Pet Relocation · Abu Dhabi, UAE
Pet Relocation Abu Dhabi
We move pets into and out of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra — door collection across the emirate, permits filed, crate measured, customs cleared at both ends. The import rules themselves are federal, so they are the same as Dubai's.
Three things genuinely differ in the capital, and they matter: Abu Dhabi now requires every dog and cat living here to be registered, it is the only emirate you can fly a pet out of in the cabin, and arriving with a pet needs a customs document that Dubai does not ask for. All three are below.
What is actually different in Abu Dhabi
Import and export rules are set federally by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment for the whole country, so the permits, vaccinations and waiting periods are identical whichever emirate you live in. Anybody telling you the capital has its own import protocol is selling you something. What Abu Dhabi does have is three local differences.
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Pets living here must be registered
Since 3 February 2026, every dog and cat in the emirate must be registered with the authorities, with a fine of AED 1,000 for non-compliance. Dubai has no equivalent regime. If you are importing an animal into Abu Dhabi, there is a compliance step waiting for you after arrival that almost nobody mentions.
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It is the only UAE airport with cabin travel
Etihad carries small cats and dogs in the passenger cabin on its own flights to and from Abu Dhabi. Emirates carries none from Dubai at any price. For a small animal on a permitted route, flying from the capital is genuinely better than anything available an hour and a half up the road.
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Arrivals need a customs Bill of Entry
Guests travelling into Abu Dhabi with a pet need an Abu Dhabi Customs Bill of Entry, requested from the customs handler by email and submitted up to 48 hours before the flight. It is mandatory, it is easy, and it is the single most common thing people arrive without.
Local compliance
Abu Dhabi's mandatory pet registration
This came into force on 3 February 2026 and applies to every dog and cat living in the emirate — not only imported animals, and not only new arrivals. Individuals were given a one-year grace period and establishments six months, so if you have been here a while and have not done it, the window is closing rather than open.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who must register | Owners of all dogs and cats that are microchipped and older than 12 weeks, whether individuals or commercial establishments |
| Where | Through licensed veterinary clinics across Abu Dhabi, which upload the records to the TAMM system with the Department of Municipalities and Transport |
| Microchip | Only internationally recognised chips meeting UAE standards, readable by licensed clinics and linked accurately to the animal's record |
| Before a certificate is issued | Microchipping and all mandatory vaccinations must be complete |
| Fee | No registration fee at the time of writing, September 2026 |
| Certificate validity | One year, expiring on the same date as the pet's vaccination period — so renewal tracks the vaccination schedule |
| Penalty | AED 1,000 |
What this means for a move
Importing into Abu Dhabi: the animal clears customs federally, then you register it locally. We flag the step, tell you what your clinic will need, and time it against the vaccinations so the certificate does not expire awkwardly. It is not a service anyone can do on your behalf — a licensed vet has to upload the records — but you should not discover it from a fine.
Exporting out of Abu Dhabi: your registration and the vaccination record behind it make the export paperwork easier, because the microchip and vaccination data are already verified and linked. A well-registered pet is a straightforward export.
Registration is handled through the emirate's TAMM platform via a licensed veterinary clinic. Requirements and fees are set by the authorities and can change — confirm the current position with your clinic when you register.
Which airport should your pet fly from?
We are a Dubai company and we will still tell you honestly: for some Abu Dhabi residents, the capital is the better airport, and for others it is worth the 140 km drive to DXB. It depends almost entirely on the size of the animal and where it is going.
| Abu Dhabi (AUH) | Dubai (DXB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin travel | Yes — Etihad, pets up to 8 kg including carrier, on permitted routes | No — Emirates carries no cabin pets at all |
| Cargo options | Etihad Cargo, with pets handled and collected at the cargo terminal | Emirates SkyCargo plus most major carriers — more capacity, more frequencies |
| Route choice | Strong across Europe, Asia and the subcontinent | The widest long-haul network in the region, especially to the Americas and Australia |
| Summer capacity | Fewer flights means night-departure slots fill early | More frequencies, so more chance of a workable night departure |
| Getting there | Local for you | Roughly 140 km, about 90 minutes — we collect and drive |
The short version. A cat or small dog under 8 kg going to a destination Etihad permits should fly from Abu Dhabi, in the cabin, with you. It is cheaper, shorter and kinder than cargo. Anything larger, or going to the UK, the United States or Australia — all excluded from the cabin service — is a cargo shipment, and then the question becomes which airport has the right aircraft on the right day. We check both and tell you.
The cabin limits are firm: combined pet and carrier weight up to 8 kg, minimum age 16 weeks, an under-seat carrier of no more than 40 × 40 × 22 cm — or 50 × 43 × 50 cm if you buy an extra seat — no hard crates, and a Pets Onboard request filed online at least seven days before departure with vaccination records, microchip details and the UAE import permit. The fee starts at around USD 200 per pet per flight segment, or 29,000 Etihad Guest Miles; confirm the current figure at booking. Full detail in our Etihad pet policy guide.
On the day
Arriving into Abu Dhabi with a pet
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Request the Bill of Entry, up to 48 hours ahead
An Abu Dhabi Customs Bill of Entry is mandatory for guests travelling into the capital with a pet. It is requested from the customs handler by email and can be submitted up to 48 hours before the flight. On a managed move we do this for you; if you are arranging the move yourself, do not leave it to the airport.
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Immigration and baggage first
For a pet travelling with you, the MOCCAE veterinary officer's inspection happens in the customs clearance area after you have cleared immigration and collected your bags — not before. Have the original documents with you rather than in a checked suitcase.
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Veterinary inspection and clearance
The officer checks the microchip against the import permit, the health certificate and the vaccination record. Every number must match. Where documentation is complete there is no routine quarantine — more on when that changes in our UAE quarantine guide.
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Cargo arrivals are handled separately
A pet arriving as manifested cargo is not collected at the passenger terminal. It is handled and released through the Etihad Cargo terminal, to the consignee named on the air waybill — and only to that person, with identification matching the name exactly. The equivalent process at the other airport is in our Dubai airport walkthrough.
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Then register locally
Once your pet is home, the emirate registration above. Your clinic handles the upload; you need the microchip number and the vaccination record.
The federal requirements, briefly
Identical for Abu Dhabi and Dubai, because MOCCAE sets them nationally. In outline:
- MOCCAE import permit, filed online before travel.
- ISO 11784/11785 microchip, implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination — vaccinate first and the vaccination is not recognised.
- Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, within the previous 12 months, with the animal at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated.
- A rabies antibody test (FAVN, result ≥0.5 IU/ml) from high-risk countries only — not required from most of Europe, the UK, Singapore, Australia or New Zealand.
- Minimum age on arrival of 12 weeks from a low-risk country, 15 weeks from a high-risk one.
- A maximum of two pets imported per person per year.
- No routine quarantine where the documentation is complete and consistent.
The full picture is in our UAE pet import requirements guide and our MOCCAE permit guide. For the animal-specific detail see dog relocation and cat relocation, and for how the cargo process runs end to end, pet shipping. Inbound and outbound route guides: into the UAE and out of the UAE.
Most-run inbound routes into the capital: United Kingdom, United States and India.
Al Ain, Al Dhafra and outside the city
The emirate is considerably bigger than the island, and residents outside the city are usually told to bring the animal to a depot themselves. We collect from the address.
Al Ain
Around 160 km from the capital and 120 km from Dubai, which makes either airport workable. We collect from the door, and for Al Ain families the choice of airport is genuinely open — we pick on route quality rather than on which is closer to us.
Al Dhafra and the Western Region
Long drives and few local options. We plan the ground leg around the cargo acceptance window rather than the flight time, because acceptance closes two to four hours before passenger check-in and a delayed drive is the failure mode.
Yas, Saadiyat, Reem and the city
Straightforward door collection. Most moves from the city islands are collected the afternoon before an evening departure, with boarding overnight if the acceptance window demands it.
Pricing
What it costs from Abu Dhabi
The same published tiers we quote everywhere: Essentials from AED 4,000, Managed from AED 8,000, White Glove from AED 15,000, inclusive of 5% UAE VAT. Managed route bands run AED 12,000–18,000 from the UK and AED 13,000–20,000 from the United States, and those figures do not change because you are in the capital rather than Dubai.
Two honest notes on cost. Ground transport from Al Ain or Al Dhafra is a longer leg than a city collection and is priced accordingly, though it is a modest line against the whole move. And if your pet qualifies for Etihad's cabin service, the total is dramatically lower than a cargo shipment — that is a saving we will point you at even though it is a smaller job for us.
Full breakdown in our pet relocation cost guide, and for a real figure against your actual move, ask for a fixed quote — 24 hours, no obligation.
Experience
Why use a Dubai company in the capital
A fair question, and the answer is the cargo relationships. We hold direct accounts with Etihad Cargo as well as Emirates SkyCargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, IAG Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo and AFKLMP Cargo — so an Abu Dhabi move is booked on Etihad by us directly, not brokered through somebody else, and we can price both airports against each other in the same afternoon.
The drive is ninety minutes. Five hundred relocations, zero rejections, and a named coordinator who stays with you from the first call to the delivery confirmation regardless of which emirate you are in. For employers relocating staff into the capital's government, energy, aviation and university sectors, see our corporate service.
A recent move
A family on Saadiyat moving to Lisbon with two cats had been quoted for cargo out of Dubai by another operator. Both cats were under 8 kg, Portugal is a permitted destination on Etihad's cabin service, and one of them had never travelled. We filed the Pets Onboard requests, prepared the permits and health certificates, and both cats flew in the cabin from Abu Dhabi with the family — at a fraction of the cargo quote, on a shorter day, and fifteen minutes from their front door.
Sam Jamal founded Foufoufly after seeing how opaque this process is from the owner's side. The practice is IPATA-aligned and permits are filed against the current published requirements from MOCCAE and the destination authority. More about the team, and how a move runs.
FAQ
Pet relocation Abu Dhabi — frequently asked questions
Do I have to register my pet in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. Since 3 February 2026 every dog and cat living in the emirate must be registered if it is microchipped and older than 12 weeks, with a AED 1,000 fine for non-compliance. Registration goes through a licensed veterinary clinic, which uploads the medical, vaccination and microchip records to the TAMM system. There was no fee at the time of writing, and the certificate lasts a year, expiring with the vaccination period.
Are Abu Dhabi's pet import rules different from Dubai's?
No. Import and export rules are federal, set by MOCCAE for the whole UAE, so the permit, microchip, vaccination and waiting-period requirements are identical in both emirates. What differs locally is that Abu Dhabi requires resident pets to be registered, arrivals into the capital need an Abu Dhabi Customs Bill of Entry, and Etihad offers cabin travel from AUH that has no equivalent in Dubai.
Can my pet fly in the cabin from Abu Dhabi?
Yes, within limits — and Abu Dhabi is the only UAE airport where this is possible. Etihad carries cats and small dogs up to 8 kg including the carrier on its own flights to and from Abu Dhabi, with a minimum age of 16 weeks, an under-seat soft carrier of no more than 40 × 40 × 22 cm, and a Pets Onboard request filed at least seven days ahead. The UK, the United States, Australia and Hong Kong are among the excluded destinations, and anything above the limits travels as cargo.
What is the Abu Dhabi Customs Bill of Entry?
A mandatory customs document for guests travelling into Abu Dhabi with a pet. It is requested from the customs handler by email and can be submitted up to 48 hours before the flight. On a managed move we arrange it; if you are handling the move yourself it needs doing before you travel, not on arrival, and it is the single most common document people turn up without.
Should I fly my pet from Abu Dhabi or drive to Dubai?
A cat or small dog under 8 kg going to a destination Etihad permits should fly from Abu Dhabi in the cabin — cheaper, shorter and far less stressful than cargo. A larger animal, or one heading to the UK, the United States or Australia, travels as cargo, and then the deciding factor is which airport has the right aircraft on the right day. Dubai is about 140 km, roughly 90 minutes, and we collect from your door either way.
Do you collect from Al Ain and outside the city?
Yes — Al Ain, Al Dhafra and the Western Region as well as the city and the islands. We plan the ground leg around the cargo acceptance window rather than the departure time, because live-animal acceptance closes two to four hours before passenger check-in and a long drive is where that goes wrong. Al Ain sits between both airports, so we choose on route quality rather than proximity.
Moving a pet to or from Abu Dhabi?
Tell us the animal, its weight, the destination and your date. We will tell you which airport suits it, whether the cabin is an option, and what it costs — 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. Registration requirements are set by the Abu Dhabi authorities and can change.