Pet Transport from Madagascar to the United Arab Emirates
Planning a pet relocation from Madagascar to United Arab Emirates is easier when you work backwards from your travel date. This is a middle of the road route, and about 10-14 weeks of preparation usually covers it. Pets with correct …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Madagascar to United Arab Emirates
typically takes around 10-14 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 Madagascar to United Arab Emirates pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Microchip implanted and rabies vaccination administered or confirmed current.
Responsible: Madagascar vet
At least 21 days before travel if this is a first course, longer if the pet is under the 15-week minimum age.
2
Titre test blood draw, sample sent to an accredited laboratory. Madagascar's own domestic labs are not confirmed as internationally accredited for this purpose, so most samples travel to South Africa or Mauritius.
Responsible: Madagascar vet, plus an accredited laboratory
After vaccination; allow 3-5 weeks including courier and result turnaround.
3
DSV examines the animal and prepares the export health certificate, reformatted to MOCCAE's model.
Responsible: DSV-registered vet in Antananarivo
Close to travel; certificate is valid a limited number of days once issued, so time this appointment near the flight date.
4
Apply for the MOCCAE import permit online, once the titre result is confirmed passing.
Responsible: Owner or agent
Once the titre result is confirmed.
5
Book the Antananarivo-Dubai cargo booking via Mahe on Emirates EK707/708.
Responsible: Owner or cargo agent
Once all documents and the import permit are in hand.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter United Arab Emirates
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
ISO 11784/11785 required, implanted before the rabies vaccination and scannable on arrival.
Rabies vaccination
Required. If this is the pet's first vaccination, at least 21 days must pass before travel. Because Madagascar sits outside MOCCAE's low-risk list, minimum import age rises from 12 to 15 weeks.
Rabies titre test
Required. Madagascar doesn't appear on MOCCAE's roughly 50-country low-risk list, so a rabies antibody titre test at an accredited laboratory applies, minimum result 0.5 IU/ml. There's no fixed wait after the blood draw; MOCCAE checks the result itself, valid 365 days provided vaccination stays current. Source: MOCCAE, moccae.gov.ae, 2026.
Quarantine
No routine quarantine for a pet arriving with complete, compliant documentation.
Import permit
Required, applied for online through MOCCAE before departure, valid roughly 90 days from issue. Limited to two companion animals per person, per year.
Health certificate
MOCCAE model veterinary health certificate, endorsed by Madagascar's DSV, presented with the import permit on arrival.
Costs
What this route typically costs
DSV-endorsed export certificate and pre-export vet exam in Antananarivo: fee not published in a fixed schedule; confirm directly with DSV.
Titre test at an accredited laboratory, plus courier from Madagascar: USD 150-300.
MOCCAE import permit: fee set at booking through the online portal, roughly AED 200-400.
IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 90-320.
Cargo, Antananarivo to Dubai via Mahe on Emirates: USD 1,300-2,800 depending on crate size and season.
MOCCAE release fee on arrival: AED 500 for a dog, AED 250 for a cat.
Total typical range: USD 1,900-4,000 over 10-14 weeks.
Critical points to read before you book
This is the one Madagascar destination on this site with a genuine single-carrier routing. The UK and US pages each need a second airline at a connecting hub; here, Emirates' own Dubai-Mahe-Antananarivo service covers the whole journey.
MOCCAE sets no fixed wait after a passing titre result, unlike the UK's 3-month rule, but the result still has to clear before the import permit application is worth submitting.
Madagascar's own accredited laboratory access for the titre test isn't confirmed, so budget the courier time to South Africa or Mauritius into the schedule rather than expecting a same-week local result.
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.
EMIRATES
Emirates
Flies EK707/708, Dubai to Antananarivo via Mahe, Seychelles, six days a week (Sunday, Tuesday to Saturday), aboard a Boeing 777-300ER with roughly 22 tonnes of weekly belly-hold cargo capacity on the Antananarivo sector. A pet moves as manifested cargo on this single carrier's own network, with no interline handover to a second airline.
Cargo Only
TURKISH
Turkish Airlines Cargo
An alternative routing via a scheduled Mauritius stop and on to Istanbul, then Istanbul to Dubai. Longer and involves a second carrier's handling chain, worth comparing only if Emirates' Antananarivo schedule doesn't line up with the travel date.
Cargo Only
The rules for bringing a pet into United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates has a clear set of import requirements that are manageable with some planning. Follow them in order and keep an eye on the dates that cannot move.
How to keep this move on track
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.
Use an official, government-authorised vet for the health certificate, not just your usual clinic. Many destinations only accept certificates signed by an approved vet.
If this is your first international move, consider an IPATA-registered pet transport agent. They handle the documents, airline booking and crate sizing, and can troubleshoot problems.
FAQ
Common questions about Madagascar to United Arab Emirates pet transport
Yes. Madagascar isn’t on MOCCAE’s low-risk country list, so a titre test at an accredited laboratory is required, minimum 0.5 IU/ml, drawn after vaccination.
No. Unlike the UK’s 3-month rule, MOCCAE sets no mandatory waiting period after the blood draw. The pet can travel once the result passes and the import permit is confirmed.
Not fully direct, but close. Emirates flies Dubai to Antananarivo via a technical stop in Mahe, Seychelles, six days a week, on its own aircraft with its own cargo handling, so a pet never has to change airlines the way it would on Madagascar’s UK or US routes.
The UK route needs a rabies titre test and a fixed 3-month wait after the blood draw. The UAE’s MOCCAE rules require the same titre test but attach no fixed wait, so once the result passes and the import permit clears, the pet can travel. That difference alone cuts several months off the timeline.
Airline guides
Emirates
Turkish Airlines Cargo
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.
Get a free, fully itemised quote for your Madagascar to United Arab Emirates pet move. Our specialists will map out the entire timeline and costs. No surprises.