Pet Transport from Ivory Coast to the United Kingdom
Getting a pet from Ivory Coast to United Kingdom is a step by step process, and each stage has its own timing. This route takes some organising, and roughly 18-22 weeks of …
Rabies vaccinationRequired, minimum age 12 weeks. A 21-day …
Rabies titre testRequired. Cote d'Ivoire is not on the …
QuarantineNo routine quarantine for a pet arriving …
Import permitNot required. The Animal Health …
Health certificateRequired. Animal Health Certificate …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Ivory Coast to United Kingdom
typically takes around 18-22 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The import process, in full
1
5-6 months before travel, at the very start of the process.
Microchip implanted, then rabies vaccination given.
Responsible: Vet in Abidjan
2
Around 4-5 months before travel.
Rabies titre blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, sent to an APHA-approved laboratory.
Responsible: Vet and the APHA-approved laboratory
3
Automatic, starting from the passing result.
90-day wait after a passing titre result runs its course before travel is permitted.
Responsible: N/A, fixed regulatory wait
4
6-8 weeks before travel.
Apply for DSV endorsement of the export health certificate.
Responsible: Owner or a Cote d'Ivoire-based agent
5
6-8 weeks before travel.
Book cargo or cabin space with Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines, Air France or Brussels Airlines.
Responsible: Owner or agent, with the airline's cargo desk
6
24 to 120 hours before scheduled UK arrival.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs, timed to the UK arrival window.
Responsible: Vet in Abidjan
7
Within 10 days of travel.
Collect the DSV-endorsed Animal Health Certificate.
Responsible: DSV-endorsed vet
8
3-4 hours before departure for cargo pets.
Travel day: arrive early, present all documentation at the cargo or check-in desk.
Responsible: Owner and the airline's cargo or check-in staff
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
Required (ISO 11784/11785 standard). Must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination doesn't count toward UK entry. Source: GOV.UK, Bringing a pet to Great Britain, 2026.
Rabies vaccination
Required, minimum age 12 weeks. A 21-day wait after the first vaccination applies before travel would otherwise be permitted, and this period also has to elapse before the titre blood sample can be drawn. Source: GOV.UK.
Rabies titre test
Required. Cote d'Ivoire is not on the UK's Part 1 or Part 2 listed-country tables, so the standard unlisted-country pathway applies: blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at an FAVN or ELISA-capable APHA-approved laboratory, minimum result 0.5 IU/ml, with a 90-day wait after a passing result before travel. Source: GOV.UK, 2026.
Quarantine
No routine quarantine for a pet arriving with fully compliant documentation. Penalty quarantine of up to 4 months applies if a pet arrives without the correct paperwork, unvaccinated, or via a non-approved route, at the owner's cost. Source: GOV.UK.
Import permit
Not required. The Animal Health Certificate itself is the entry document; the UK has no separate import permit system for pets.
Health certificate
Required. Animal Health Certificate (AHC) issued by the DSV-endorsed vet in Cote d'Ivoire, valid 10 days from issue to entry into Great Britain. Dogs also need a Praziquantel tapeworm treatment recorded on the certificate, given 24 to 120 hours before the scheduled UK arrival time; cats and ferrets are exempt from this step.
Export permit
No standalone export permit separate from the health certificate for a pet dog or cat. The Direction des Services Veterinaires (DSV), under the Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources (Ministere des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques, MIRAH), endorses the certificate that clears the animal to leave Cote d'Ivoire.
Veterinary inspection
Clinical check by a DSV-registered veterinarian close to travel, confirming the animal is fit to fly, current on its rabies vaccination, and matches its microchip record.
Government endorsement
DSV endorsement, stamp and signature, on the health certificate is required before an airline or cargo agent will accept the paperwork. DSV does not publish a fixed turnaround time or fee schedule online, so confirm both directly with a registered vet in Abidjan and build in a buffer of at least two weeks.
Health certificate
DSV-endorsed veterinary health certificate from a registered vet in Abidjan or another Ivorian city, dated within 10 days of travel to meet airline and UK entry expectations.
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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.
Royal Air Maroc
Routes Abidjan to Casablanca (CMN), then on to London Heathrow on Royal Air Maroc's own network, a genuine single-carrier one-stop. Cabin pets are capped at 8kg including the carrier, and a long list of brachycephalic dog and cat breeds is excluded from both cabin and hold.
Cabin and Cargo
Ethiopian Airlines
Connects Abidjan to Addis Ababa (ADD), then Addis to London Heathrow on Ethiopian's own daily service, another single-carrier option. Cabin limit is 8kg including the box; larger pets travel via Ethiopian Cargo, which does not accept snub-nosed breeds in the hold.
Cabin and Cargo
Air France
Operates up to two flights a day between Abidjan and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, a major cargo hub with onward European connections. Small pets under 8kg travel in the cabin; larger animals go via Air France Cargo, which excludes snub-nosed breeds from the hold.
Cabin and Cargo
Brussels Airlines
Flies Abidjan to Brussels only once a week, on Saturdays, so this route needs booking well ahead of any tight deadline. Dogs and cats travel in the hold under IATA Live Animal Regulations, with a separate short-haul leg needed onward to London.
Cargo Only
Costs
What this route typically costs
DSV endorsement and vet documentation in Cote d'Ivoire: FCFA 60,000-150,000 (roughly USD 100-250)
FAVN or ELISA titre test at an APHA-approved laboratory, plus international courier: GBP 150-300
UK Animal Health Certificate from the DSV-endorsed vet: FCFA 40,000-90,000 (roughly USD 65-150)
Tapeworm treatment for dogs, done locally in Cote d'Ivoire: GBP 15-40 equivalent
IATA-compliant travel crate: GBP 100-350
Cargo or cabin fare, Abidjan to London via Casablanca, Addis Ababa, Paris or Brussels: GBP 1,200-2,800 depending on routing, crate size and season
Total typical range: GBP 1,800-4,200
Critical points
Cote d'Ivoire's unlisted status makes the titre test non-negotiable, and its 30-day-then-90-day clock sets the real floor for this route. Nothing shortens it.
DSV does not publish a fixed fee or turnaround schedule for its endorsement. Confirm both directly with a registered vet in Abidjan before committing to a flight date, and build in extra time.
Brussels Airlines flies Abidjan to Brussels only once a week, on Saturdays. Missing that single weekly slot pushes the whole itinerary back seven days.
Snub-nosed breeds face restrictions across every airline on this route: Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines and Air France all limit or exclude brachycephalic dogs and cats from the hold.
The rules for bringing a pet into United Kingdom
United Kingdom asks for several pieces of paperwork, and they all need to line up. A checklist and a clear timeline are your best tools here.
How to keep this move on track
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.
FAQ
Common questions
Budget four and a half to five and a half months from the first vet visit to travel day. The rabies titre test drives this timeline: 30 days after vaccination before the blood draw, then a mandatory 90-day wait after a passing result. DSV’s export certificate process and airline booking run in parallel but don’t shorten the titre test’s own clock.
No. Cote d’Ivoire is not on the UK’s Part 1 or Part 2 listed-country tables, so it’s treated as unlisted. That means a rabies titre test and the associated 90-day wait are mandatory for every pet on this route, unlike pets travelling from an EU country or another listed nation.
Royal Air Maroc, via Casablanca, and Ethiopian Airlines, via Addis Ababa, both offer genuine single-carrier one-stop connections into London Heathrow. Air France via Paris flies most frequently but needs a separate onward leg to London. Brussels Airlines only serves Abidjan once a week, on Saturdays.
Yes, dogs need a Praziquantel tapeworm treatment recorded by a vet, given between 24 and 120 hours before the scheduled UK arrival time. Cats and ferrets are exempt from this requirement. Time the treatment against arrival in the UK, not departure from Abidjan.
Penalty quarantine of up to 4 months applies if a pet arrives without correct documentation, an incomplete titre test, or via a non-approved route, and the owner covers all quarantine costs. There is no routine quarantine for pets that arrive with everything in order.
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