India to South Africa
Moving a dog or cat from India to South Africa
A permit first route. South Africa's own authority says its rules change often, so the live permit sets the tests and any quarantine. Allow 6 months or more.
Stop by stop
The timeline for South Africa.
In the order it happens. Where the authority sets a minimum gap, it's written on the line.
01 · Start
Start planning
6 months or more.
02 · Papers
Import permit
First, because it names the tests and any quarantine.
03 · Vet
Blood tests
The ones the live permit names.
04 · Papers
Health and export papers
Inside their windows.
- about 7 days before
05 · Check
AQCS export check
The pet and the whole file go to the quarantine office, by appointment, about a week before the flight. The export certificate is good for 10 days.
06 · Travel
Flight
The mode the airline and route allow.
07 · Arrive
Arrival
Quarantine, further control or neither, as the permit sets.
A family who took this route, in their own words.
“We knew our move back would not be complete without our cat, Tickles.”
How it works.
The veterinary import permit comes first. It tells us which blood tests apply and whether the live protocol puts your pet under quarantine, further control or neither.
Because South Africa's authority says its health requirements change often, we work from the current permit and protocol, never from a checklist that worked for someone else last year.
This is one of the routes where it pays to talk to us long before you have a date.
The file for South Africa
- The veterinary import permit, and whichever quarantine or control form applies to your case.
- Any blood tests the current permit names.
- The extra documents South Africa asks for on top of the standard export file.
All of this sits on top of the standard export file.
Quarantine: The permit decides
The current import protocol decides whether your pet is under quarantine, further control or neither. We confirm it on the live permit before travel.
The thing that moves the date
Reusing an old checklist. The permit, the tests and any quarantine condition all have to be current for your pet.
Checked against the authority's own pages
- South African Government, import animals read 31 Aug 2026
Rules change. We check the live rule for your pet and your dates before anything is booked, and nothing here is a promise about a date.
Tell us about him.
The quickest way is a message. Both of these open with it already written, from what you picked above, and a founder answers.
Hi, I'd like to move my pet.
Or fill in his pass, and it goes on WhatsApp or by email with everything in it