Pet Transport from Thailand to India

India’s Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) requires a No Objection Certificate before any pet can arrive in the country. The NOC is not issued at the airport on arrival; it must be in hand before the flight departs Bangkok.

Apply to the AQCS station at your intended Indian arrival airport: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata or Hyderabad. The application requires your pet’s vaccination records, microchip details, the DLD health certificate draft and your intended travel date. Processing takes approximately five working days, so apply at least two weeks before departure to allow buffer time.

A local agent based in India is the most reliable way to handle the AQCS application, especially if you are unfamiliar with which AQCS station to contact or what format each station requires. The NOC is the single most important document for this move; everything else follows from it.

The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) is responsible for pet exports from Thailand. Your vet must be authorised by DLD to issue the export health certificate. The certificate records the pet’s vaccination history (including the rabies vaccination date and batch number), microchip details and clinical health status.

Thailand is a rabies-endemic country. When the DLD health certificate arrives at AQCS India, officers check the rabies vaccination date and confirm it falls within the required window: more than 1 month before travel, within the past 12 months. Ensure these dates are clearly set out in the certificate and that the document is signed and stamped by the issuing DLD-authorised vet.

The DLD process in Thailand is generally efficient. There is no departure inspection at Suvarnabhumi in the same way South Korea’s APQA conducts one, but the health certificate must be current and complete before check-in.

Thai Airways operates direct services from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to both Delhi Indira Gandhi (DEL) and Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (BOM). As Thailand’s flag carrier, Thai Airways Cargo is experienced with the Bangkok DLD departure requirements and with AQCS arrivals in India. Direct routing from Bangkok means no transit complications, which matters when your pet is travelling in a cargo hold.

Air India also flies Bangkok to Delhi and Mumbai. As an Indian carrier, Air India’s cargo desks at Delhi and Mumbai are well-acquainted with the AQCS arrival process. Either carrier is a practical choice; compare rates and crate size limits before booking.

For large dogs, book cargo space four to six weeks in advance. Cargo slots for oversized crates are limited on any given flight. All pets travelling as cargo require IATA-compliant rigid crates that allow the animal to stand, turn and lie down without difficulty.