Pet Transport from Canada to Madagascar

Taking your dog or cat from Canada to Madagascar comes down to good timing and the right paperwork. Expect about 12-16 weeks. Nothing here is unusually complex, but the deadlines …

12-16 wks

Preparation needed

None

Quarantine on arrival

Moderate

Route complexity

Managed

Full door to door

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Lead time needed

12-16 weeks

Quarantine

None

Route complexity

Moderate

Airlines

3 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from Canada to Madagascar typically takes around 12-16 weeks. There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets. A rabies titre test is not required.

Regulations checked July 2026

Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team

Step by step

The import process, in full

12-14 weeks before travel; the letter-based process can take several weeks with no fixed turnaround.

Send the import permit letter of request to Madagascar's Direction des Services Veterinaires.

Responsible: Owner or agent, via DSV

Before the rabies vaccination.

Microchip implanted (ISO 11784/11785, 15-digit).

Responsible: CFIA-accredited vet

At least 30 days before travel; runs in parallel with the DSV letter.

Rabies vaccination given, or a current booster confirmed.

Responsible: CFIA-accredited vet

Close to travel, once flights are booked.

Canadian International Health Certificate completed and endorsed by CFIA.

Responsible: CFIA-accredited vet, then CFIA official veterinarian

Once the DSV permit, certificate date and flight are all aligned.

Cargo or cabin booking confirmed via Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa), Emirates (Dubai) or Air France (Paris).

Responsible: Owner or pet transport agent

On landing.

Arrival inspection at Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo; documents checked and the 30,000 Ariary Livestock Fund fee paid.

Responsible: DSV veterinary officials

Checklist

What your pet needs

Every item below must be completed and verified before your pet can travel. Expand each category for the detail.

Microchip

A 15-digit ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip is required, and it has to be in place before the rabies vaccination for the vaccination to count. Source: Madagascar import requirements, PetTravel.com and US Embassy Antananarivo guidance, 2026.

Rabies vaccination

Required, given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival in Madagascar. Dogs also need core vaccinations against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus.

Rabies titre test

Not required for entry to Madagascar from any country, Canada included. That holds regardless of Madagascar's own reputation as a rabies-affected country; the requirement is about the vaccination record, not a blood result.

Quarantine

No quarantine for a pet arriving with compliant paperwork. Non-compliant arrivals face quarantine where a facility exists, return to the country of origin, or, in the worst case, euthanasia, all at the owner's expense.

Import permit

A letter of request addressed to the Directeur des Services Veterinaires (DSV), stating the owner's name and address, the animal's name, breed, age and sex, a copy of the vaccination record, the country of origin, arrival date, transport mode and airport of disembarkation. Processing can take several weeks, so apply well ahead of travel.

Health certificate

The Canadian International Health Certificate is presented on arrival, alongside a fee of 30,000 Ariary per pet (roughly CAD 9-10 at 2026 exchange rates), payable at the Livestock Fund (Fonds de l'Elevage) at Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo.

Export permit

No CFIA export permit for a personal pet. Export certification, a health certificate from a CFIA-accredited vet endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian, is what actually clears the pet to leave.

Veterinary inspection

Clinical exam by a CFIA-accredited vet, confirming the pet is fit to travel and that the vaccination record matches what Madagascar's DSV letter will need to reference.

Government endorsement

Madagascar has no negotiated export certificate template with Canada, so CFIA's own Canadian International Health Certificate is used, checked against the requirements set out in the DSV letter of request below. Book the CFIA appointment with plenty of notice, since the endorsement can't happen once the pet has left the country.

Health certificate

Canadian International Health Certificate, completed close to travel, covering identification, rabies vaccination and general health.

We handle the regulations for every animal, every country, every airline, so nothing on your Canada to Madagascar move gets missed.

Pet Transport Global

Airlines

Carriers on this route

Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. Confirm the operating carrier's current policy for every flight segment.

Ethiopian Airlines

Toronto to Addis Ababa nonstop, seven times a week, the only nonstop passenger service between Canada and continental Africa. Ethiopian also flies Addis Ababa to Antananarivo nonstop, six times a week, its own dedicated aircraft the whole way. That makes this a genuinely single-carrier route from a Canadian gateway to Madagascar, a rarer thing than it sounds on this pairing.

Cargo Only

Emirates

Air Canada and Emirates operate an extended codeshare partnership through 2032, covering the Toronto-Dubai sector Emirates flies nonstop, seven times a week on an Airbus A380. From Dubai, Emirates serves Antananarivo via a linked Seychelles service roughly six times a week, a workable second option, though a technical stop rather than a true nonstop.

Cargo Only

Air France

Air Canada flies Toronto and Montreal to Paris Charles de Gaulle nonstop; Air France connects onward to Antananarivo several times a week. Small pets under 8kg including carrier can travel in the cabin on the Paris-Antananarivo sector; larger pets go via Air France Cargo.

Cabin and Cargo

Costs

What this route typically costs

CFIA-accredited vet consultation and Canadian International Health Certificate endorsement: CAD 250-500

Microchip and rabies vaccination, if not already current: CAD 80-160

DSV import permit letter process: no fixed fee published; confirm directly with DSV

Livestock Fund arrival fee: 30,000 Ariary per pet (roughly CAD 9-10), paid at Ivato on arrival

IATA-compliant travel crate: CAD 100-400

Cargo freight, Toronto to Antananarivo via Addis Ababa, Dubai or Paris: CAD 2,300-4,900

IPATA-registered pet transport agent fee: CAD 700-1,700

Total typical range: CAD 3,400-7,700

Critical points

Madagascar's import permit is a letter addressed to the Direction des Services Veterinaires, not an online application form. Confirm the current submission address well before relying on it, and apply at least 12-14 weeks out given the lack of a published turnaround.

No airline flies Toronto directly to Antananarivo. Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa is the only genuinely single-carrier option from Canada; Emirates via Dubai and Air France via Paris both involve a carrier or terminal change.

Emirates' Dubai-Antananarivo service operates via a linked Seychelles routing rather than a true nonstop, worth factoring into transit time even though it's marketed as a direct connection from Dubai.

A small arrival fee (30,000 Ariary per pet, paid at Ivato's Livestock Fund counter) is separate from anything paid in Canada before departure. Confirm accepted payment methods with your agent in advance.

What Madagascar requires

Getting a pet into Madagascar is a middle of the road process. The rules are well defined, so most of the work is simply staying on schedule.

Avoiding the common mistakes

If this is your first international move, consider an IPATA-registered pet transport agent. They handle the documents, airline booking and crate sizing, and can troubleshoot problems.

Get your pet used to the travel crate weeks in advance. A calm, crate-familiar animal travels far better than one meeting the crate for the first time at the airport.

Confirm live animal acceptance on every flight segment before booking. Not all aircraft or connections take pets, and cargo terms can differ leg to leg.

Keep every original document together and take copies. Border officials want originals, and a missing signature or date can hold up clearance.

FAQ

Common questions

No. Madagascar does not require a rabies antibody titre test from a pet arriving from any country, including Canada, despite its reputation as a rabies-affected island nation. A current vaccination given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival is what’s checked.

It’s a letter, not a form. The letter of request goes to the Direction des Services Veterinaires (DSV) in Antananarivo and needs to include the owner’s and animal’s details, a copy of the vaccination record, and the arrival flight details. Processing can take several weeks.

Ethiopian Airlines. Its nonstop Toronto-Addis Ababa flight, the only nonstop passenger route between Canada and Africa, connects directly to Ethiopian’s own nonstop Addis Ababa-Antananarivo service, keeping the pet with one carrier for both long legs.

Not quite. Emirates markets a Dubai-Antananarivo connection, but the service actually operates via a linked Seychelles routing, a detail worth factoring into total transit time even though it’s booked as a single connection from Dubai.

Yes, a small one. 30,000 Ariary per pet (roughly CAD 9-10 at 2026 exchange rates) is payable at the Livestock Fund counter at Ivato International Airport on arrival, separate from anything paid in Canada before departure.

Budget twelve to sixteen weeks from a standing start. The DSV import permit letter, which has no published turnaround, is the main factor, not the vaccination or export certificate steps.

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