Your pet to South Africa: the veterinary import permit, the rabies shot of 30 days to 12 months and the 60 days of quarantine you avoid

Yes, your dog or cat can come to South Africa, and with the papers in order an animal from the Netherlands usually stays out of quarantine. What it requires is stated by the government and the embassies:

• a veterinary import permit from the Director: Animal Health (the head of South Africa's veterinary service), obtained before the animal is shipped;
• a microchip set before the rabies vaccination;
• a vaccination at least thirty days and at most twelve months old at departure;
• a health certificate that an authorised vet signs within ten days before departure.

What it costs is mainly the transport as cargo and the agent; the cost indication works with a range per animal.

The find is the lead time. The embassy in The Hague counts six to seven weeks before arrival for the permit. The NVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) allows weeks to well over half a year for countries outside the EU.

The trap is a file that is not right. Then the animal goes back or into quarantine for 60 days, at your expense.

When do I apply for the permit?

The South African government is brief about it: whoever imports a live animal must have a veterinary import permit from the Director: Animal Health. It must be there before the animal is shipped from the country of departure.

There are three application forms: for animals with, with limited and without quarantine. The fee is set annually in the Gazette, the official government journal. Without proof of payment nothing is processed.

The embassy in Washington names the tariff of R 140 per permit and the term: apply at least four weeks before import, and call if the permit has not arrived two weeks after the application. The embassy in The Hague counts more generously, six to seven weeks. It warns that the permit is valid only for a limited period and for one consignment. So plan it on the flight date, not on the day you think of it.

Which windows apply to microchip, rabies and certificate?

Step	Term	Source
Veterinary import permit	before shipment; 4 weeks (Washington) to 6 or 7 weeks (The Hague) ahead	gov.za and the embassies
Microchip	before the rabies vaccination, otherwise the vaccination is invalid	NVWA
Rabies vaccination	at least 30 days and at most 12 months before departure	embassy The Hague
Blood test	as the vet directs, about a month before departure	embassy The Hague
Health certificate	within 10 days before departure, in English, by an authorised vet	embassy The Hague
Legalisation at the NVWA in Utrecht	request the appointment at least 14 working days ahead	NVWA
Transport	as manifested cargo, not as excess baggage	embassy The Hague

The order matters, and the NVWA says it without detour: if the animal is not microchipped at the time of the rabies vaccination, that vaccination is not valid. The EU pet passport you request from your own vet.

For the requirements of the country of destination the NVWA refers to its Export Assistant, an online tool. This is how you use it:

• choose South Africa, "live animals", "dogs, cats and ferrets" and "private";
• read the instruction with the certificate.

In many cases an NVWA vet comes by to check whether the animal meets the requirements, and documents must be legalised (officially certified) in Utrecht. You request that appointment at least fourteen working days ahead by e-mail, without bringing the animal.

Bring the originals. The permit and the health certificate travel with the animal as originals and are asked for at the port of entry; copies do not suffice. If the certificate does not comply with the regulations, the animal is sent back or, if there is room, placed in quarantine for 60 days.