Moving a rabbit into, out of or around India
India's export policy lets a pet rabbit leave. The harder questions are at the other end and in the air: four months of quarantine for the UK, rules that differ by country in Europe, and airlines that only take dogs and cats.
The thing to know first
The UK's four months. A rabbit moving to Britain needs that time planned in, from the start.
01 · Leaving India
Free to export. The new country sets the terms.
We check The AQCS export page is written for dogs and cats, so the export papers for a rabbit are confirmed with AQCS for your date. We check this for your route before anything is booked.
- DGFT's export policy lists rabbits and hares as free to export, subject to the condition on wild animals.DGFT, ITC (HS) 2023 Schedule 2 export policy, Chapter 01 (Notification 60/2023), checked 5 Oct 2026
- A pet rabbit coming into Great Britain from outside the EU needs a rabies import licence and goes into quarantine for 4 months after arrival.GOV.UK, bringing pets to Great Britain from outside the EU, checked 5 Oct 2026
- In the EU, rabbits are a Part B pet, so member states may apply their own national rules to them.EU, Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, non-commercial movement of pet animals, checked 5 Oct 2026
- USDA APHIS has no animal health requirements for a pet rabbit coming into the USA. The receiving state sets its own.USDA APHIS, bring a pet rabbit into the United States, checked 5 Oct 2026
02 · Coming into India
A DGFT licence, an Advance NOC and 15 days of quarantine.
- AQCS says it plainly: no animal apart from a dog or a cat comes in under the baggage rule. A parrot, a rabbit or anything else needs a DGFT licence.AQCS, frequently asked questions, checked 5 Oct 2026
- DGFT lists the import of live animals including cats, dogs and rabbits as restricted, and says a short stay import is generally not allowed.DGFT, FAQ on import of pets, checked 5 Oct 2026
- Under the DAHD SOP for rabbits, the Advance NOC application goes in 7 days before embarkation. A pet rabbit then spends 15 days in quarantine at the AQCS station, with a blood test for rabbit haemorrhagic disease. The health certificate has to show the country is free of rabbit haemorrhagic disease and tularaemia.DAHD, SOPs for import of live animals into India (OM of 31 Mar 2021), checked 5 Oct 2026
03 · Within India
No permits, and few airlines that take him.
We check Whether an airline will carry a rabbit on your sector is the first thing we check, before anything is booked.
- Akasa Air carries only cats and dogs.Akasa Air, conditions of carriage ("Pets" means domesticated cats and dogs), checked 5 Oct 2026
- IndiGo's own pages say it doesn't carry pets, apart from guide dogs.IndiGo, baggage policy, checked 5 Oct 2026
The longer version.
Rabbits are free to export under DGFT's policy. The country at the other end sets the real terms. Great Britain puts a rabbit from outside the EU into quarantine for four months and wants a rabies import licence. In Europe, each country applies its own rules to pet rabbits, so we check the exact one. The USA's animal health service sets no requirements for a pet rabbit, and leaves it to the state.
Coming into India is a licence route. A rabbit can't come in as baggage, so it needs a DGFT licence, then an Advance NOC from AQCS, then 15 days of quarantine at the AQCS station with a test for rabbit haemorrhagic disease.
The flight is often the hard part. Akasa carries only cats and dogs, IndiGo carries no pets, and many international airlines accept only dogs and cats in the cabin. We find the airline first, and inside India the road is sometimes the better answer.
Moving a rabbit?
Tell us where from, where to and roughly when. The message is written for you.
Hi, I'd like to move my rabbit.
Where every fact on this page comes from
- DGFT, ITC (HS) 2023 Schedule 2 export policy, Chapter 01 (Notification 60/2023)Checked 5 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK, bringing pets to Great Britain from outside the EUChecked 5 Oct 2026
- EU, Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, non-commercial movement of pet animalsChecked 5 Oct 2026
- USDA APHIS, bring a pet rabbit into the United StatesChecked 5 Oct 2026
- AQCS, frequently asked questionsChecked 5 Oct 2026
- DGFT, FAQ on import of petsChecked 5 Oct 2026
- DAHD, SOPs for import of live animals into India (OM of 31 Mar 2021)Checked 5 Oct 2026
- Akasa Air, conditions of carriage ("Pets" means domesticated cats and dogs)Checked 5 Oct 2026
- IndiGo, baggage policyChecked 5 Oct 2026