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.
The short answer: four steps
- Destination first. Read the entry rules of the country you are moving to; a rabies blood test, waiting period or import permit can take months.
- Papers to the airport station one to two weeks ahead. Send DLD form R.1/1 to the Animal Quarantine Station (AQS) at the airport you fly from, online through DLD e-Movement or in person. For a dog or cat, DLD Region 9 lists a copy of the owner’s passport, a copy of the ID card of the person handling the export, and a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate (DLD Region 9 procedure).
- Health check 2–3 days before the flight. Bring your pet to the station for its examination no more than 2–3 days before you travel (DLD Region 9 procedure).
- Licence and certificate, then fly. The station issues the export licence (R.9: 250 baht per dog or cat, valid 9 days) and, on its own application, the free export health certificate (DLD export licence manual; DLD health certificate manual). Fly from that airport within the licence’s 9 days.
The Region 9 procedure was checked on 14 October 2026. Confirm the station’s own intake and appointment rules before you book a flight.
What Thailand requires to export a pet
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.
The DLD’s Region 9 office describes the same order: application, health check before travel, then the licence and certificate. DLD Region 9 procedure.
Assign an owner to every handover
A move can involve your regular vet, DLD station, cargo office, overseas receiver and driver. Name the person responsible for the next action so a completed Thai document is not mistaken for a completed journey.
| Handover | Name the person and evidence |
|---|---|
| Destination | Who confirms species, purpose, residence history, entry point and document model? |
| Veterinary preparation | Who keeps originals and books each required appointment? |
| Thai departure | Who files with the AQS and collects documents after examination? |
| Carrier | Who holds acceptance and reports an itinerary or aircraft change? |
| Arrival | Who receives the animal, handles checks and confirms release? |
Keep a reachable contact and backup for each row. If one company covers several stages, request its scope and exclusions rather than assuming a package covers every border formality.
Where the destination country comes in
The Thai paperwork only gets your pet out. Getting it in at the other end is governed entirely by the destination country. It can add a rabies titer, waiting period, permit or quarantine. Read the destination page for where you are going — for example the UK, the EU, or Australia — and work backwards from your travel date.
Leaving from the airport
Fly from the airport whose station issued your export licence (R.9); the licence is valid 9 days from issue (DLD export licence manual). Carry the R.9, the DLD health certificate and the destination’s papers to check-in, and meet the airline’s live-animal check-in time.
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.
Next steps
For the permit application itself, see our dedicated page on the DLD export permit. For budgeting, see what export costs.
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.
Frequently asked
How far ahead should I start the export process?
Start with the destination: its tests, waiting periods and permit set the long lead time. For Thailand’s side, apply on form R.1/1 once the destination papers are ready, and bring your pet for the station’s health check no more than 2–3 days before the flight (DLD Region 9 procedure). The export licence (R.9) is valid 9 days and takes up to 2 working days 4 hours from complete papers (DLD export licence manual), so file everything one to two weeks ahead and ask the station to issue it before your flight.
Do I need an agent to export a pet?
There is no universal answer. Thai export filing and destination clearance are separate, and a destination checkpoint may require a recognised representative. Check the country route and arrival point; if you hire help, obtain an itemised scope and verify every regulated requirement directly.
Can I fly my pet out of U-Tapao instead of Bangkok?
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.
What documents do I need to export a pet from Thailand?
For a dog or cat, DLD Region 9 lists form R.1/1 with a copy of the owner’s passport, a copy of the ID card of the person handling the export, and a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate. Add whatever the destination asks for, such as its import permit or blood-test result; the Thai health certificate has to match it. DLD Region 9 procedure; checked 14 October 2026.
What if my destination changes mid-process?
You may need new import rules, a fresh health certificate and possibly a new titer timeline. Start destination research before you book flights.
Is export harder than import into Thailand?
Thailand’s own side is about the same size both ways: one application (form R.1/1), a check at the airport station and a licence (R.9 on the way out, R.7 on the way in) (DLD export licence manual; DLD import licence manual). What makes a move hard is the other country: its tests, waiting periods and permit when you leave, or your origin country’s certificate when you arrive. Start from that country’s rules.
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.