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

5 days

Quarantine on arrival

Very High

Route complexity

Airlines on this route

Lead time needed

18-28 weeks

Quarantine

5 days

Route complexity

Very High

Airlines

3 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from United Kingdom to Mauritius typically takes around 18-28 weeks. Expect 5 days of quarantine on arrival. A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.

Regulations checked August 2026

Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team

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

Requirements

Mauritius entry requirements

Every item below must be in place before your pet can enter. We verify and track each one.

Microchip

Required, recorded on the permit, titre report and certificate.

Rabies vaccination

Required, with the titre blood draw at least 4 weeks after vaccination. Dogs also need distemper, infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus cover, current but not given within the final 2 weeks before dispatch.

Rabies titre test

Required. FAVN or RFFIT at an approved or WOAH reference laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml, sampled not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months before shipment, with a 3-month wait from the sampling date before travel.

Quarantine

Required: a minimum of 5 days at the government Quarantine Facility at Reduit, kennel space permitting. Widely-quoted 30-day figures do not match the official guidelines.

Import permit

Required from the Livestock and Veterinary Division, applied for at least 3 months before departure. No animal may be embarked for Mauritius without it. Issuance is conditional on quarantine kennel availability.

Health certificate

International Veterinary Certificate from the exporting country, endorsed by the competent authority, plus for dogs a negative Ehrlichia canis IFAT (at 1:40, within 45 days of departure) and a negative Brucella canis agglutination test.

Leaving United Kingdom

Export requirements

Export permit

APHA Export Health Certificate signed by an APHA-authorised Official Veterinarian, with all Mauritian test reports endorsed by the UK competent authority. Confirm the current pet EHC reference with APHA (pettravel@apha.gov.uk) when applying.

Veterinary inspection

Official Veterinarian examination and certification close to departure, plus the blood-test panel in the months before.

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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