GB
United Kingdom
✈️
GA
Gabon
Pet Transport from the United Kingdom to Gabon
18-24 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
High
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United Kingdom to Gabon
typically takes around 18-24 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
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Overview
Shipping a dog or cat from United Kingdom to Gabon rewards owners who start planning early. Expect around 18-24 weeks of lead time to line up the documents and the fixed waiting periods. No routine quarantine applies as long as every requirement is met.
The sections below cover each requirement in detail.
Step by step
The United Kingdom to Gabon process
1
4 to 6 months before travel, per Gabon's own published guidance.
Start the Gabon import permit application with the Direction Generale de l'Elevage.
Responsible: Owner or agent
2
Well ahead of travel, to sit inside Gabon's stated window.
Vaccinate against rabies, at least 30 days before travel and within the one-year validity window.
Responsible: UK vet
3
Close to the confirmed travel date.
Arrange the general APHA export health certificate, since no Gabon-specific version exists.
Responsible: APHA-registered vet
4
Ahead of the vet appointment where possible, so the certificate reflects the final wording.
Translate all documentation into French.
Responsible: Owner or a professional translator
5
Well before booking flights.
Confirm the titre test position and any other current requirements directly with the Direction Generale de l'Elevage, since published sources don't fully agree.
Responsible: Owner or agent
6
Once documentation is confirmed.
Book the London-Paris-Libreville routing on Air France, or London-Casablanca-Libreville on Royal Air Maroc.
Responsible: Owner or agent
7
Day of arrival.
Arrival in Libreville. Import permit and paperwork checked before release.
Responsible: Gabonese authorities
Checklist
Gabon: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Described in compiled guidance as recommended rather than an absolute condition. Confirm the current status directly with the Direction Generale de l'Elevage. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required, administered at least 30 days before travel and within a one-year validity window. |
| Rabies titre test | Not confirmed as a requirement in the sources available. Gabon's published guidance centres on the vaccination and permit route rather than a titre pathway, but this should be confirmed directly rather than assumed. |
| Quarantine | None described for a pet meeting the published import conditions. |
| Import permit | Import permit required from the Direction Generale de l'Elevage before travel. Processing guidance recommends starting 4 to 6 months ahead of the intended travel date. |
| Health certificate | Export health certificate issued by a licensed vet in the country of departure, submitted in French alongside the import permit application. |
Leaving United Kingdom
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | Not required as a standalone UK document. The requirement to satisfy is Gabon's own import permit, applied for on the Gabon side. |
| Veterinary inspection | An APHA-registered official vet must inspect the animal and complete a general export health certificate, since no Gabon-specific APHA certificate is currently published. |
| Government endorsement | No country-specific APHA endorsement route exists for Gabon at the time of writing, checked against gov.uk's export health certificate finder in July 2026, unlike Antigua and Barbuda's dedicated certificate 6592. Confirm the current position with APHA before booking, since certificate coverage is added over time. |
| Health certificate | A general APHA-authorised export health certificate, translated into French to match Gabon's own documentation language requirement. Source: gov.uk export health certificates service (no Gabon-specific listing found, checked July 2026), cross-referenced with compiled guidance on Gabon's import rules from catabroad.com and petsnomad.com. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | UK vet visits, microchip, rabies vaccination: GBP 80-180 |
| 2 | General APHA export health certificate, adapted for Gabon: GBP 100-250 |
| 3 | Translation of documentation into French: GBP 50-150 |
| 4 | Gabon import permit application, via the Direction Generale de l'Elevage: fee not published, confirm locally or through an agent |
| 5 | IATA-compliant travel crate: GBP 80-400 |
| 6 | Cargo fare from London to Libreville via Paris or Casablanca: GBP 1,800-3,600 depending on crate size and season |
| 7 | Pet transport agent fee, strongly recommended given the lack of a ready-made certificate: GBP 700-1,600 |
| 8 | Total typical range: GBP 2,800-6,000 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Gabon's own guidance recommends starting the import permit process 4 to 6 months before travel, considerably longer than most destinations on this site. Leaving this until a few weeks out risks missing the move entirely.
⚠ All Gabon-bound paperwork needs to be in French. Build translation time into the schedule if the documents start out in English.
⚠ Wolf hybrids, and Savannah or Bengal cats fewer than five generations removed from a wild ancestor, cannot be imported into Gabon.
⚠ There's no dedicated APHA export certificate for Gabon, unlike some other destinations on this site. A general certificate has to be adapted, so confirm the current position with APHA before relying on a fixed template.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Air France
No nonstop UK-Libreville service exists, so pets fly London to Paris first, then join Air France's nonstop CDG-Libreville service, AF926, roughly 7 hours 45 minutes to 8 hours 10 minutes on a Boeing 787. Pets under 8kg including carrier can travel in the cabin on the London-Paris leg; up to 75kg combined can go in the hold, though brachycephalic breeds are barred from the hold entirely.
Royal Air Maroc
Routes London to Casablanca, then joins Royal Air Maroc's nonstop Casablanca-Libreville service. Live animal cargo bookings go through the airline's cargo desk, arranged at least 48 hours ahead; checked pets up to 70kg combined can travel through the standard baggage process, heavier animals go through cargo.
What Gabon requires
Bringing a pet into Gabon involves a fair amount of documentation. Keep everything organised and check each item against the current requirements before you book.
Avoiding the common mistakes
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
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.
FAQ
Common questions
No, not as of July 2026, when APHA’s export health certificate finder showed no Gabon-specific listing for cats and dogs. This differs from destinations like Antigua and Barbuda, which has its own certificate, number 6592. A general APHA export certificate is used instead, translated into French.
4 to 6 months, per Gabon’s own published guidance for the import permit issued by the Direction Generale de l’Elevage. This is considerably longer than the lead time most destinations on this site need.
It isn’t confirmed as a requirement in the sources reviewed for this page, which focus on the rabies vaccination and import permit route rather than a titre pathway. Given the gaps in published Gabon guidance generally, confirm this directly with the Direction Generale de l’Elevage before assuming it can be skipped.
Gabon’s own import documentation and export health certificate requirements are handled in French. If the UK-issued export certificate and supporting vet records are in English, they need translating before the vet appointment, so the final certificate reflects the correct wording.
No. No airline flies London to Libreville nonstop. The two workable routings go via Paris on Air France, which flies the CDG-Libreville leg nonstop, or via Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc, which flies the Casablanca-Libreville leg nonstop.
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