Importing Your Pet to Pakistan

Pakistan runs pet imports through one digital gate: the import permit, required in advance for every dog and cat, filed on the Pakistan Single Window portal under the Animal Quarantine Department (AQD) of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. With the permit issued, the rest is a short list: a 15-digit ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination between 30 days and 12 months old, and a health certificate signed within 7 days of entry and endorsed by the origin government’s vets.

There is no titre test from any country and no quarantine for compliant pets. The AQD inspects arrivals at Karachi (Jinnah International), Islamabad International and Lahore (Allama Iqbal International) and releases healthy, documented animals. Because permit processing time is not published, file the application as soon as travel dates firm up.

The permit, and the order of operations

Apply on the Single Window (psw.gov.pk/aqd) before anything else, because downstream steps depend on the permit. Owners moving from the Gulf discover this quickly: the UAE’s MOCCAE export certificate application, for example, asks for a copy of the destination import permit, so the Pakistani document must exist first.

The health certificate belongs to the final week: issued by a licensed vet within 7 days of entry and government-endorsed. Match the certificate details to the microchip and permit exactly.

Getting a flight that takes pets

The corridor realities vary sharply by carrier, especially from the Gulf, Pakistan’s densest pet route. Emirates carries no cats or dogs in the cabin, offering checked-baggage carriage on shorter sectors at flat weight-tier fees and SkyCargo otherwise, with snub-nosed breeds accepted only in winter. Etihad currently allows cabin pets up to 8kg including carrier. flydubai is cargo-only. PIA accepts crated animals in the hold as excess baggage with the permit and certificate in hand.

Summer matters: Gulf heat embargoes from May to September restrict hold and cargo carriage, so winter bookings or early-morning departures clear more easily.