AE
United Arab Emirates
✈️
MG
Madagascar
Pet Transport from United Arab Emirates to Madagascar
12-16 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
Moderate
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United Arab Emirates to Madagascar
typically takes around 12-16 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is not required.
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Overview
The journey from United Arab Emirates to Madagascar for a pet is straightforward to plan once the key dates are mapped out. Give yourself close to 12-16 weeks so none of the fixed waiting periods catch you out. Pets with correct documentation skip quarantine entirely.
A rabies titre test is not needed for this route. Work through the steps below in order and you will arrive in good shape.
Step by step
The United Arab Emirates to Madagascar process
1
12-14 weeks before travel; the letter-based process can take several weeks with no fixed turnaround
Send the import permit letter of request to Madagascar's Direction des Services Veterinaires
Responsible: Owner or agent, via DSV
2
At least 30 days before travel, running in parallel with the DSV letter
Microchip fitted, then rabies vaccination given or a current booster confirmed
Responsible: UAE-based vet
3
2-3 weeks before travel
MOCCAE export application filed online
Responsible: Owner
4
Within 10 days of the flight
MOCCAE-accredited vet exam and health certificate issued
Responsible: MOCCAE-accredited vet
5
Once the DSV permit, certificate date and flight are all aligned
Cargo booking confirmed with Emirates via Seychelles, Kenya Airways via Nairobi, or Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa
Responsible: Owner or a pet transport agent
6
On landing
Arrival inspection at Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo; documents checked and the 30,000 Ariary Livestock Fund fee paid
Responsible: DSV veterinary officials
Checklist
Madagascar: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | A 15-digit ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip is required, fitted before the rabies vaccination so the certificate dates line up correctly. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required, given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival. Dogs also need current core vaccinations against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus. |
| Rabies titre test | Not required for entry to Madagascar from any country, the UAE included. Madagascar's caution around biosecurity is real, but it's aimed at wildlife trade through a separate CITES permit process, not at an ordinary pet dog or cat with valid vaccination paperwork. |
| Quarantine | No quarantine for a pet arriving with compliant paperwork. Non-compliant arrivals face quarantine where a facility exists, return to the country of origin, or, in the worst case, euthanasia, all at the owner's expense. |
| Import permit | A letter of request addressed to the Directeur des Services Veterinaires (DSV), covering the owner's name and address, the animal's name, breed, age and sex, a copy of the vaccination record, country of origin, arrival date, transport mode and the airport of disembarkation. Processing can take several weeks, with no fixed turnaround published. |
| Health certificate | The MOCCAE export health certificate is presented on arrival, alongside a fee of 30,000 Ariary per pet, roughly AED 25 at 2026 exchange rates, payable at the Livestock Fund (Fonds de l'Elevage) counter at Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo. |
Leaving United Arab Emirates
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | MOCCAE, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, issues the sole UAE pet export permit online at moccae.gov.ae, tied to the pet's Dubai Municipality or ADAFSA registration. |
| Veterinary inspection | A MOCCAE-accredited vet carries out the pre-export exam; a government vet does a second check airside just before departure. |
| Government endorsement | MOCCAE typically issues the export health certificate within 10 days of travel once the accredited vet's online submission is cleared, and the certificate is valid for 30 days from issue. Source: MOCCAE, moccae.gov.ae, checked July 2026. |
| Health certificate | MOCCAE veterinary export health certificate, AED 100 for up to two pets on a personal move, confirming microchip, vaccination status and fitness to fly. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | MOCCAE veterinary health certificate: AED 100 for up to two pets |
| 2 | UAE vet consultation, microchip and rabies vaccination if not already current: AED 300-700 |
| 3 | DSV import permit letter process: no fixed fee published; confirm directly with DSV |
| 4 | Livestock Fund arrival fee: 30,000 Ariary per pet, roughly AED 25, paid at Ivato on arrival |
| 5 | IATA-compliant travel crate: AED 300-900 |
| 6 | Cargo agent handling for the export booking: AED 2,000-4,500 |
| 7 | Air cargo Dubai to Antananarivo via Emirates, Nairobi or Addis Ababa: AED 6,000-13,000 depending on crate size and season |
| 8 | Total typical range: AED 8,625-19,125 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Madagascar's import permit is a letter addressed to the Direction des Services Veterinaires, not an online application form. Apply at least 12-14 weeks out, and confirm the current submission channel with DSV directly rather than trusting an older source.
⚠ Emirates only flies this route four times a week, so its own single-flight-number advantage still needs booking well ahead. If the schedule doesn't fit, Kenya Airways or Ethiopian Airlines are workable alternatives, though each involves a genuine change of carrier.
⚠ A small arrival fee, 30,000 Ariary per pet, is separate from anything paid before departure in the UAE. Carry cash in Ariary or confirm accepted payment methods with an agent in advance.
⚠ Madagascar's rules ask for no titre test, but don't read that as a light regulatory posture overall. MINEPIA-equivalent officials in Madagascar still check documents and the animal itself closely on arrival, and the DSV letter's lack of a published turnaround is the genuine planning risk on this route.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Emirates
Flies Dubai to Antananarivo on a single flight number, EK707 outbound, via a scheduled stop in the Seychelles, four times a week on a Boeing 777-300ER, with 22 tonnes of weekly bellyhold cargo capacity on the route. Because it's one flight number and one aircraft the whole way, the Seychelles stop is a technical call rather than a connection requiring rebooking, a genuinely different shape from the carrier changes the UK and US legs of this route both need. Pets travel through Emirates SkyCargo as manifest cargo; Emirates carries no pets in the passenger cabin on any route.
Kenya Airways
Connects Dubai to Nairobi, then Kenya Airways' own near-daily Nairobi-Antananarivo service. A genuine second option if Emirates' four-weekly schedule doesn't line up with a specific travel date.
Ethiopian Airlines
Covers Dubai to Addis Ababa, connecting to a several-times-weekly Addis Ababa-Antananarivo service. A workable third choice, though it adds a genuine carrier and terminal change the Emirates routing avoids.
Madagascar import rules, explained
Madagascar 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.
Practical tips for this move
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
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.
FAQ
Common questions
It runs on a single flight number and aircraft, EK707, with a scheduled technical stop in the Seychelles rather than a genuine connection. The crate stays loaded the whole way, unlike the UK and US routes on this site, which both need an actual change of carrier.
No. Madagascar doesn’t require a titre test from a pet arriving from any country, including the UAE, despite the country’s genuine reputation for biosecurity caution around its wildlife.
It’s a letter, not an online form. The letter of request goes to the Direction des Services Veterinaires (DSV) in Antananarivo, listing the owner’s and animal’s details, a copy of the vaccination record, and arrival flight information. It can take several weeks to process, with no fixed turnaround published.
Yes. 30,000 Ariary per pet, roughly AED 25, is payable at the Livestock Fund counter at Ivato International Airport on arrival, separate from anything paid in the UAE before departure.
Four times a week. Kenya Airways via Nairobi or Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa are workable alternatives if that schedule doesn’t line up with the travel window set by the DSV permit and MOCCAE certificate.
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