Taking a dog or cat abroad from India: AQCS export NOC, microchip, rabies titre and airline steps

India has no pet passport, so these are the four papers that replace it

India issues no pet passport, and no Indian vet or office can issue one; the papers that do the same job for a dog or cat leaving India are an ISO microchip certificate, a rabies vaccination record, a rabies antibody titre report where the destination demands one, and the AQCS Certificate of Health for Export (Pet Animals). The destination's own rule decides which of the four it will read, and the order in which they must have been done.

A pet passport is a European document. GOV.UK says "Your pet passport must be issued by an authorised vet", lists the EU countries and 19 territories from Andorra to the Vatican City State as the only places that issue one, and adds that "Only vets in EU countries can enter rabies vaccination details into an EU pet passport";. The European Commission's own list of non-EU territories whose passports it accepts, Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, names 10 places, and India is not one of them.

In India the phrase is used loosely for the vaccination book. Air India's document line reads "Pet passport, vaccination record, health & rabies certificates, indemnity forms";, and the AQCS FAQ answers "a certificate issued by the Indian government is required. What kind of document is this?" with one name, the "CERTIFICATE OF HEALTH FOR EXPORT (PET ANIMALS)";. A printed record book bought online is a notebook, not a travel document, and the fifth Google India result for the query on 18 September 2026 was a shopping page selling one.

The four documents required by every destination on this page are listed below, with who issues each one in India.

• Microchip certificate. Implanted "by any registered veterinary practitioner under his/her certification"; the chip must read on an ISO 11784 or ISO 11785 scanner, or the owner brings a reader, and its 15-digit number must appear on every later record.
• Rabies vaccination record. An inactivated or recombinant vaccine given at 12 weeks of age or older, on or after the microchip date, with the manufacturer, product name, batch number and validity dates written in European Commission. The Indian timing is on the dog vaccination schedule and cat vaccination schedule guides.
• Rabies antibody titre report. A blood test showing neutralising antibody of at least 0.5 IU/ml, from a laboratory the destination accepts, needed for the UK, the EU, Singapore, the UAE and for dogs to the US National Parks Board Singapore UAE Ministry of Climate Change… US Centers for Disease Control….
• AQCS Certificate of Health for Export (Pet Animals). Issued at one of six Animal Quarantine and Certification Services stations after the officer examines the animal, "Normally issued on the same day", valid for 10 days Animal Quarantine and Certification….

The sequence and the calendar: microchip, vaccinate, wait, test, wait, certify, fly

To take a dog or cat abroad from India, do seven things in a fixed order, and the clock that matters most starts on the day a rabies dose goes in after the microchip. For a titre destination such as Great Britain, the EU or Singapore the shortest lawful timeline from that dose to arrival is about four months by the destinations' own arithmetic; for Canada it is the day the vaccination certificate is signed.

The seven steps are set out below in the order the destination rules impose them.

1. Microchip the animal. Any registered veterinary practitioner in India can implant the chip. Keep the certificate: the number goes on the vaccination record, the titre form, the AQCS application and the destination certificate National Parks Board Singapore.
2. Vaccinate against rabies, on or after the chip date, at 12 weeks or older. The EU and Great Britain count the vaccine as valid from 21 days after the primary course GOV.UK, Department for Environment; the CDC wants the first dose at least 28 days before a dog enters the US and refuses any dose given before 84 days of age to a dog from a high-risk country.
3. Draw blood for the titre. At least 30 days after the vaccine for Great Britain, the EU and the US, at least 28 days for Singapore, and at least 21 days for the UAE after a first vaccination US Centers for Disease Control… National Parks Board Singapore UAE Ministry of Climate Change…. One Indian relocation agent's published routine is 2 to 4 ml of blood, serum separated by the vet, couriered abroad in 5 to 7 days, with the result 2 to 3 weeks after the serum reaches the laboratory.
4. Wait out the destination's period. Three months from the sample date before entering Great Britain; not less than 90 days between the sample and the EU certificate date; at least 90 days and within 12 months before export to Singapore; at least 28 days between the sample and entry to the US; no waiting period for the UAE or Canada Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
5. Apply for the destination's permit or form. A UAE import permit, valid 90 days, at AED 200; a Singapore dog or cat licence, then an import licence at S$50, valid 90 days, and a quarantine booking; the free online CDC Dog Import Form plus a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility; an Australian import permit applied for after the titre, issued in 20 to 40 business days.
6. Book the flight. Air India confirms a cabin pet after document verification 48 hours before departure and needs a health certificate issued within 7 days of the flight.
7. Take the animal to the AQCS. Confirm an appointment 7 days ahead by mail or telephone, bring the pet, the originals and one photocopy of everything, and leave with the export certificate, normally the same day; it is valid for 10 days, so this is the last step, not the first Animal Quarantine and Certification….

The AQCS visit sits inside the last 10 days, the airline booking inside the last 48 hours, and everything else earlier. AirPets India, a relocation agent, publishes the same shape: microchip, vaccinate, wait 30 days, titre, wait 90 days, crate 30 to 45 days out, airline slot 15 to 30 days out.

The AQCS export certificate: which station, what to bring, the Rs 500 fee and the 10-day validity

The AQCS Certificate of Health for Export (Pet Animals) comes from one of six Animal Quarantine and Certification Services stations, is normally issued on the day the officer examines the animal, is valid for 10 days, and carries a processing charge of Rs 500 under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying order of 28 April 2025.

The station is the one for your departure airport. The AQCS FAQ counts six, "New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad";, and Air India's policy says "You can import or export your pet only from the airport mentioned in your permit";. The AQCS export page calls the paper both an "Export certificate" and, in its note, the "NOC", a no objection certificate; that NOC and the "certificate issued by the Indian government" a foreign authority asks for are one document.

The AQCS export page lists 11 things to bring, and the animal heads the list. They are set out below as the page gives them.

• The pet, for examination by the officer.
• A veterinary health certificate, "Fit to fly by road/Air/Train", from any local registered veterinarian.
• The microchip certificate.
• The vaccination details of the pet; the application form's own list asks for the "Last One Year vaccination details of pet";.
• A copy of the owner's passport and of the air ticket.
• The airway bill, if the pet is going as cargo.
• An authority letter, if someone other than the owner attends; the form describes it as an authority "to receive the NOC from this office on behalf of owner";.
• Any specific requirement of the importing country, "like- Import permit, Blood titre test etc.".
• Two postcard-size photographs of the pet, 4 x 6 inches, light facing.
• A photocopy of every document, brought with the originals.
• The application proforma, one per pet, from the Applications and Formats page, headed "Application for Import/Export of Pet Animals, Aquatic/Other Animals, Birds & Poultry (Chicks)" with boxes for the microchip number, the rabies vaccination date, validity and batch number, the country and place of embarkation and disembarkation and the health certificate number.

Timing is fixed by two lines on the AQCS pages. Documents go to the quarantine office with the animal "7 days prior to embarkation for obtaining the NOC with prior appointment", confirmed "either on mail / Telephone before visiting the office";. The certificate is "Normally issued on the same day" under the service's Single Day Decision Policy, and "Export certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue / Examination in AQCS";. A pet that "is not of eligible age for any vaccination" is examined against "the vaccination record of mother";.

The fee is in a scanned order the ranking pages do not quote. The DAHD's administrative approval of 28 April 2025, File No. L-110111/9/2024-Trade, fixes "The processing charges for export certifications issued by AQCSs" at "Rs.500/- as token charges" from 1 May 2025 and says "Cash/DD/other instruments will not be entertained except online payment through Bharatkosh Portal". The AQCS charges page links it as "Animal Quarantine charges wef. 01.05.2025 (New)". Divided by 84.38 the Rs 500 is 5.93 and divided by 74 it is 6.76, a rupee-native tariff line.

What the certificate is not

The AQCS certificate is not a titre, not an import permit and not the destination's own certificate. The FAQ tells an owner "to check the health conditions of importing country including testing, quarantine, etc." and adds that "AQCS, India will help complete the documents as per requirements";. That help is where the destination's forms go: the Great Britain certificate must be "signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian (OV)";, the CDC form "endorsed by an official government veterinarian in the country where the dog is coming from";, and Singapore's certificate has a Section IV for "the exporting country's official government veterinarian";. Bring those forms, filled in by your own vet, to the same AQCS appointment.

Destination by destination: what seven countries ask of a dog or cat from India

Seven destinations, read from their own pages on 18 September 2026, ask seven different things of an animal from India: Canada wants only a rabies vaccination certificate, Great Britain, the EU and Singapore want a titre and a wait, the United States wants a titre or 28 days of quarantine for a dog and nothing for a cat, the UAE wants a titre with no wait, and Australia will not take the animal from India at all.

Great Britain

India is absent from GOV.UK's table of listed countries, so a pet from India is "not listed" and needs the Great Britain pet health certificate and the rabies blood test on top of the chip, the vaccine and, for a dog, the tapeworm dose. The animal arrives as cargo unless on a chartered private plane or as a recognised assistance dog, and one that fails the rules "may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months" at the owner's cost.

European Union

The EU rule for a non-listed country is Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, and India is on neither Annex I nor Annex II of the listing regulation, while the UAE, Singapore, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia all are. The pet travels with its owner or within 5 days of the owner, at most 5 animals, on a certificate in the Annex III model of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705; certificates on the older Annex IV model stay usable only if issued before 1 October 2026, and dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway need a praziquantel dose 24 to 120 hours before arrival.

United States

India is on the CDC's list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, updated 15 April 2026, so a dog that has been in India in the last 6 months needs the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, a rabies serology titer report from a CDC-approved laboratory or 28 days of quarantine, a care-facility reservation and the free CDC Dog Import Form. The dog must land at its facility's airport: Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Seattle (cargo only) or Washington Dulles. A cat needs none of it: "Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States";.

Canada

Canada is the simplest destination on this page for a vaccinated pet. The CFIA's import tool answers a personal dog 8 months or older from a country that is not rabies-free with "a valid rabies vaccination certificate" and "the dog appears healthy and meets humane transportation requirements", and a domestic cat 3 months or older with the certificate alone. Commercial dogs are the exception: since 28 September 2022 Canada prohibits commercial dogs from high-risk rabies countries, a list that names India, so a dog for resale, adoption, fostering or breeding cannot enter at all.

Australia

Australia does not accept a cat or dog exported from India. DAFF lists Group 1 (New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Cocos Islands), Group 2 (27 places including Singapore, Japan and Bahrain) and Group 3 (about 70 places including the UAE, the UK, the US, Canada and the EU states), and says "If your country is not in this list, it means it is not approved"; the owner must "spend at least 180 days in the approved country". The Group 3 dog guide counts the 180 days "from the date the RNATT sample arrives at the laboratory", says the period "is NOT a quarantine period", and issues most permits in 20 to 40 business days.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE's MOCCAE page, modified 11 September 2026, treats India as high-risk because it is absent from the ministry's low-risk list of about 50 places. An individual may import 2 companion animals a year; the animal must be at least 15 weeks old, vaccinated for a dog against distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and leptospirosis as well as rabies, and treated for parasites within 14 days of shipment, and a non-compliant pet is "rejected (on its owner expenses) or confiscated";. The banned-breed list names the Bully Kutta by its Indian name alongside Pit Bull types and the Tibetan Mastiff.

Singapore

Singapore puts India in Schedule III, "Any country/region except countries/regions listed under Schedule I and II", which carries the longest quarantine on this page, "post-arrival quarantine of at least 30-days" at the Animal Quarantine Centre with a rabies vaccination on arrival. The order of business is a dog or cat licence on PALS, then the import licence, a GST permit, an inspection appointment 5 days ahead, and the parasite treatment and certificate 2 to 7 days before export.

The rabies titre from India: no Indian laboratory is on the EU or CDC list, so the serum travels

No laboratory in India appears on the European Commission's list of designated rabies serology laboratories outside the EU or on the CDC's list of approved laboratories, both opened on 18 September 2026, so a blood sample drawn in Chennai, Delhi or Mumbai is couriered abroad as separated serum and the result comes back in two to three weeks.

The EU page lists designated laboratories in 22 non-EU countries, among them Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States, and India is not on it. GOV.UK sends the sample to "an EU-approved blood testing laboratory from either inside the EU or outside the EU", the same list. The CDC's list, updated 13 July 2026, has no Indian entry either: "If there is no CDC-approved laboratory in your country, the veterinarian can send it to the closest CDC-approved laboratory", and the closest are Thailand's National Institute of Animal Health, the UAE's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory and the Philippines' Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, with the UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency and Kansas State University further away.

Two destinations word the laboratory rule differently. The UAE accepts a report "from a laboratory accredited by the competent authorities in the country of export";, the only wording on this page under which an Indian laboratory could qualify. Singapore accepts "a WOAH reference laboratory for rabies" or a laboratory in a Schedule I or II country approved by that country. Ask the laboratory, not the agent, which authorities have designated it, and keep its official report: the EU wants it attached to the certificate, and the CDC will not accept a result relayed through a third-party laboratory.

The cost is printed by one Indian relocation agent and by nobody official. PAWsome.in's titre infographic, a file dated March 2022, charges INR 25,000 to collect the serum and signed forms, package and courier them "to an internationally recognised lab", pay the test and return the result, plus a refundable INR 10,000 deposit to rent a microchip scanner; its routine is 2 to 4 ml of blood, serum that "stays good for 10-15 days in travel", 5 to 7 days in the courier and a result 2 to 3 weeks after the serum arrives. Divided by 84.38 the INR 25,000 is 296.3 and divided by 74 it is 337.8, so it is a rupee-native price, and it is one company's list price with the laboratory's own fee not itemised.

The ways a titre report fails are listed below, each taken from a rule above.

• The sample was drawn under 30 days after the vaccine for Great Britain, the EU or the US, or under 28 days for Singapore European Commission US Centers for Disease Control… National Parks Board Singapore.
• The vaccine was given before the microchip, which voids the vaccine and therefore the titre GOV.UK, Department for Environment.
• The laboratory is not on the destination's list, however good its report looks European Commission.
• The result is under 0.5 IU/ml, which Australia answers with "You must re-vaccinate and repeat the RNATT";.
• A booster lapsed after the test, which restarts the vaccine, the 30 days and the sample for the EU, Great Britain and the US GOV.UK, Department for Environment US Centers for Disease Control….
• The microchip cannot be read on the day, which for Great Britain means rechipping, revaccinating and new blood tests.

The airline step: Air India's fees, documents, and the four countries it will not carry a pet to in the cabin

Air India carries domesticated dogs and cats in the cabin up to 10 kg including the kennel, as checked baggage from 10 to 32 kg, and as cargo above 32 kg, charges INR 7,500 a sector for a cabin pet within India and USD 140 to USD 225 abroad, and does not accept a pet in the cabin on flights to the United States, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom.

The booking runs through customer support or an airport counter, with the documents verified 48 hours before departure; the pet sits in an aisle seat of the last five economy rows, at most 2 pets per cabin, in a soft kennel of 17 x 10 x 9 inches under the seat. The pet must be at least 8 weeks old and neither pregnant nor sedated, the health certificate must be issued within 7 days before departure, an indemnity form goes in two copies for a direct flight and four for a connection, and the owner reports 3 hours before the flight.

The route bans matter more than the fees. Air India is "unable to transport your pet into or out of" the USA, Canada and Australia in the cabin or as checked baggage, carries pets to the UK "only as cargo" at London Heathrow and Gatwick, and does not allow a pet in the cabin on flights departing India for the UAE. GOV.UK says the same from the other side: "Pets have to travel as cargo on a plane" unless it is a chartered private plane or a recognised assistance dog. The CDC adds that a dog from India must arrive at the airport of its registered care facility, and Seattle takes cargo only. The pet leaves India only from the airport named in its AQCS permit.

Divided by 84.38 the INR 7,500 cabin fee is 88.9 and divided by 74 it is 101.4; the INR 16,000 checked fee is 189.6 and 216.2. Neither is a converted figure. Other Indian carriers' rules, cabin sizes and fees are on the pets on flights in India guide; this page opened only Air India's policy.

What taking a pet abroad from India costs, itemised, and what no page prints

The official Indian charge is Rs 500, the microchip Rs 1,250 to Rs 1,500, a rabies dose from Rs 699, a titre through one relocation agent INR 25,000 all-in, and the airline fee INR 7,500 to USD 350 a sector, so a titre destination costs about Rs 35,000 in published Indian figures before the crate, the agent and the destination's own fees.

None of the eight figures divides to a round number of dollars at either rate, so none is a converted price list. The Vetic figure is a "Starts at" promotional floor from one chain, and municipal clinics give the rabies dose for far less, as the dog vaccination schedule guide sets out. The PAWsome titre price is one company's list price from a 2022 image.

The destination adds its own official lines: AED 200 for the UAE permit and AED 500 to release a dog or AED 250 a cat; S$50 or S$100 for Singapore's import licence, S$133 an hour for an inspection without an appointment, and the 30-day quarantine on top; a free CDC form but "All costs at CDC-registered animal care facilities are the responsibility of the importer";; and in Australia "Fees apply for our services, such as permit assessment and quarantine" after 180 days of living abroad. Canada prints no fee for a personal pet.

What no page prints is the rest of the bill: the IATA crate, the agent's service charge, cargo freight and the boosters that keep the titre alive. AirPets puts 10 to 15 days on the paperwork alone and tells owners to buy the crate 30 to 45 days out. Treat any all-in quote as that agency's price on that date for that animal, never as the cost of taking a pet abroad from India.

Coming back to India, and the breeds and adoptees that need extra planning

A dog or cat that leaves India with the AQCS export certificate comes back as a re-import rather than a fresh import, which is why the AQCS FAQ says to take the certificate even for a short trip; and three groups of animals need extra planning before they leave: adopted Indian dogs with no vaccination history, dogs whose weight puts them in cargo, and flat-faced breeds the airline will not put there.

The AQCS FAQ is explicit: "When going on a short trip, AQCS export health certificate should be taken. Pet when entering India will be treated as re-import";. What re-import means at the Indian border, the Advance NOC, the seven ports and the Rs 1,000 charge, is on the how to import a dog to India guide. The UAE mirrors the idea: a returning resident pet must have left with a ministry certificate and hold a rabies vaccination still valid on return. Keep the boosters current while abroad, because a lapse restarts the titre for the EU, Great Britain and the US GOV.UK, Department for Environment US Centers for Disease Control….

Adopted Indies and unknown histories

An adopted Indian Pariah Dog travels on the same papers as a pedigree dog, and the paper it most often lacks is a dated rabies record given after a microchip. Every destination on this page counts only vaccines given on or after the chip date, so a rescued dog with a shelter vaccination card but no chip starts at step one: chip, dose, 30 days, sample, 90 days US Centers for Disease Control… European Commission. The CDC also refuses, for a dog from a high-risk country, any rabies dose given before 84 days of age "regardless of manufacturer product licensing";. A cat going to the US needs none of this at the federal border.

Big dogs and flat faces

Air India's 32 kg line is the combined weight of the animal and its carrier, so an adult Labrador Retriever or German Shepherd in an IATA crate is at or over it and goes as cargo, the only way Air India carries a pet to the UK, the US, Canada or Australia anyway. The opposite problem is the flat face: "Snub-nosed or flat-faced breeds (brachycephalic) are not permitted in the cargo compartment", so a Persian cat flies Air India only in the cabin under 10 kg, which leaves no Air India route at all for a Persian to Britain, North America or Australia. Breed bans are a third check: the UAE names the Bully Kutta, Singapore bars Pit Bull types, the Akita and the Tosa, Great Britain refuses a banned breed without a Certificate of Exemption, and Australia has "certain breeds of dog that are prohibited from import";.