Pet Air Cargo · Dubai, UAE
Pet Shipping Dubai
Foufoufly ships pets in and out of Dubai as manifested air cargo — crated to IATA standard, cleared through MOCCAE, and handed over at the destination by someone we know personally. We handle the permits, the crate, the vet appointments, the airline booking and the customs paperwork. You handle saying goodbye at the door and hello at the other end.
If you want to know what that costs, get a free pet shipping quote and we will come back with a real figure for your route, not a range.
What pet shipping actually means
Most people use "pet shipping", "pet relocation" and "flying with my dog" to mean the same thing. Airlines do not. There are three separate arrangements, and which one applies to you decides almost everything else — cost, crate, timeline, and whether you can even travel on the same aircraft.
Manifested cargo
Your pet travels as freight on its own air waybill, in a pressurised and temperature-controlled hold. It does not need to be on your flight. This is what pet shipping means in the trade, and for most moves into or out of Dubai it is the only option available.
Excess baggage
Your pet travels on your own ticket, checked in at the passenger terminal. Cheaper when available — but it is capped per aircraft, rarely confirmable far ahead, and withdrawn in hot weather. Several carriers have removed it from UAE routes entirely.
In cabin
The pet travels in a soft carrier under the seat in front of you. Strictly weight-limited, and most airlines operating to and from the UAE do not permit it except for registered assistance animals.
Cargo is not the harsh option. The hold used for live animals matches the cabin in pressure and temperature, animals are loaded last and unloaded first, and a cargo booking is the only route that gives you guaranteed confirmed space.
The practical answer for Dubai: almost every move we handle goes as manifested cargo. If in-cabin or excess baggage is genuinely available on your route, we will tell you — it is usually cheaper for you and less work for us, and we would rather you knew.
Service Tiers
What is included
Three tiers. The difference is how much of it lands on your desk.
| Included | Essentials | Managed | White Glove |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOCCAE import or export permit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airline booking and air waybill | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| IATA-compliant crate sourced and fitted | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export health certification | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customs clearance both ends | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vet appointment scheduling | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Door-to-door collection and delivery | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Crate acclimatisation plan | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Named coordinator, one point of contact | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pre-flight boarding and comfort stop | — | — | ✓ |
| Flight nanny accompaniment | — | — | ✓ |
| Live updates at every checkpoint | — | — | ✓ |
| Destination settling-in visit | — | — | ✓ |
All prices are quoted in AED and include 5% UAE VAT. Terms apply; service availability is subject to route and season.
Global Network
Routes we ship
Dubai is one of the best-connected cargo hubs in the world, which is the single biggest advantage of shipping a pet from here. Most destinations are a direct flight.
Into the UAE
Out of the UAE
Not listed? We ship worldwide — the routes above are simply the ones we run most often. For the full picture on either direction, see pet relocation to Dubai and pet relocation from Dubai.
Step by Step
How the shipping process works
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Route assessment
We confirm what your destination requires, what the airline will accept, and whether your pet's breed, age or size creates any restriction. Some countries need preparation to begin several months ahead; some breeds are refused by certain carriers outright.
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Permits and paperwork
The MOCCAE import or export permit, health certification, and whatever the destination authority requires — APHA for the UK, USDA for the US, DAFF for Australia. Our UAE pet import requirements guide covers the documentation in full.
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Veterinary schedule
Microchip verification, vaccinations, parasite treatment, and the rabies titre test where the destination demands it. The titre test is the step that most often derails a timeline, because the waiting period is fixed and cannot be shortened.
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Crate fitting
Measured to your pet, not bought off a shelf. An undersized crate is the most common reason a pet is turned away at the cargo terminal.
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Flight booking
Confirmed cargo space, routed for the shortest total journey rather than the cheapest fare. We avoid connections where we can and avoid the hottest departure windows entirely.
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Collection, flight, delivery
Collection from your door, lodgement at the cargo terminal, clearance at the destination, delivery to the new address. You get confirmation at each checkpoint.
Crates and what happens at the airport
Crates and containers
The crate is where most pet shipments go wrong. The IATA Live Animals Regulations set minimum dimensions based on your pet's measurements, and the airline checks them at acceptance. Too small and the shipment is refused. Too large and you pay for volumetric weight you did not need.
Your pet must stand fully upright without the ears touching the roof, turn around completely, and lie down naturally. Large and giant breeds often need a custom wooden container built to the IATA CR82 specification — we build these in Dubai to the animal's measurements.
Read the full crate guide → Pet shipping crates and IATA requirementsAt Dubai airport
Pets do not travel through the passenger terminal. Live animal shipments are lodged at the dedicated cargo facility, inspected, and held in a climate-controlled animal holding area until loading.
On arrival into Dubai your pet is offloaded, moved to the animal reception area, inspected by the MOCCAE veterinary officer, cleared through customs, and released to the consignee named on the air waybill. If that name is wrong, nobody can collect the animal — a surprisingly common and entirely avoidable delay.
Read the airport walkthrough → Pet cargo at Dubai airportShipping dogs and cats
Shipping a dog to Dubai
Dogs make up the majority of what we ship. The complications are usually breed-related: snub-nosed breeds face carrier restrictions or outright embargoes because of their breathing anatomy, and certain breeds are restricted or prohibited from entering the UAE altogether.
Size matters too. A large breed needs a bigger crate, which changes the volumetric weight, which changes the aircraft available, which changes the price. Establish the crate size early — it drives the whole quote.
Dog shipping Dubai — full guide → Dog shipping DubaiShipping a cat to Dubai
Cats are lighter, crate smaller, and cost less to ship than most dogs. The paperwork is identical. The difference is temperament: cats stress more in transit and benefit far more from crate acclimatisation in the weeks beforehand.
Flat-faced cats — Persians, Exotic Shorthairs, Himalayans — fall under the same brachycephalic restrictions that affect snub-nosed dogs on some carriers.
Cat shipping Dubai — full guide → Cat shipping DubaiPricing
What pet shipping to Dubai costs
The honest answer is that it depends on four things: the route, the crate size, the season, and how much of the work you want to do yourself.
Crate size is the one people underestimate. Airlines charge on volumetric weight, so a light dog in a large crate can cost more to ship than a heavier dog in a compact one. Season matters because summer heat embargoes push shipments onto night flights and narrower routing.
We quote a single fixed figure covering permits, crate, veterinary coordination, airline charges, clearance and delivery. No line items appearing later.
Experience
Why ship with Foufoufly
We are based in Dubai. Not represented here, not working through an agent — based here, with a team that knows the cargo staff at the terminal by name. When a shipment needs a decision at two in the morning, the person making it is in the same time zone as your pet.
Every move is run by a named coordinator who stays with you from the first call to the delivery confirmation. You will not repeat your pet's medical history to four different people.
A recent move
A family relocating from Manchester to Dubai with two Labradors came to us six weeks before their flights, having already booked a crate that was one size too small for the larger dog. We remeasured both animals, rebuilt the crate specification, brought the titre test schedule forward to fit the window, and both dogs arrived on a direct flight and were home the same afternoon.
Sam Jamal, our founder, has spent his career in pet transport and is an IPATA-certified specialist. More about the team.
Regulations change. We work to the current published requirements from MOCCAE and the destination authority, and we verify them per shipment rather than working from memory.
FAQ
Pet shipping Dubai — frequently asked questions
Is shipping a pet as cargo safe?
Yes. Live animals travel in a pressurised, temperature-controlled hold with the same conditions as the cabin. They are loaded last and unloaded first to minimise time on the ground, and cargo is the only booking type that guarantees confirmed space on the aircraft.
How long does pet shipping from Dubai take?
The flight is usually the shortest part. Preparation is what sets the timeline — typically a few weeks for straightforward destinations and several months where a rabies titre test and a fixed waiting period apply, such as the UK or Australia. We build the schedule backwards from your moving date.
Can my pet travel on the same flight as me?
Sometimes, as manifested cargo on the same aircraft, subject to space. Your pet will still be collected and released through the cargo terminal rather than the passenger terminal, so you will not travel together in the ordinary sense.
What documents does my pet need to enter the UAE?
A MOCCAE import permit, an ISO-standard microchip, a current rabies vaccination, an export health certificate issued by an approved veterinarian, and any additional treatments the UAE requires for your origin country. Full detail in our UAE pet import requirements guide.
Which airlines will ship my pet to Dubai?
Several carriers accept live animals into Dubai, and which one suits you depends on your origin, the season and your pet's crate size. We compare them in which airlines fly pets to Dubai.
Do you ship pets out of Dubai as well as in?
Yes. Outbound is roughly half of what we do — families leaving the UAE for the UK, Australia, Europe and North America. See exporting your pet from Dubai.
Ready to ship your pet?
Tell us the route and the pet. We will come back with a fixed quote and a realistic timeline — usually within one working day.
hello@foufoufly.com · +971 50 451 0918
Subject to eligibility. Terms apply. All prices in AED, inclusive of 5% UAE VAT.