Pet Transport from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain
This is the rare international pet move where the best vehicle is your own car. The King Fahd Causeway runs 25 kilometres from Khobar to Bahrain, is open around the clock, costs about SAR 33 in tolls, and crosses in one to two hours, with …
The Saudi Arabia to Bahrain pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
Which Bahrain rules depend on a pet coming from Saudi Arabia?
Bahrain sets different rules for 2 groups of countries, and the official wording does not settle on its own which group covers Saudi Arabia. Check the group table in our Bahrain guide before you plan.
None of the Bahrain rules we have verified names Saudi Arabia on its own.
The rules that apply to every pet entering Bahrain, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Bahrain guide.
What does Saudi Arabia require before your pet leaves?
- Export permit: Pets travelling with their owners can get an exit-and-return permit on the Anaam platform, with a return period not exceeding 60 days. Applies to resident dogs and cats leaving and returning with travellers.
Pets Importing procedures, checked 2 October 2026 - Export permit: MEWA news item (2019): owners taking pets abroad must obtain an export permit from the General Directorate of Agricultural Affairs for the region of the exit port, bringing all veterinary certificates well before travel. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Saudi Arabia.
Live animal import licence electronically, completed in 3 days (news), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: MEWA's Conditions for exporting pets (undated): apply through the Anaam platform with the importing country's permit and health requirements and a veterinary health certificate from a Ministry-accredited clinic, approved by the Ministry branch or office where the pet is located, stating the animal was clinically and laboratory examined and found free of disease, especially rabies and toxoplasmosis. The export permission is valid 30 days. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Saudi Arabia.
Conditions for exporting pets, checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Per the USDA APHIS-hosted unofficial translation of the Saudi requirements (April 2021): the rabies vaccination's validity is checked when entry and return permits are issued. MEWA's Naama pet entry and exit permit guide (no text layer, read visually) sets the condition that the remaining period of the rabies vaccination is not less than six months. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Saudi Arabia.
Revised Saudi Pets Imports Requirements April 2021 Unofficial Translation, checked 2 October 2026
What this route typically costs
Critical points to read before you book
The Bahraini permit lives only 30 days and MEWA wants its export permission filed a month out, so the two clocks must be run together: Bahrain permit, then MEWA, then travel inside the permit's window.
In the May-to-September Gulf summer, airline holds shut to animals above roughly 29C tarmac temperature. The air-conditioned drive across the causeway is the reliable summer answer.
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
Two permits, one sequence
Start in Bahrain. The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture issues the import permit through the services.bahrain.bh portal; the certificate costs BD 17 per animal, is collected through the Veterinary Quarantine Office in Budaiya (+973 1764 3373), and expires 30 days after issue.
Then Saudi Arabia. MEWA’s pets export permission goes through the Anaam platform with your national ID or iqama, the Bahraini permit, Bahrain’s health conditions and a vet health report attached. The service is free, and MEWA’s own manual says to secure it at least one month before shipment, which makes it the pacing item.
The health certificate itself is a final-week document: licensed Saudi vet, within 10 days of entry, government-endorsed. Ask the Quarantine Office directly when you apply; a 21-days-post-vaccination blood draw is cheap insurance if they say yes.
Causeway or cabin
Driving wins for most families. The pet stays with you, no summer embargo applies, and the border wants the same file you would hand an airline: permit, vaccination record, health certificate, pet crated during procedures. Let the Bahraini side know your arrival date in advance; that courtesy is what the customs guidance asks for on live-animal arrivals.
Flying still has its uses, mainly for moves originating far from the Eastern Province. Saudia carries cats in the cabin to 5kg with carrier and dogs as checked baggage in ventilated holds (roughly 100 and 300 US dollars respectively on international sectors). flynas takes only cabin-sized pets to 5kg in a soft carrier. Gulf Air, Bahrain’s own carrier, moves cats and dogs exclusively as cargo through agents, keeping its cabin for falcons. flyadeal carries no animals at all. In the Gulf summer, when tarmac temperatures shut cargo holds for months, the causeway is not just the cheaper option but often the only one.
On arrival at Bahrain International, budget two to four hours: the inspection includes a rabies nasal swab, and compliant pets go home the same day. There is no quarantine.
Common questions about Saudi Arabia to Bahrain pet transport
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Sources
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- MEWA · Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia