Travel with your pet
Bringing a dog or cat to Thailand
Requirements and timing depend on where your pet flies from. Exporting from your country to Thailand? Start with your departure country below, then check the DLD import permit, your airline’s rules and arrival at Suvarnabhumi.
Choose your departure country
From the UK
From the USA
From the EU
From Australia
From Canada
From Japan
From Singapore
From the UAE
From Germany
From Russia
From Sweden
From Norway
From Denmark
From Finland
From the Netherlands
From France
From Switzerland
From Ireland
From New Zealand
From India
From the Philippines
From China
From South Africa
From Italy
From Malaysia
From South Korea
Thai requirements can vary by origin and case. Obtain the responsible AQS's written vaccination, test, filing, certificate and arrival instructions before booking.
Build the route-specific process
Build the route-specific process (8)
Import checklist
A printable route-planning checklist for the whole move.
PrepareMicrochip
The implantation certificate and identifier-matching evidence.
PrepareVaccines & destination tests
The vaccine list and any separately required titer test.
Route fileDLD application & permit
Pre-travel and accompanied-arrival paths, subject to AQS and carrier rules.
Route fileHealth certificate
The exact origin certificate, issuer, endorsement and validity window.
Route fileThailand pet passport
Why Thailand asks for a permit and a certificate, not a pet passport.
CarrierAirline pet policies
Cabin, checked baggage or cargo — and IATA travel containers.
ArrivalArrival in Thailand
The documented Animal Quarantine Station inspection and unresolved outcomes.
Plan and budget
Plan and budget (4)
What it costs
Itemised cost categories and a sourced Thai arrival fee.
ArrivalU-Tapao or Bangkok?
Which airport to fly your pet into, and how to reach Pattaya.
DogsBring a dog to Thailand
Dog-specific vaccines, CDC notes and settling in Pattaya.
CatsBring a cat to Thailand
Cat vaccines, cabin travel and indoor life in Pattaya.
Background & sources
Before you start
The single most important thing to understand is timing. The Thai consulate’s detailed vaccination-to-permit sequence covers only dogs, cats and rabbits from the USA. For any other origin, obtain the vaccination sequence, filing window and processing lead time from the responsible arrival AQS rather than copying the USA route. Origin certificates, airlines and onward destinations add separate clocks. Thai consulate guide, pets from the USA.
The process is overseen by Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development (DLD). Below, each document stage has its own page. Build the order from the responsible AQS, origin authority and operating carrier: the pre-travel path for pets from the USA puts the permit before the official health certificate, while its accompanied-traveller exception has the endorsed certificate ready for an arrival application. Thai consulate guide, pets from the USA.
Moving to Thailand with a pet usually sits alongside visa, housing and transport planning. Keep those human arrangements separate from the animal’s regulated DLD and airline paperwork.
Thailand’s DLD import steps were checked on 7 October 2026 against the DLD’s manuals. The other Thai import claims were rechecked on 5 August 2026 against Thai consular/DLD guidance updated 2 February 2026. This is an orientation: rules can change without notice. Before booking or travel, confirm every requirement with Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development (DLD), your airline and your origin-country authority.
Official sources to verify against: Thai consular/DLD pet-import guide (updated 2 February 2026; its detailed instruction covers only dogs, cats and rabbits from the USA); DLD import application form R1/1 (via the guide or DLD Animal Quarantine stations); Suvarnabhumi AQS import: qsap_bkk_import@dld.go.th.
Related reading
Already know your origin country? The dog and cat arrival paperwork plan sets out DLD’s approval, the 500-baht arrival licence and the airport handover in order.