Pet Import to the UAE

Bringing a dog or cat into the UAE is a paperwork file and an arrival. Olivier Zoppi covers what happens once the pet is on the ground: boarding if you cannot collect immediately, travel-crate rest, behaviour support, and a return to daily care. Get a UAE pet-import quote from Zoppi Pets for the route itself.

After arrival Boarding Settling in
Dogs settling into supervised care after arrival in the UAE

Typical import considerations, not legal advice

Entry rules change. Origin country, species, and airline all matter. Treat the notes below as the questions families usually need answered, then confirm the live list with Zoppi Pets. This page is not a permit application and it is not legal advice.

Pet eligibility

Age, species, and origin-country risk category affect whether a pet can enter and on what timeline. Zoppi Pets checks eligibility before you buy tickets.

Documentation

Import permits, passports, and supporting forms are assembled on the relocation file. Keep originals with the crate so arrival inspection matches what was submitted.

Vaccinations and microchipping

A readable microchip and a complete vaccination record are typical. Dates must line up with the permit window. Your veterinarian and Zoppi Pets confirm the current list for the origin country.

Health certificates

An attested veterinary certificate is usually issued close to departure. Clinic timing is why some pets need a short stay either side of the flight.

Airline requirements

Carriers set crate size, season embargoes, and cabin-versus-cargo rules. Those sit on the ticket, not on a training plan.

Arrival process

Inspection at the entry point happens before you drive home. If you cannot receive the pet that hour, handover to our centres keeps feeding and rest on a known schedule.

After arrival with Olivier Zoppi

Boarding

Boarding around relocation covers nights when the home is not ready. See also trainer-supervised dog boarding.

Travel crate rest

If the crate is still a stressor after the flight, stress-free travel training continues familiarisation instead of storing the crate in a garage.

Behaviour support

New sounds, new handlers, and a new home can surface anxiety. Behavioural programmes pick up where travel stress left off.

Dog training

Once the pet has slept, obedience training and private sessions rebuild a daily language in the new city.

Daycare

Daycare replaces empty first weeks in a new apartment when you are still unpacking.

The wider journey

Read the international pet relocation hub for consultation through settling in, or about Zoppi Pets for how the two brands split the work.

Related relocation pages

International Pet Relocation

The full journey from consultation to settling in.

International pet relocation hub

Pet Export from the UAE

If you later leave again, pre-departure training and boarding sit on the same centres.

Pet export from the UAE

Boarding Around Relocation

Nights when the pet lands before you can receive them.

Boarding after arrival

Confirm the import file with Zoppi Pets

Eligibility, permits, and airline booking change with origin country. Ask Zoppi Pets for the current import route; come back here for boarding and settling in.

Pet import to the UAE: FAQ

No. It outlines typical considerations families ask about. Import permits, vaccinations, and entry rules change. Confirm the live requirements for your origin country with Zoppi Pets before you book travel.

Zoppi Pets. They work the relocation file: eligibility, documentation, health certificates, and airline booking. Olivier Zoppi takes over once the pet needs boarding, training, or a calm routine in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

A short boarding stay at one of our centres covers the gap. Feeding, exercise, rest, and crate practice stay in one routine until keys, furniture, or your own flight catch up.

Yes. After arrival we can continue travel-crate rest, start behaviour support, and move into daycare or training when the pet is ready. We do not treat sedation as a shortcut for settling in.

Plan the arrival, then the first nights

Ask Zoppi Pets for an import quote, or book boarding with Olivier Zoppi if the pet may land before you can collect them.