The Emirates require an import permit obtained before departure, a rabies antibody test, and a health certificate drawn up within the twenty-four hours before the flight. It is that last window which makes the file fragile.
Sources checked on
The usual foundation — microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate — applies here as elsewhere. It is set out in the general requirements guide. Three requirements set the Emirates apart from European destinations.
MOCCAE issues a permit before the animal arrives. Without it, the dog does not enter. The portal that issues it recognises only one sign-in method, an Emirati digital identity: an owner based in France cannot always apply for it themselves.
Validity of the permit: 90 days according to MOCCAE, 30 days according to the US veterinary service. Plan for 30 days.
France does not appear on the list of low-risk countries published by MOCCAE. A dog leaving France therefore falls under the high-risk country regime: a blood sample taken by an authorised vet, analysis in an approved laboratory, a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and a minimum age of fifteen weeks.
The French health certificate model attests that the dog was examined within the twenty-four hours before shipment. The veterinary examination and the DDPP legalisation must both fit inside that window.
A flight delayed by more than 24 hours makes the certificate non-compliant.
The permit is issued by MOCCAE, on its website, before importation. The service is called "Import of pets (cats / dogs)" (MOCCAE). The Canadian and US veterinary authorities both confirm that it must be obtained before travelling (CFIA, USDA APHIS).
The application is filed on the ministry's digital services portal, after opening an account. That portal offers a single sign-in method: UAE PASS, the Emirati national digital identity (MOCCAE portal).
The official UAE PASS documentation contradicts itself about non-residents. One answer states that a person without an Emirates ID has only a "Basic" account, limited to certain services. Two others state that a visitor present in the Emirates can have their account verified with a passport or a GCC identity card. None says whether the pet import service accepts a "Basic" account (UAE PASS).
Remember: do not assume that you will file the application yourself from France. Plan to go through an Emirati company holding a MOCCAE licence for animal care activities that covers the import and export of pets. The form published by the ministry does provide for the signature of "the importer or representative", but no official page describes how such a mandate works.
Time and fees. The ministry states one working day to issue the permit, and five working days for a service, emotional support or medical dog. The federal fees are 200 per animal for the permit, and 500 per dog for the release request on arrival, payable by card (MOCCAE). The official page shows these amounts without writing the currency, in English or in Arabic.
Validity of the permit: 90 days according to MOCCAE, 30 days according to USDA APHIS. No source explains the gap. Arrange for the dog to arrive fewer than 30 days after the permit is issued: a permit treated as expired blocks importation.
The supporting documents. The ministry's page states that no document is required to apply for the permit of a pet dog. Yet the form published by that same ministry asks for the sampling date of the rabies antibody test (MOCCAE form), and the Dubai Customs FAQ asks for a copy of the passport with a residence visa, citing a ministry that no longer exists under that name (Dubai Customs). Prepare the complete file: it is the most demanding version that will be held against you at the counter.
The permit number is copied onto the French health certificate, in the box provided for it. The permit must therefore already exist when you attend your DDPP appointment.
If you fly on somewhere else. A dog that crosses Emirati territory to continue to another country needs a prior transit permit. That permit is not required for an air transit within the same airport, provided the animal is kept isolated from any other animal (MOCCAE).
Mainland France does not appear on the list of low-risk countries published by MOCCAE, neither in the English version nor in the Arabic one. French Polynesia and New Caledonia do appear on it, as do Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The ministry publishes no list of high-risk countries: the classification of France is deduced from its absence (MOCCAE).
For a dog leaving France, that has three consequences. Its minimum age at importation is fifteen weeks, against twelve for a low-risk country. A rabies antibody titration certificate is required, issued by a laboratory approved by the authorities of the exporting country. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
The rabies vaccine itself cannot be given before the age of twelve weeks. How long it remains valid is set by the vaccine manufacturer: MOCCAE imposes no duration in months.
The interval between the vaccination and the blood sample. MOCCAE and the French certificate model require at least twenty-one days after a first vaccination, or after a vaccination that follows a lapse. If the dog has a booster still in date, the blood sample can be taken straight away (certificate AE_AMC_MAI_26). The official information sheet of the Île-de-France DDPPs requires thirty days (DRIAAF Île-de-France).
Remember: aim for thirty days between the vaccination and the blood sample. Twenty-one days complies with the Emirati rule, but it is a French official vet who legalises your certificate, and they may apply their own.
How long the test remains valid. The titration certificate is valid for 365 days, provided the rabies vaccination remains valid and continuous and no booster has been given in the meantime. A booster given after the blood sample voids the test, which must be done again (MOCCAE). Yet service-public.fr, the French public service portal, states that the rabies vaccine is boosted every year (service-public.fr). Line up the booster calendar with the travel calendar, or the test falls.
The laboratory must be an approved one. The list kept by the French Ministry of Agriculture, version 17 of 20 November 2025, holds three: Anses, rabies and wildlife laboratory, at Malzéville; Laboratoire départemental Eau - Vétérinaire - Air, at Launaguet; INOVALYS, at Le Mans (Ministry of Agriculture). A test carried out anywhere else exposes you to a refusal of legalisation.
No official source sets a waiting period between the test result and arrival in the Emirates. The three-month period you may know for entry into the European Union does not apply here.
A point of form that sinks files. A rabies vaccination given in a European Union country has regulatory value only if it is recorded in the animal's EU pet passport. An ordinary vaccination record book is not enough, however complete it may be (DRIAAF Île-de-France).
The French health certificate model for the Emirates carries the reference AE_AMC_MAI_26. It attests that the animal "was examined visually within the 24 hours before shipment" and showed no sign of disease (certificate AE_AMC_MAI_26).
That certificate must then be signed by an official vet of the DDPP, the state veterinary service of the department. This legalisation is done in person, on production of the original documents, never remotely. The appointment is booked at least fifteen days before departure according to the Val-de-Marne DDPP (Val-de-Marne prefecture), at least two weeks in advance according to the Île-de-France DDPPs.
The veterinary examination and the legalisation must therefore both fall within the twenty-four hours before take-off.
Remember: the generic timetable published by the Île-de-France DDPPs provides for validation "at D-2" and an appointment "within the 48 hours before departure". Applied to the Emirates, that timetable produces a non-compliant certificate. Tell your DDPP that the country requires 24 hours.
The risk if the flight slips. If the aircraft takes off more than twenty-four hours after the examination, the certificate no longer attests what is required. A fresh examination and a fresh legalisation are needed, in person, when the appointment is booked fifteen days ahead. A delay caused by weather, a slot or a crew can therefore cost the trip. Tell us as soon as a change of time is being considered: it is the most fragile point in the file.
A stopover changes the file. MOCCAE requires the dog to be shipped directly from the exporting country; if the aircraft crosses another country, the animal must not be mixed with any other animal during the transit (MOCCAE). The French model also includes a declaration to be signed by the owner or the carrier, certifying that the dog was not in contact with any other animal during that transit. Tell us about any stopover, including a technical one.
The opening days and hours of your DDPP for a departure at the weekend or on a public holiday: to be checked when you book the appointment.
Which DDPP? The official sources differ. The Île-de-France and Val-de-Marne DDPPs point to the one where the animal lives. The Manche prefecture points to the one the treating vet who issued the documents reports to (Manche prefecture). In some departments the service is called DDETSPP. Ask the question before booking.
Two signatures are needed. That of your own vet, who must hold the habilitation sanitaire — the state authorisation to issue official documents — in the department where they practise, and who must initial every page, including every page of the laboratory results. Then that of the official vet of the DDPP. Without that second signature, the animal can be refused entry, quarantined or put down in the destination country: it is the DDPP itself that writes this.
One last point, unpleasant but real: the French model is classified as a modèle officiel non négocié, an official model that has not been negotiated with the Emirates, on the Expadon2 portal. The DDPPs state that they cannot be held responsible if the model supplied does not match what the destination country expects. The only way to remove that doubt is a written confirmation from MOCCAE, at [email protected].
MOCCAE bans the following dogs from entering the Emirates: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Tibetan Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, Boerboel, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Bully Kutta, Perro de Presa Canario and Japanese Tosa (MOCCAE). Five of them are common in France: the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Cane Corso and the Bullmastiff.
The list comes from Ministerial Resolution No. 190 of 2021, which replaced Annex 2 of Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 on the possession of dangerous animals (Resolution 190/2021). That law prohibits possessing, breeding and trading these dogs, and its definition of trade expressly includes transport and import (Federal Law 22/2016). The ministry states that only the Arabic text is authoritative.
The case of crossbreeds. Neither the MOCCAE import page nor the annex in force since 2021 says anything about crossbreeds. Three official sources nonetheless point the other way. The original version of the annex, which the ministry still publishes in English translation, covered any mixed breed of those breeds or their hybrid, as well as the Rottweiler, the Dobermann and the Boxer. The US veterinary service uses the same wording for the Emirates (USDA APHIS). And the French certificate model has a box to tick for "pure breed" or "crossbreed" before the official vet certifies that the dog belongs to none of the restricted breeds.
Remember: until MOCCAE has answered in writing, assume that a dog crossed with one of these breeds will be refused. Have the question put before you book, not the evening before you board.
The method used on arrival to determine the breed, visual examination or pedigree required, is described in no official source.
The exception for assistance dogs. The ban does not apply to dogs used as service dogs, emotional support dogs or for medical purposes. Three documents are then required: a certified document from a training centre, a medical report on the owner's state of health, both certified by the competent authority in the country of origin, and a pledge not to transfer the dog, not to abandon it and not to breed from it. The time to issue the permit then goes from one to five working days.
Two animals per person per year. A private individual may import at most two pets per person per year: two dogs, two cats, or one dog and one cat. Resident animals returning to the Emirates are not counted (MOCCAE). A family travelling with three dogs must therefore spread the permits across several people. The fees, for their part, are charged per animal.
What the texts say about carriage. MOCCAE requires dogs to be transported according to IATA conditions for pet animal transport. The French certificate model goes further: at its point 5, it attests that the animal "will be transported in accordance with IATA conditions in a transport box or crate", whose characteristics it sets out (certificate AE_AMC_MAI_26). The US veterinary service, for departures from the United States, requires carriage as manifested cargo (USDA APHIS). The FAQ of Al Maktoum airport answers that animals are not allowed in hand luggage (DWC airport).
No official Emirati source addresses the case of a dog travelling in the cabin of a private jet.
If the conditions of carriage do not match what the certificate attests, the dog faces the same consequences as a non-compliant file: refusal at the owner's expense or confiscation according to the ministry's page, detention in quarantine or in an approved shelter at the owner's expense then re-export according to Ministerial Resolution No. 21 of 2025 (Resolution 21/2025). This point is therefore settled before booking, never on arrival.
Remember: the conditions of travel on board for this flight are confirmed to you before booking. We do not ask you to commit on this point before giving you a firm, written answer, specific to your flight and to your dog.
Release on arrival. The dog is examined at the point of entry, then released once its compliance has been checked. The ministry's page provides for no quarantine for a compliant animal. The procedure involves an electronic form, an online payment, a visual inspection of the animal, then the electronic issue of a release permit (MOCCAE).
The documents required for that release are a customs declaration or a transport document showing the delivery data, the passport or the vaccination record, a health certificate certified by the competent veterinary authorities, and the titration certificate, since France is classified as high risk. The ministry lists an agricultural and veterinary quarantine centre at Al Maktoum airport among its service points. Dubai Customs, for its part, lists animals among the goods to be declared on arrival (Dubai Customs).
Which document replaces the transport document for a dog that arrives in the cabin of a private jet, and whether the ministry's vet attends the business aviation terminal: no official source says. This point is handled with the aircraft operator before the flight.
If a document is missing. The official texts do not say the same thing. The ministry's page, in English, provides for the animal to be refused at its owner's expense, or confiscated. Its Arabic version provides for a return to the country of origin at the importer's expense, or a confiscation. Ministerial Resolution No. 21 of 2025 provides for detention in quarantine or in an approved shelter, at the owner's expense, until the file is brought into compliance, then a re-export if it is not (Resolution 21/2025). The French DDPP information sheet mentions refusal, quarantine or euthanasia.
No official text sets the duration or the daily cost of that quarantine.
This is the reason the file is checked before departure: none of these outcomes can be put right once the aircraft has landed.
The lead and the licence. Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 requires a dog to be kept on a lead, with a suitable collar, as soon as it leaves the place where it is kept; failing that, it may be seized. It also prohibits keeping a dog without a licence issued by the competent authority. Breaches of those two articles carry a fine of AED 10,000 to 100,000 (Federal Law 22/2016).
No official source says whether that licence applies to a visiting dog, there for a short stay. To be confirmed before a long stay.
Where dogs are not allowed. In Dubai, Local Order No. 11 of 2003 bans dogs from beaches and public parks, and requires a collar and a lead in any public place: road, pavement, square, public park, common areas of a building. It also requires the keeper of a dog to register it with Dubai Municipality and to fit it with an identification collar. Breaches carry a fine of AED 100 to 500,000, doubled on a repeat within the year (Local Order 11/2003).
The exact amount of the fine for a dog off the lead, on a beach or in a park, comes under an implementing regulation that we were unable to consult. The range set by the law is very wide: do not bet on the bottom of it.
Public transport is closed to animals, with the exception of guide dogs for blind people: a fine of AED 100 (RTA Dubai). A stray dog that is caught is held for three days if it wears a registration tag, seven if it does not, and its owner pays a fine of AED 500 (Resolution 15/2009). The English version of the 2003 text put online in 2024 still shows AED 150: that amount was replaced in 2009. On the ground, it is the Veterinary Services Section of Dubai Municipality that is in charge of animal health and welfare (Dubai Municipality).
Coming back to France. The United Arab Emirates appear on the European list of third countries exempt from the rabies antibody test for entry into the Union, in force since 22 April 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2026/636). Your dog therefore has neither a new antibody test to pass, nor a three-month waiting period, in order to come home.
The other conditions of the return, documents required and point of entry, remain to be confirmed with your DDPP: the European rules changed on 22 April 2026 and not all the French official information sheets have been updated yet.
Our flight links Paris Le Bourget to Dubai Al Maktoum. Your dog travels in the cabin, at your side. The exact conditions of travel on board are confirmed to you before booking: see above what the texts say about the transport crate.
The requirements described on this page remain yours, but you do not face them alone: a broker goes through the file with you before confirming the booking, and we handle with the operator the points that concern the aircraft rather than you.
That is not certain. The MOCCAE portal offers a single sign-in method, UAE PASS, the Emirati national digital identity. The official UAE PASS documentation contradicts itself about people who hold no Emirates ID, and does not say whether the pet import service accepts a simplified account. Plan to go through an Emirati company holding a licence for animal care activities issued by the ministry.
Yes for a dog leaving France. France does not appear on the list of low-risk countries published by MOCCAE: the dog therefore falls under the high-risk country regime, with a titration certificate issued by an approved laboratory and a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. Aim for thirty days between the vaccination and the blood sample.
The French health certificate model for the Emirates attests that the animal will be transported in accordance with IATA conditions in a transport box or crate. No official Emirati source addresses the case of a dog travelling in the cabin of a private jet. The conditions of travel on board for your flight are confirmed to you before booking: we do not let you book without that answer.
Nothing allows us to say so. The Emirati list in force says nothing about crossbreeds, but the original version of the annex, the US veterinary service and the French certificate model all cover them. Until MOCCAE has answered in writing, assume that a dog crossed with a banned breed will be refused.
The official texts differ: refusal at the owner's expense or confiscation according to the ministry's page, return to the country of origin according to its Arabic version, detention in quarantine or in an approved shelter at the owner's expense then re-export according to the 2025 ministerial resolution. No text sets the duration or the cost of that quarantine. This is why the file is checked before departure.
No. The United Arab Emirates appear on the European list of third countries exempt from the rabies antibody test for entry into the Union, in force since 22 April 2026. The other conditions of the return remain to be confirmed with your DDPP.
Back to documents by destination — the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, Canada and Japan are covered there.
This guide is provided for general information and constitutes neither veterinary nor legal advice. The applicable requirements are those set by the Emirati and French authorities on the day of the flight, and they can change without notice. Check with MOCCAE, with your DDPP and with your vet before committing.
