Pet Transport from the UK to Mauritius

Almost everything written about Mauritius quarantine online is wrong in the owner’s favour: the official Livestock and Veterinary Division guidelines set a minimum of five days at the government …

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18-28

Weeks lead time needed

Start this early minimum

See key facts

Quarantine on arrival

Very High

Route complexity

Airlines on this route

Lead time needed

18-28 weeks

Quarantine

See key facts

Route complexity

Very High

Airlines

3 carriers on this route

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Key facts: United Kingdom to Mauritius

Health certificate: Per UK APHA certificate 4045EHC v4: dog examined and found healthy within 48 hours before export. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045EHC version 4: export health certificate for dogs to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Quarantine: Minimum quarantine of 5 days at the Quarantine Facility, Reduit, for dogs and cats; a kennel or cattery must be available before the permit is issued.
2022 Guidelines to bring cats to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Official sources differ
The older undated DVS note (https://agriculture.govmu.org/Documents/Division%20of%20Veterinary%20%20Services/Importation%20of%20pet%20animals%20-DVS.pdf) says a minimum of five working days or one month depending on the country of origin, with no country list. The newer 2022 DVS guidelines state 5 days with no origin distinction and are followed; confirm the period on the permit.
Rabies titre test: Rabies neutralising antibody (RNAT) test required for dogs and cats: result of 0.5 IU/ml or more, FAVN or RFFIT, at a lab approved by the exporting country's veterinary authority or an OIE (WOAH) reference lab. The test must be done not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months before shipment, with at least 3 months between sampling and travel; the alternative is six months in an approved quarantine station before shipment under the exporting Veterinary Authority. The 2022 guidelines do not exempt any origin.
2022 Guidelines to bring cats to Mauritius, checked 6 October 2026
Official sources differ
UK APHA certificate 4045EHC v4 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bc711d240f0b63867a73290/4045EHC_V4.pdf) says the dog test must be done at least one month and not more than 6 months before export. Mauritius's own 2022 guideline (3 months minimum wait) is followed; a UK test must therefore fall 3 to 6 months before export.

Taken from official government pages, last checked 6 October 2026. Rules change, so open the linked page again before you book.

Regulations checked August 2026

Reviewed by Marcus Webb, Senior Pet Relocation Consultant on 12 August 2026

Step by step

The United Kingdom to Mauritius import process

Before spending anything: nine breeds are banned outright and a longer dangerous-dogs list needs verified pure-breed status.

Breed check against the Mauritian schedules

Responsible: You + Livestock and Veterinary Division guidelines

Draw at least 4 weeks after vaccination; sampling must fall 3 to 12 months before shipment, and travel waits 3 months from the draw.

Rabies vaccination, then the titre blood draw

Responsible: Your vet + FAVN/RFFIT laboratory

At least 3 months before departure; the permit depends on kennel space at Reduit.

Apply for the import permit and reserve the quarantine kennel

Responsible: You (or your agent) + Livestock and Veterinary Division

Ehrlichia IFAT within 45 days of departure; no vaccine in the final 2 weeks.

Ehrlichia and Brucella tests (dogs), core vaccines topped up

Responsible: Your vet + laboratory

Close to travel, via an Official Veterinarian.

APHA Export Health Certificate and test-report endorsement

Responsible: APHA + Official Veterinarian

The broker must be present at Mauritian arrival or the animal risks being returned.

Book manifest cargo (Gatwick nonstop or via Dubai) and appoint the local broker

Responsible: You + carrier + Mauritian broker

Owner collects at the end of quarantine. Cat owners supply litter.

Arrive; minimum 5 days' quarantine at Reduit, then collection

Responsible: Quarantine Facility, Reduit

Which Mauritius rules depend on a pet coming from the United Kingdom?

These rules apply to pets from the United Kingdom, on top of the rules every pet follows:

Health certificate: Per UK APHA certificate 4045EHC v4: dog examined and found healthy within 48 hours before export. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045EHC version 4: export health certificate for dogs to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Health certificate: Per UK APHA certificate 4287EHC v4: cat examined and found healthy within 48 hours before export. Applies to cats exported from the UK.
4287EHC version 4: export health certificate for cats to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Rabies vaccination: Per UK APHA certificate 4045EHC v4: dogs vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine (at least one international antigenic unit) at three months of age or older. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045EHC version 4: export health certificate for dogs to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Rabies vaccination: Per UK APHA certificate 4287EHC v4: cats vaccinated at three months or older, primary vaccination two to twelve months before export. Applies to cats exported from the UK.
4287EHC version 4: export health certificate for cats to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
How your pet may travel: Per UK APHA guidance 4045NFG (revised 29/11/2023): dogs only by direct flight to Mauritius, no transit. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045NFG Notes for guidance: export of dogs to Mauritius (revised 29/11/2023), checked 1 October 2026
Parasite treatment: Per UK APHA certificate 4045EHC v4: dogs treated with a long-acting ectoparasiticide (fipronil 9.7% recommended) within 96 hours before export. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045EHC version 4: export health certificate for dogs to Mauritius, checked 1 October 2026
Other conditions: Per UK APHA guidance 4045NFG: owner declares the dog has lived in the UK for at least six months. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045NFG Notes for guidance: export of dogs to Mauritius (revised 29/11/2023), checked 1 October 2026
Other conditions: Per UK APHA guidance 4045NFG: female dogs must not be pregnant. Applies to dogs exported from the UK.
4045NFG Notes for guidance: export of dogs to Mauritius (revised 29/11/2023), checked 1 October 2026
Other conditions: Per UK APHA guidance 4287NFG (revised 07/12/2023): female cats must not be pregnant. Applies to cats exported from the UK.
4287NFG Notes for guidance: export of cats to Mauritius (revised 07/12/2023), checked 1 October 2026

The rules that apply to every pet entering Mauritius, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Mauritius guide.

What does the United Kingdom require before your pet leaves?

We are still checking the export rules of the United Kingdom against official government pages, so they are not shown here yet.

Costs

What this route typically costs

Mauritian official fees are modest: Rs 500 import fee, Rs 500 veterinary clearance, Rs 15 per day quarantine kennel

The three blood tests (titre, Ehrlichia, Brucella) plus UK laboratory and courier fees

APHA certification and Official Veterinarian time

Manifest cargo airfreight London or Dubai routing (quoted per shipment; no published corridor tariff)

Mauritian broker fee for the mandatory airport clearance

Critical points

Nine dog breeds cannot enter Mauritius at all: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Blue Nose and Red Nose Pit Bull, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Boerboel. A further dangerous-dogs list (Rottweiler, Dobermann, Cane Corso, Bull Mastiff, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Kangal and others) is admitted only as verified pure breed.

Pets arrive as manifest cargo only, never in the cabin and never as checked baggage, and a local broker must be appointed and present at the airport, or the animal risks being sent back at your cost.

Air Mauritius currently flies Gatwick, not Heathrow: the Heathrow service is suspended until at least April 2027. Plan the UK end accordingly.

Airlines

Approved carriers on this route

Airline	Notes	Type
Air Mauritius	Flies London Gatwick nonstop (the Heathrow service is suspended until at least April 2027). The airline lists baggage options, but Mauritian law forces manifest cargo only for arriving pets, so book through cargo. Minimum age 5 months for Mauritius import; IATA crate; certificate within 10 days.	Cargo Only
British Airways	Also serves Gatwick to Mauritius, with pets via IAG Cargo as manifest cargo.	Cargo Only
Emirates SkyCargo	The common one-stop cargo routing via Dubai, minimum 6-hour connection at the hub. English and French Bulldogs refused outright; some snub-nosed breeds carried only 1 November to 30 April under an indemnity waiver.	Cargo Only

The three blood tests, and their calendars

Mauritius asks more of a dog’s bloodwork than almost any destination. The rabies titre (FAVN or RFFIT, 0.5 IU/ml or better) has the longest arithmetic: drawn at least four weeks after vaccination, no less than three and no more than twelve months before shipment, with travel permitted only three months after the draw. Miss the twelve-month ceiling and the sample must be repeated.

The Ehrlichia canis test runs on the opposite clock: an IFAT negative at 1:40 dilution within 45 days of departure, so it belongs to the final weeks, not the early planning. Brucella canis needs a negative agglutination result too. Core vaccines (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus) must be current but not administered within the final two weeks before dispatch. Cats skip the dog-specific panel but share the permit, titre and certificate framework, and their owners supply litter for the quarantine stay.

Every report is endorsed by APHA on the UK side, attached to the Export Health Certificate an Official Veterinarian signs close to travel.

Cargo only, Gatwick only, broker mandatory

Three practicalities decide the booking. First, Mauritian law admits pets as manifest cargo only, never in the cabin and never as excess baggage, whatever an airline’s general policy page suggests. Second, the nonstop has moved: Air Mauritius flies from London Gatwick, with its Heathrow service suspended until at least April 2027; British Airways also serves the island from Gatwick, and Emirates SkyCargo via Dubai (minimum six-hour connection) is the standard one-stop cargo alternative, with its bulldog ban and winter-only window for other snub-nosed breeds. Third, a local customs broker must be appointed and present when the animal lands; the guidelines are blunt that an unbrokered animal risks being returned at the owner’s expense.

The costs on the Mauritian side are surprisingly small: Rs 500 import fee, Rs 500 veterinary clearance and Rs 15 per day for the quarantine kennel. The real money sits in the airfreight, the blood tests and the broker. After the minimum five days at Reduit (longer if kennel scheduling or test issues intervene), you collect your pet directly from the facility.

FAQ

Common questions about this route

A minimum of 5 days at the government Quarantine Facility at Reduit, per the official Livestock and Veterinary Division guidelines. The 30-day figure repeated on many pet-relocation sites does not match the official document. Stays can extend if kennel space or test results require it, and the daily kennel fee is Rs 15.

Nine breeds cannot be imported at all under the Animal Welfare Act schedules: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Blue Nose Pit Bull, Red Nose Pit Bull, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Boerboel. A separate dangerous-dogs list, including Rottweiler, Dobermann, Cane Corso, Bull Mastiff, Rhodesian Ridgeback and Kangal, may enter only as verified pure breeds.

No. Mauritius admits pets as manifest cargo only, never in the cabin and never as checked baggage, whichever airline you fly. Air Mauritius from Gatwick (Heathrow is suspended until at least April 2027), British Airways from Gatwick and Emirates SkyCargo via Dubai are the working cargo routings, and a local broker must meet the animal at the airport.

Three. A rabies titre (FAVN or RFFIT, at least 0.5 IU/ml) drawn 4+ weeks after vaccination and 3 to 12 months before shipment, with a 3-month wait from the draw date; a negative Ehrlichia canis IFAT at 1:40 within 45 days of departure; and a negative Brucella canis agglutination test. Cats need the titre framework but not the dog-specific panel.

Four to six months minimum. The import permit must be applied for at least 3 months before departure and depends on quarantine kennel availability, and the titre arithmetic (draw 4 weeks after vaccination, then a 3-month wait) runs in parallel. The Ehrlichia test, the APHA certificate and the cargo booking fill the final weeks.

Airline guides

Air Mauritius
British Airways
Emirates SkyCargo

Breed guides

Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.

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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.

IATA · International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations