From the USA to India
Bringing a dog or cat from the USA to India
Coming home from the USA, or moving to India for work? The US side is a health certificate your vet issues and USDA endorses. India's side is the legal route, then an Advance NOC at least seven days before he boards.
Stop by stop
The timeline for India.
In the order it happens. Where the authority sets a minimum gap, it's written on the line.
01 · Start
Pick the legal route
The baggage rule after two years abroad, or a DGFT licence. DGFT says start two months ahead.
02 · Vet
Rabies vaccine
More than a month and within 12 months before boarding.
03 · Papers
USDA endorsed certificate
Issued by your accredited vet, endorsed by USDA.
04 · Booking
Advance NOC on ATITHI 2.0
You apply with your own passport details. We check every paper first.
- 7+ days after applying
05 · Travel
Flight
No NOC, no boarding. A pet flying as cargo lands within a month of you.
06 · Check
Final NOC on arrival
AQCS checks the originals at the airport, then customs clears him.
07 · Arrive
Home
Our people meet the flight and do the drive.
A family who took this route, in their own words.
“Both Nikhil and Priya are very helpful and guided us on various aspects of the relocation like travel guidence for the dog, recommended the ideal pet friendly air lines to shorten the travel time, whether it is wise to sedate the dog while traveling to cope with anxiety.”
How it works.
Your USDA-accredited vet issues the health certificate, and can generate it through USDA's Veterinary Export Health Certification System. USDA then endorses it, and can do that digitally and send it back electronically. A printed copy travels with your pet.
Then India's side, where the legal route comes first. Up to two dogs or cats can come in under the baggage rule if you're moving residence to India after at least two years of continuous stay abroad. Anyone else needs a DGFT import licence, and DGFT says to start about two months ahead. Either way, you apply for the Advance NOC on ATITHI 2.0 with your own passport details, at least seven days before boarding, and the airline won't lift your pet without it. We check every paper before you press submit.
USDA's page for India still says pets arriving as baggage are quarantined for 15 days. India's own AQCS rules from 10 August 2026 say AQCS checks the papers on arrival and issues the final NOC, with quarantine only if that check fails. We follow India's rule, and we'd rather your papers were right than argue at the counter.
The file for From the USA
- The health certificate from your USDA-accredited vet, endorsed by USDA.
- The right legal route into India: baggage rule evidence, or a DGFT import licence.
- A rabies vaccine given more than one month and within 12 months before boarding, for dogs three months and older, and cats.
- The Advance NOC from ATITHI 2.0, applied for at least seven days before he boards.
All of this sits on top of the standard export file.
Quarantine: Only if the arrival check fails
AQCS examines the original papers when he lands and issues the final NOC. A pet that fails the arrival check goes to 15 days of quarantine, with testing at the owner's cost, which is why we check everything before he flies.
The thing that moves the date
A short stay. If you haven't lived abroad for two continuous years, or you're only coming for a visit, it's a DGFT licence route, and DGFT says a short stay import is generally not allowed outside specific cases, so talk to us first.
Checked against the authority's own pages
- USDA APHIS, pet travel from the United States to India (updated 27 Feb 2026) read 5 Oct 2026
- AQCS, SOP for import of pet dogs and cats through ATITHI 2.0 (10 Aug 2026) read 5 Oct 2026
- AQCS, pets under the baggage rule read 22 Sep 2026
- DGFT, import of pets FAQ read 5 Oct 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