Quick answer
A UAE pet import permit costs AED 200 per dog or cat, and there is no quarantine.
What most guides leave out: The permit must be arranged before your pet enters the country, not on arrival, and the microchip and full vaccination record are mandatory, not optional paperwork.
The permit, in full
This is sourced from the Abu Dhabi Residents Office’s official “Living With Pets” page, which describes the UAE’s pet-import process rather than an Abu-Dhabi-only rule — pets enter the country through federally regulated points of entry. We have not yet independently corroborated it against a second official source (MOCCAE), so treat this as strongly sourced but not yet cross-confirmed.
- A pet import permit costs AED 200 for a dog or cat, or AED 400 for a horse.
- You need this permit prior to your pet entering the UAE, not after arrival.
- A microchip and full vaccination record are mandatory documents for the permit.
- You may bring a maximum of two pets per person into the country.
- No quarantine period applies on arrival, which is unusual internationally.
- Some dog breeds are reported as banned from import — see the banned-breed list.
Breed restrictions on import
The official source confirms that some breeds are banned but does not itself publish which ones. For that we rely on the primary legislation directly — see UAE banned dog breeds for the Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 annex, quoted verbatim.
Application process not yet researched
We have the fee, the documents and the limits, but not the step-by-step process — which authority to apply through, where the application is submitted, and typical processing time. We have not researched this yet and are not going to guess at a bureaucratic procedure.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a UAE pet import permit?
AED 200 per dog or cat (AED 400 for a horse), per the Abu Dhabi Residents Office's official pet-import guidance. The permit must be obtained before the pet enters the country.
How many pets can I bring into the UAE?
A maximum of two pets per person, per the same official guidance.
Is there a quarantine period for pets entering the UAE?
No — the UAE does not require quarantine on arrival, unlike most countries.
Can I import a banned breed?
No. Some dog breeds are reported as banned from import. See the banned-breed list for which ones — the official Abu Dhabi source confirms breeds are banned but doesn't itself publish the list.
Sources
| Claim | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| AED 200 per pet import permit, microchip + vaccination mandatory, 2-pet maximum, no quarantine | adro.gov.ae — Abu Dhabi Residents Office, “Living With Pets” | Official source |