerous dogs in annex 2, and article 14 of that law prohibits possessing, trading and breeding those dogs. The NVWA excludes the same three breeds in its export instruction, as well as crossbreeds that have the outward characteristics of one of those breeds. If you have one of these dogs, Dubai is not a destination for it, however good its papers are.

What does the animal need?

Item	Requirement
MOCCAE import permit	apply in advance, valid 90 days, an expired permit means no import
Number	at most two animals per person per year: two dogs, two cats, or one of each
Chip	permanent, and the same number as on the certificate
Rabies	vaccination from 12 weeks, at least 21 days before export; the animal is therefore at least 15 weeks old
Other vaccinations dog	distemper, parvovirus, infectious canine hepatitis, leptospirosis
Other vaccinations cat	panleukopenia, cat flu (rhinotracheitis and calicivirus)
Parasite treatment	within 14 days before certification, internal and external
Inspection	by an NVWA vet, within 24 hours before departure
Transport	in a clean box according to the IATA rules

The vaccinations are in the EU pet passport, with vaccine name, manufacturer, batch number and date. The NVWA issues one certificate per animal and asks for your flight booking as proof that the inspection falls within those 24 hours.

One exception to the titre test: if the animal came from a country with a high rabies risk, or stayed there, it must either have lived in the Netherlands for at least six months, or still undergo a titre test with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml.

What does it cost?

Item	Amount
Import permit, per animal	AED 200
Release of a dog on arrival	AED 500
Release of a cat on arrival	AED 250

On top of that come the vet, the NVWA certification and the transport. MOCCAE gives one working day as the processing time for the permit.

A rejected animal costs you the animal. MOCCAE puts it without ceremony: if a pet does not meet the requirements, it is sent back at the owner's expense or confiscated. Check every box on the certificate against the permit, and above all the chip number.

How does the animal arrive?

On arrival dogs and cats are checked by a vet at one of MOCCAE's quarantine centres, including the one in the Cargo Village at Dubai Airport. There they check whether the animal matches the permit. If the animal travels via another country, an extra annex goes with the certificate, and it may not be mixed with other pets on the way.

What do you need to arrange in the Netherlands?

Start well in time: the NVWA warns that preparing for a country outside the EU can take weeks to more than half a year, depending on the requirements. For the Emirates there is a binding certificate with an instruction, so you do not have to request the requirements yourself. If documents have to be legalised by the NVWA, request an appointment for that at least 14 working days in advance via dpp@nvwa.nl.

Think about the way back as well. If you ever want to bring the animal back to the Netherlands, the European import requirements apply. The NVWA notes in its instruction that the Emirates are on the European list of countries with a low rabies risk; check before departure what that means for your return trip. And whoever travels from Dubai with a dog or cat and comes back has a health certificate issued before leaving the Emirates, with a rabies vaccination that stays valid until the return.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Dubai or go straight to step 4.4 in the open plan.