Pet relocation from Delhi and the NCR

Moving a pet from Delhi and the NCR

Delhi is where the embassies are, and a diplomatic posting abroad typically runs two to three years. So a family that brings a dog in will take him out again, and the papers for the second move can start the day the first one lands. We've written a separate page for embassy families and the admin teams who look after them.

The weather here sets the calendar more than anywhere else we work. IMD's figures for Palam, the station at the airport, put the mean daily high at 40.7°C in May and 39.6°C in June. Airlines set their own heat limits by aircraft, airport and route, and snub-nosed breeds face the tightest. Winter is the other risk. Palam averages more than 20 days of fog in January and about 15 in December, and a delayed connection matters more when a pet is waiting in a crate. We pick a departure time with both in mind.

AQCS Delhi, the quarantine office that signs export certificates and clears pets that land, is on the Old Delhi Gurgaon Road at Kapashera. Leaving India, your pet goes there by appointment about a week before the flight, and the certificate is valid for 10 days. Coming in, the Advance NOC is applied for on ATITHI 2.0 at least seven days before boarding, and the final clearance happens on arrival. A pet flying in as cargo on a different day from you has to land within a month of you.

Delhi is also one of only four ports in India where live animals other than dogs and cats can be imported. A horse or a pet bird coming into India comes through Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai or Delhi, then into quarantine at the AQCS station, 30 days for both.

The airport's cargo side changed in May 2025, when the government revoked the security clearance of a ground handler that ran part of IGI's cargo operations. The airport operator said it would bring in a pre-approved cargo handler and keep working with the others. So for every cargo booking we confirm who is handling live animals that week and when they need your pet.

The NCR means a road leg. From Gurugram or Noida the drive to IGI is part of the plan, and our people do it with your pet, then stay with him up to the handover. Inside India, Air India and Akasa carry dogs and cats, and IndiGo doesn't. A vet's fitness certificate goes with every pet that travels, by law.