One fact decides this route, and most guides get it wrong. India is not on the EU’s listed-country register, so a rabies titre test is compulsory, and there is no EU-designated laboratory anywhere in India. That means a rabies …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from India to Germany
typically takes around 18-26 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The India to Germany pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Microchip, then rabies vaccination
Responsible: Your veterinarian
Chip first; the pet must be at least 12 weeks old at vaccination.
2
Blood draw, and confirm where the sample is going
Responsible: Your vet + overseas EU-designated laboratory
At least 30 days after vaccination. The sample must be forwarded to a laboratory on the EU's designated list, none of which is in India.
3
Wait 3 months from the blood draw date
Responsible: Fixed waiting period
Measured from the draw, not the result.
4
Book the Delhi or Mumbai nonstop, watching the temperature rule
Responsible: You (or your pet transport agent)
Lufthansa refuses carriage above 29.4C at any airport on the route, which rules out much of the Indian summer.
5
AQCS certification at one of the six offices
Responsible: Animal Quarantine and Certification Service
Within seven days of export; the certificate is valid ten days. The NOC itself is free.
6
EU Animal Health Certificate issued
Responsible: Official veterinarian
Valid 10 days from issue to EU entry, so it runs alongside the AQCS certificate with no slack.
7
Fly, then the German entry check
Responsible: You + German border authority
Identity, document and conditions checks at a designated travellers' point of entry.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter Germany
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
Required (ISO 11784/11785), implanted before the rabies vaccination. The chip is scanned against the documents on arrival.
Rabies vaccination
Required. Minimum age 12 weeks, and only valid if given after the microchip.
Rabies titre test
Required. India is not on the EU's listed-country register, so blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at an EU-DESIGNATED laboratory at 0.5 IU/ml or better, then a 3-month wait from the draw date. No Indian laboratory holds EU designation, so the sample must be forwarded to a designated laboratory abroad. A result from an Indian laboratory does not satisfy the EU however high the titre reads.
Quarantine
None for compliant pets. There is no waiver, no shortening, and no possibility of resolving a missing titre on arrival at Frankfurt or Munich.
Import permit
Not required. The EU Animal Health Certificate plus a written declaration is the travel document.
Health certificate
EU Animal Health Certificate, valid 10 days from issue to EU entry. German officials run three checks on arrival: the animal's identity, the documents, and whether travel conditions were met. Maximum five animals per traveller.
Export permit (India)
Health certificate from your own veterinarian plus certification from the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS), obtained within seven days of export. The AQCS export certificate is valid ten days from issue.
Government endorsement
AQCS levies no charge for issuing the No Objection Certificate for import or export of pets.
Costs
What this route typically costs
Titre testing at an EU-designated laboratory abroad plus international sample shipping. Indian laboratory prices (around INR 3,000 to 8,000) do not apply, because Indian results are not EU-valid
AQCS No Objection Certificate: fee disputed between AQCS's own SOP (no charge) and its FAQ (Rs 1,000 per application); confirm at application
Professional relocation from India is commonly quoted at INR 200,000 to 500,000 depending on size, airline and crate, from commercial operators rather than a published tariff
IATA-compliant crate, LH05-compliant for Lufthansa Cargo since March 2026
Veterinary fees for microchip, vaccination and certificate work
Critical points to read before you book
No Indian laboratory is on the EU's designated list, so a rabies antibody result issued in India will not be accepted for EU entry however high the titre reads. The serum has to reach a designated laboratory abroad. This is the single most common and most expensive mistake on this route.
The AQCS export certificate is valid ten days and the EU Animal Health Certificate allows ten days to entry, so the two documents effectively share one window with no room for a delayed flight.
Lufthansa refuses carriage when temperatures exceed 29.4C at any airport on the routing. On Delhi and Mumbai departures through the hot months that is a bigger practical barrier than any piece of paperwork.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
LUFTHANSA
Lufthansa
Nonstops from Delhi to Frankfurt (about twice daily) and Munich (about daily), and from Mumbai to Frankfurt (about twice daily) and Munich, at roughly 8 to 9 hours. Cabin limit 8kg including carrier, carrier no more than 118cm total; book at least 72 hours ahead; maximum two pets per passenger. Crates over 125x75x85cm must go as manifest cargo through registered agents. No carriage when temperatures exceed 29.4C or fall below 7.2C at any airport on the route, which on Indian departures is the real operational constraint. Since 1 March 2026 Lufthansa Cargo accepts only kennels fully compliant with IATA LH05.
Cabin and Cargo
AIR INDIA
Air India
Also flies Delhi to Frankfurt nonstop. Carries dogs and cats up to 10kg including carrier in the economy cabin on selected routes, minimum age eight weeks, maximum two in-cabin pets per flight, with cargo handled under the AVIH code and requests accepted from 48 hours before departure. Cabin carriage is route-selective, so confirm availability on the Frankfurt sector specifically.
Cabin and Cargo
The titre trap, in detail
The sequence is fixed. Microchip first, then the rabies vaccination at twelve weeks of age or older, then a minimum thirty-day gap before the blood draw. The sample needs to reach 0.5 IU/ml or better, and it must be tested at an EU-designated laboratory. From the draw date, three months must pass before your pet may enter Germany.
The Indian complication is where the testing happens. The European Commission publishes a list of designated laboratories in non-EU countries, and India is not on it. Indian labs quote perfectly reasonable prices for rabies antibody testing, roughly INR 3,000 to 8,000 depending on the provider, and those tests are useful for other purposes. They are not EU-valid. What you are actually buying for a German move is the collection and international forwarding of the sample to a designated laboratory abroad, plus that laboratory’s fee.
Ask your vet directly: which designated laboratory will this sample go to? If the answer is a domestic laboratory name, the test will not do what you need. Get that settled before the blood is drawn rather than after the three months have elapsed.
The three-month clock runs from the draw date, not the result date, so courier time does not extend your wait. A lost or spoiled sample, however, means drawing again and starting the three months over.
AQCS, and two ten-day windows that overlap
India’s export side runs through the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service, which has existed since 1969-70 and operates from exactly six offices: New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. A pet living anywhere else travels to one of the six.
You need a health certificate from your own veterinarian plus AQCS certification obtained within seven days of export, and the AQCS certificate is valid ten days from issue. On the No Objection Certificate fee, AQCS contradicts itself: its standard operating procedure states no charge is levied for pet import or export NOCs, while its published FAQ quotes Rs 1,000 per application. Ask the station when you apply rather than budgeting on either figure.
Notice how that dovetails with the European side. The EU Animal Health Certificate is also valid ten days from issue to entry. The two documents therefore share what is effectively a single ten-day window, with no slack for a delayed or rebooked flight. Treat any schedule change in that last week as a reason to re-check both certificates rather than assume they still line up.
Flying out, and the temperature that stops you
Lufthansa flies nonstop from Delhi to Frankfurt about twice daily and to Munich about daily, and from Mumbai to Frankfurt about twice daily and to Munich, at roughly eight to nine hours. Air India also flies Delhi to Frankfurt nonstop and offers cabin carriage for pets up to 10kg including carrier on selected routes, though cabin availability is route-specific and worth confirming for the Frankfurt sector.
Lufthansa’s cabin limit is 8kg including the carrier, with the carrier no more than 118cm in total dimensions, booked at least 72 hours ahead, up to two pets per passenger. Crates exceeding 125 by 75 by 85 centimetres must move as manifest cargo through registered agents, and since March 2026 Lufthansa Cargo accepts only kennels fully compliant with the IATA LH05 standard, which retires some older crates.
The rule that actually governs your travel date is temperature. Lufthansa will not carry an animal when the temperature exceeds 29.4C or falls below 7.2C at any airport on the routing. Delhi and Mumbai spend a good part of the year above that ceiling, so in practice the paperwork can be perfect and the flight still unavailable. Plan the arrival for the cooler months where you can, and book early morning departures where you cannot.
Cargo-routed pets arriving at Frankfurt are handled at Lufthansa Cargo’s Animal Lounge, a dedicated facility of roughly 43,000 square feet with separate import, export, transit and health inspection zones, 61 dog kennels and quiet areas for cats. It is one of the better arrival experiences in Europe for an animal that has flown in the hold.
FAQ
Common questions about India to Germany pet transport
The blood can be drawn in India, but not tested there for EU purposes. No Indian laboratory holds EU designation, so the sample must be forwarded to a designated laboratory abroad, and only that result counts. A titre certificate issued by an Indian laboratory will not be accepted at the German border however high the reading, which is the most common and most costly error on this route.
Four to six months. The fixed elements are the 30-day gap between rabies vaccination and blood draw and the three-month wait counted from the draw date, with international sample shipping in between. The AQCS and EU certificates then run in a shared ten-day window at the end.
AQCS is inconsistent on this: its standard operating procedure states no charge is levied for pet import or export NOCs, while its published FAQ quotes Rs 1,000 per application. Confirm with your station when you apply. You pay your own veterinarian for the health certificate and examination. AQCS operates from six offices only, in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.
Lufthansa flies nonstop from Delhi and Mumbai to both Frankfurt and Munich, with an 8kg cabin limit including carrier and cargo for larger animals. Air India also serves Delhi to Frankfurt and offers cabin carriage up to 10kg on selected routes. Lufthansa refuses carriage above 29.4C at any airport on the route, which rules out much of the Indian summer.
No, provided everything is in order: microchip, rabies vaccination, a passing titre from an EU-designated laboratory with the three-month wait observed, and the EU certificate within its ten-day window. There is no waiver and no way to resolve a missing titre at Frankfurt or Munich, so the animal must arrive already compliant.
Airline guides
Lufthansa
Air India
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.