Everything you need to navigate international pet relocation: import rules, customs, costs, timelines.
Difficult (dogs, UAE-vaccinated) / Moderate (dogs, US-vaccinated) / Easy (cats)
3–5 months (dogs, UAE-vaccinated) / 3–8 weeks (dogs, US-vaccinated) / 2–4 weeks (cats)
Varies by pathway and airline
None with a passing titer or US-vaccinated exception
Dogs vaccinated in the UAE must follow the full high-risk-country pathway, including a titer test and restricted ports of entry. Dogs with a valid US-issued rabies vaccination can skip both.
Issued by a MOCCAE-accredited veterinarian, valid for 30 days from issue.
MOCCAE-Accredited Veterinarian
A UAE vet accredited by MOCCAE issues the export health certificate required for every pet leaving the country.
Required (US-vaccinated exception only)
Dogs vaccinated in the UAE follow a different pathway that doesn’t involve USDA endorsement, but does require a CDC-approved titer test instead.
Within 30 Days (MOCCAE)
The MOCCAE health certificate is valid 30 days from issue. The CDC-side titer and waiting period run on a separate timeline.
Required
Bring original MOCCAE and CDC-related documents — copies are not accepted.
→ The UAE is a CDC high-risk country for dog rabies
→ Dogs vaccinated in the US may qualify for a simpler exception pathway
→ Dogs vaccinated in the UAE need a titer test and a 28-day wait
→ Every pet needs a MOCCAE export permit and health certificate
→ No airline offers in-cabin pet travel on this route
→ Summer heat embargoes (roughly May–September) affect scheduling
→ Assuming the foreign-vaccinated pathway applies when the US-vaccinated exception could apply
→ Vaccinating before microchipping
→ Booking travel during the May–September heat embargo without checking current restrictions
→ Letting the MOCCAE certificate and CDC titer timeline fall out of sync
→ Assuming Emirates or Etihad allow pets in the cabin
→ Assuming CBP pre-clearance is available in Abu Dhabi
→ Missing the 6-airport restriction for foreign-vaccinated dogs
Follow this timeline to make sure you complete everything on time for a smooth, stress-free travel day.
Dogs with a valid US-issued rabies vaccination can often skip the titer test and restricted-airport rule entirely.
Extreme Gulf heat affects live animal cargo broadly, and Emirates specifically restricts brachycephalic breeds to the cooler months.
Varies
No — if a valid titer test or US-vaccinated exception applies (otherwise up to 28 days)
Costs vary based on pet size, airline, season, and any additional Services.
Varies by pathway and airline
Typical total cost
Price in USD, Estimate only.
→ MOCCAE export permit
→ MOCCAE export health certificate
→ ISO microchip documentation
→ Rabies vaccination certificate
→ Rabies titer test result (UAE-vaccinated pathway only)
→ Completed CDC Dog Import Form
→ CDC-registered facility reservation (UAE-vaccinated pathway only)
Start with your origin country guide for route-specific requirements, timelines, and common pitfalls.
→ Depends on where the vaccination happened.
→ US-issued, USDA-endorsed rabies vaccination: no titer test required.
→ UAE-administered vaccination: titer result ≥0.5 IU/mL from a CDC-approved lab required, plus a 28-day wait after the blood draw.
→ MOCCAE governs your pet leaving the UAE — the export permit and health certificate.
→ The CDC governs your pet entering the United States.
→ You need to satisfy both, on separate timelines and separate paperwork.
→ No — neither Emirates nor Etihad offers in-cabin pet travel on US-bound flights.
→ Emirates accepts pets as checked baggage (within size limits) or manifest cargo.
→ Etihad accepts pets as manifest cargo only.
→ Yes — Gulf temperatures regularly exceed 40°C (104°F) from roughly May through September.
→ Emirates restricts brachycephalic breeds to the October–April window because of this.
→ Confirm current restrictions with your airline if moving during this period.
→ No — the CDC’s high-risk-country requirements apply to dogs only.
→ Your cat needs a MOCCAE export permit and health certificate to leave the UAE.
→ No titer test, vaccination proof, or CDC form is required for cats entering the US.
→ The blood draw must be repeated at least 30 days after a new, correctly-sequenced rabies vaccination.
→ This typically adds 4–5 months to your timeline.
→ Plus the cost of a repeat lab test.
→ It was reported temporarily closed during this research.
→ Confirm current status directly with Etihad or CBP.
→ Plan to select your actual US destination airport as the port of entry.
Our pet relocation experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
Moving a pet from the UAE to the United States is one of the more involved routes covered on this site — not because of one single hard rule, but because the process forks in two very different directions depending on where your dog’s rabies vaccination happened.
The UAE is a CDC high-risk country for dog rabies, which normally triggers a titer test, a 28-day wait, and arrival restricted to one of six US airports. But dogs with a valid US-issued, USDA-endorsed rabies vaccination can skip all of that and enter at any US port of entry. This matters most for American expats whose dog was vaccinated before the move to the UAE — confirm which pathway applies before you plan anything else.
Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) are the two relevant departure hubs, served by Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Cargo respectively. Neither airline offers pets in the passenger cabin on US-bound flights — this route is checked baggage or manifest cargo only. Etihad in particular has reported its Abu Dhabi CBP pre-clearance facility as temporarily closed, so confirm current status and plan to select your actual US destination airport as the port of entry.
Emirates SkyCargo bans snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds — French Bulldogs, Pugs, Shih Tzus, Persian cats, British Shorthairs, and crosses — year-round, with a narrow exception during the UAE winter (November–April) under specific conditions. If your pet is a brachycephalic breed, confirm current restrictions directly with the airline well before booking.
Gulf temperatures regularly exceed 40°C (104°F) from roughly May through September. This heat embargo is one of the more significant seasonal factors among the routes covered here, and it’s the direct reason Emirates restricts brachycephalic breeds to the cooler months. If you have flexibility, avoid booking cargo travel during peak summer.
Because the CDC restricts foreign-vaccinated dogs to six specific US airports — JFK, LAX, MIA, SFO, ATL, and IAD — your destination city may be dictated by your dog’s pathway rather than your own preference. US-vaccinated dogs and cats don’t face this restriction and can enter at any port of entry matching their CDC Dog Import Form.
For a US-vaccinated dog or a cat, most owners can manage this route themselves — the process is closer to a standard international move than an especially complex one. For a UAE-vaccinated dog going through the full titer pathway, a professional pet relocation service is worth serious consideration: coordinating the MOCCAE certificate’s 30-day validity against the CDC’s separate titer-and-28-day-wait timeline, while also booking a CDC-registered facility at one of six eligible airports, is exactly the kind of multi-deadline coordination a specialist is built for. If you’d like help managing it, compare vetted international pet relocation services to find the right fit.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
