Before booking, confirm current requirements with the Thai DLD, your airline and the destination-country authority.
Source check details
Thailand’s own steps were checked on 7 October 2026 against the DLD’s manuals; the other sources cited on this page were checked on 1 August 2026. Export rules — Thai DLD procedures, destination-country requirements, airline policies and CDC/APHA rules — change without notice. Use this as orientation, then confirm every current requirement with the DLD and the destination country’s authority before booking.
Timeline at a glance
Work backwards from your departure date. The destination country’s rules — not the Thai desk alone — usually set the calendar.
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| As early as the destination requires | Complete that country’s pathway. UK and EU routes may require titer testing and a waiting period; Australia requires an approved-country pathway. |
| As soon as dates firm | Obtain destination import permit or written requirements to show the AQS |
| 2–3 days before the flight | Thailand’s side: see the DLD export steps. |
| Departure day | Airline check-in with the R.9, the DLD health certificate and the destination’s papers |
What the export permit is
The export permit is the DLD’s export licence, form R.9. The Animal Quarantine Station (AQS) at your departure airport issues it after checking your pet and the papers, together with the DLD export health certificate. The licence costs 250 baht per dog or cat and is valid 9 days from issue; the certificate is free. DLD export licence manual.
Start with the destination country
Thailand exports pets to another country’s rules. Before you apply, obtain that country’s import requirements or import permit and show them to the AQS — the Thai health certificate must match what the destination expects. Start with the export process and the destination page in our export guide — for example the UK, the USA, or the EU — and confirm with the foreign authority directly.
When to apply
Work back from two dates. The destination sets the long lead time (tests, waiting periods, its own permit). Thailand sets the short one: the R.9 licence is valid only 9 days, and the station takes up to 2 working days 4 hours for it and up to 3 working days for the health certificate once your papers are complete, so send the R.1/1 and papers one to two weeks ahead, and bring your pet for the station’s health check no more than 2–3 days before the flight. DLD export licence manual; DLD Region 9 procedure.
How to apply
Thailand’s side, from the DLD’s own manuals. Apply on form R.1/1 (10 baht) to the Animal Quarantine Station (AQS) at the airport you leave from: online through DLD e-Movement (open 24 hours; attachments can also go to the station by e-mail) or in person at the station, Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30, outside public holidays. Papers handed in after 16:00 are dealt with the next working day.
Book a time with the station to bring your pet. DLD Region 9 says the health check is no more than 2–3 days before the flight (DLD Region 9 procedure), normally at the station of your departure airport unless its vet agrees another place. The processing times below run from complete papers, so file the R.1/1 and the health-certificate application with every document one to two weeks ahead, ask the station when you book the check to issue both before your flight, and avoid a check just before a weekend or public holiday. The station issues the export licence (R.9): 250 baht per dog or cat, valid 9 days, within 2 working days 4 hours of complete papers, plus any steps the destination itself requires (DLD export licence manual). The export health certificate has its own application; it is free and takes up to 3 working days (DLD health certificate manual).
What to bring: your passport (the original), the vaccination record showing the microchip number, the microchip certificate, and everything the destination asks for (its import permit, a rabies blood-test result, its own veterinary certificate). The DLD manuals set no rabies timing of their own for export: the destination’s rules apply, so plan from the destination backwards.
What you will typically need
- Completed form R.1/1 and your passport (the original; the DLD manual asks for it)
- The vaccination record showing the microchip number, and the microchip certificate
- The destination country’s import permit or written health requirements
- Flight details and consignee details matching all other documents
- Any test results the destination or AQS requires (such as a rabies titer result for the UK or EU)
Keep printed originals of the export permit, health certificate and every supporting document for the airport and the destination border check.
Attend the final health examination
Bring your pet to the animal quarantine station at your departure airport for the health check, no more than 2–3 days before the flight (DLD Region 9 procedure), with your original passport and every document the destination asks for. After the check the station issues the export licence (R.9) and, on its own application, the health certificate (DLD export licence manual).
Common mistakes
- Starting with Thailand only — finish the destination pathway early enough to show it to the AQS.
- Bringing your pet to the station too early — the health check is no more than 2–3 days before the flight, and the export licence (R.9) is valid 9 days (DLD Region 9 procedure).
- Mismatched microchip numbers — across Thai export papers, airline booking and destination import forms.
- Wrong airport AQS — export paperwork must match the actual departure port; confirm which AQS is responsible.
- Destination import proof missing — the AQS needs to see what the receiving country expects before issuing the health certificate.
What comes next
Book the flight under airline pet policies, budget in our export cost guide, and, if requested, obtain an itemised scope from a pet relocation agent while continuing to verify every regulated rule directly.
Departing from Pattaya — confirm the port and DLD sequence
U-Tapao is the nearest airport to Pattaya. It is in Ban Chang district, which the Chonburi animal quarantine station covers (DLD station areas), but the DLD’s list of stations names none at the airport (DLD station map). Get written confirmation from the Chonburi station before you plan a U-Tapao departure; otherwise plan the flight from Suvarnabhumi.
The station’s health check is no more than 2–3 days before the flight (DLD Region 9 procedure), normally at the station of your departure airport unless its vet agrees another place. From Pattaya that can mean the station visit and the flight are two separate trips, so book the visit and the transport together.
Using an agent is optional
An agent cannot change government or airline rules. If you request assistance, obtain an itemised scope and verify each regulated requirement directly with the authority. Pattaya Pets has not independently measured agents’ prices, error rates or outcomes.
Official sources
Official sources to verify against: DLD Region 9 export procedure; UK pet travel; CDC animal import (USA); EU pet movement; Japan MAFF Animal Quarantine; Singapore AVS; UAE MOCCAE pet import; Australia DAFF; New Zealand MPI; Canada CFIA; Switzerland FSVO.
Frequently asked
Can I get the export permit on the day of the flight?
Do not plan on it. The DLD allows itself up to 2 working days 4 hours for the export licence (R.9) and up to 3 working days for the health certificate, counted from complete papers (DLD export licence manual), and the health check is no more than 2–3 days before the flight (DLD Region 9 procedure). File the papers one to two weeks ahead and confirm with the station that both documents will be issued after the check and before you fly.
Do I need an agent for the export permit?
The DLD procedure does not confirm a mandatory agent for its filing, but that does not decide destination or checkpoint handling. Confirm the entire route; if you request help, obtain an itemised scope and independently verify government and airline rules.
Which airport AQS handles Pattaya departures?
Suvarnabhumi’s, unless the Chonburi station confirms in writing that it can handle a U-Tapao departure. U-Tapao is in Ban Chang district, which the Chonburi station covers (DLD station areas), but the DLD’s list of stations names none at the airport (DLD station map).
What is form 1/1 vs form 9?
Form R.1/1 is your application to the animal quarantine station. Form R.9 is the export licence the station issues after checking your pet: 250 baht per dog or cat, valid 9 days (DLD export licence manual).
Do I confirm the appointment with the AQS?
Ask the animal quarantine station at your departure airport what flight details it needs, and book a time to bring your pet. The export licence (R.9) is valid 9 days from issue, so time that visit to your flight.
Can I fly my pet out of U-Tapao?
Only if the DLD confirms it in writing. U-Tapao is in Ban Chang district, which the Chonburi animal quarantine station covers (DLD station areas), but the DLD’s list of stations names none at the airport (DLD station map). Ask the Chonburi station in writing whether it can examine your pet and issue the export licence (R.9) for a U-Tapao departure; if not, plan the flight from Suvarnabhumi.
How should I plan the transfer to the departure airport?
Use a vehicle that accepts the animal and crate, confirm the airline’s check-in cut-off and leave route-specific contingency time.
Should I stay near the departure airport?
Decide from the confirmed examination appointment, airline check-in time and road conditions. This guide has no evidence for a universal recommendation.