🇬🇧 How to travel to South Africa with cats and dogs

Yesterday we talked about how to get a temporary residence visa to live in South Africa as an entrepreneur. Today we talk about how to travel to South Africa with your cats and dogs.

• A veterinary import permit is needed to import Dogs & Cats into South Africa.
• Cats are not routinely quarantined on arrival in South Africa. The cat must however have a valid import permit and a correctly completed health certificate, signed and stamped by a government veterinarian of the exporting country. If these documents are not available at the time of the cat’s arrival in South Africa, the cat will be kept in quarantine until the required documentation is presented at the quarantine station.
• Dogs and cats must have a valid rabies vaccination. In the case of a primary rabies vaccination the vaccination must be given not more than 12 months and not less than 30 days before the date of import. In the case of a booster rabies vaccination the vaccination must be given not more than 12 months before the date of import.
• Vaccination against rabies is not required for cats/dogs imported from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland but vaccination against rabies for cats/dogs imported from these countries is advised. This will ensure that the cat/dog has sufficient immunity against rabies on arrival in South Africa to prevent it from contracting rabies in South Africa.
• Puppies/Kittens under three months of age do not need to be vaccinated for rabies. But puppies/kittens less than 3 months of age can only travel to South Africa if the dam/queen of the puppy/kitten has been vaccinated for rabies more than 30 days before and less than 12 months before the birth of the puppy/kitten. These puppies/kittens must be vaccinated for rabies after arrival in South Africa at 3 months of age and proof of the vaccination must be presented to the South African Veterinary Authorities.
• Quarantine of 14 days will be imposed on some dogs, depending on the country of origin of the dog. Dogs from the following list of countries below do not need to go into quarantine on arrival in South Africa. The dog must however have a valid import permit and a correctly completed health certificate, signed and stamped by a government veterinarian of the exporting country. If these documents are not available at the time of the dog’s arrival in South Africa, the dog will be kept in quarantine until the required documentation is presented at the quarantine station.  

 

Europe. 

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,  France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,  Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Slovakia,  Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland , UK, Norway and Hungary.

North America 

Canada and United States of America

Australasia 

Australia and New Zealand

Africa

Botswana, Comoros, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mauritius.

Asia

Israel

South America

Argentina

• Before a quarantine booking for a dog can be confirmed, the importer must sign an indemnity form. Copies of the indemnity form can be obtained at the Import Export Policy Unit, the permit office and from the two quarantine stations. The original signed indemnity form needs to either be handed in at the quarantine station were the dog will be quarantined or the original signed indemnity form needs to be posted or couriered to the quarantine station. Faxed and scanned copies will not be accepted. Bookings at the quarantine stations will only be confirmed on receipt of the original signed indemnity form.
• If you are importing a dog from an island please contact the Import Export Policy Unit to find out if your dog will be quarantined on arrival in South Africa.
• All dogs and cats imported into South Africa must be permanently identified with a microchip (tattoos will not be accepted). The microchip must be able to be read by an ISO 11784 or ISO 11785 scanners.
• Dogs that will be quarantined on arrival in South Africa may only be imported into South Africa via OR Tambo (Johannesburg) or Cape Town International Airports. Dogs that are being imported from countries not subject to quarantine and cats can also be imported into South Africa via Durban International Airport. Dogs and cats will not be allowed to enter South Africa via any other airport.
• All dogs and cats imported into South Africa must be registered, as manifest cargo and can not fly as excess baggage. The Directorate Animal Health does not have veterinary officials at the passenger terminal of OR Tambo (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International Airport to check the paper work of dogs entering South Africa via the passenger terminal of the respective airports. The dogs and cats can only disembark via the cargo terminal of the respective airports.
• If the airline will allow it the dog or cat may travel in the cabin with the owner but the animal must be registered as manifest cargo and the airline staff must take the animal from the owner on landing so that the animal can be off loaded from the plane via the cargo terminal.
• On arrival at the airport the original Veterinary Import Permit issued by the Directorate Animal Health and the original Veterinary Health Certificate signed, stamped and certified by Veterinary Authorities of the exporting country must be presented to the veterinary officials at the airport before the dog or cat can be released. The documents can either travel with the animal or the person collecting the animal must present the documents to the officials at the airport. The latter is only for animals that are not going into Quarantine on arrival in South Africa. The paperwork of animals going into quarantine must travel with the animal.

Testing of Dogs

• Before dogs can be imported the dog needs to be certified free from the following five diseases by means of blood tests. The dog’s blood can either be tested in the country of origin or the blood sample can be sent to South Africa for testing.
• Brucella canis
• Trypanosoma evansi
• Babesia gibsoni
• Dirofilaria immitis
• Leishmania
• If the Veterinary Authorities of the exporting country can certify that the exporting country is free from one or more of the above mentioned five diseases then the dogs exported to South Africa do not need to have blood tests done for the disease that the exporting country is free from.
• The Directorate Animal Health require the following test or tests to be used for the above mentioned five diseases:
• For brucella canis: serum agglutination / rapid slide agglutination test
• For trypanosoma evansi: card agglutination test and giemsa blood smear
• For babesia gibsoni: Immunoflourescence  antibody test & giemsa blood smear
• For dirofilaria immitis: microfilarial filtration test
• For leishmaniosis: Indirect fluorescent antibody, or ELISA, or Direct agglutination test, or Western blot/membrane immunoassay.
• If the samples need to be sent to South Africa, these must be sent by air, accompanied by a copy of the OVI master import permit for the import of diagnostic specimen, under cover of an air waybill/courier waybill for testing.

Applying for a veterinary import permit

• The required permit application form can be obtained from the Permit Office of the Directorate Animal Health.
• To obtain a Veterinary Import Permit you need to deposit the permit fee into the Department’s bank account.
• Please take note that no application will be processed without proof of payment.
• In cases where quarantine of animals is required, the importer must contact the Quarantine Officer at the port of entry.
• The Quarantine Officer will make the reservation for accommodation at the Quarantine Station and must complete the applicable part of the application form.
• An Indemnity Declaration (in respect of imported animals or birds undergoing quarantine) must also be completed and attached to the application form. This Indemnity Declaration form can also be obtained from the Permit Office.
• Following receipt of the completed application form, a Veterinary Import Permit will be issued and sent directly to you.
• A Veterinary Health Certificate will also be sent to you with the Veterinary Import Permit. This needs to be completed, in English, by a veterinarian authorised thereto by the Veterinary Administration of the exporting country, within 10 days of departure.
• The following must be presented to the South African Veterinary Import Control Officer at the Port of Entry:
1. Original Veterinary Import Permit
2. Original Veterinary Health Certificate
3. Any other documentation specified, e.g.: Indemnity Declaration, Rabies Vaccination Certificate, etc.
• The Directorate Animal Health, Sub-Directorate Import Export Control in Pretoria will be able to assist you should any further information be required.
• Please state on the application form whether the permit will be collected or mailed to you.
• Please also note that it takes three (3) to four (4) working days to process the permit if approved.
• In cases where the permit is going to be collected, please confirm with permit office telephonically whether the permit is ready before you come to collect.

Dogs & Cats from Neighbouring Countries

• Dogs and Cats entering South Africa from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland do not need an import permit. These dogs and cats need a health certificate that certifies that the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies in the last 12 months but more than 30 days before the date of departure. The cats and dogs need to have a health check within 7 days of export.
• This does not apply for dogs entering South Africa from Mozambique. These dogs can only be imported into South Africa with a veterinary import permit. The dogs need to have the necessary   blood tests (see testing procedure above) done prior to export and must be flown from Mozambique to either Johannesburg or Cape Town International Airports were the dogs will be placed in Quarantine for 14 days and will be re tested according to the normal protocol for dogs in quarantine. The dogs may not enter South Africa by road. An import permit is needed to bring cats into South Africa from Mozambique but cats can enter South Africa by road and do not need to be placed into quarantine.

Dogs & Cats from other African Countries

 

• Dogs being imported from other African countries must have a veterinary import permit and cannot enter by road via one of our neighbouring countries. The dogs need to have the necessary blood tests (see testing procedure above) done prior to export and must be flown to either Johannesburg or Cape Town International Airports were the dogs will be quarantined for 14 days and will be re tested according to the normal protocol for dogs in quarantine.
• Dogs and cats from Malawi do not need a veterinary import permit. These dogs and cats need a health certificate that certifies that the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies in the last 12 months but more than 30 days before the date of departure. The cats and dogs need to have a health check done within 10 days of export.
• Cats from other African countries need a veterinary import permit and a veterinary health certificate that has been stamped and signed by a certifying veterinarian in the country of origin. This must accompany the cats. Cats must also have had a rabies vaccination less then a year but more than 30 days before the date of export. These cats can enter South Africa by road.

Although I collected information from the official website, I recommend you to keep updated with it consulting the local authorities. There’s no reason to leave your pets behind you when you move to a different place.

For more information about how to live elsewhere, wellness for cats and dogs, and other useful tips for those who have or want to have the world like home, follow our social media profiles and include this website on your favourite feed reader.

Nycka, the Nomad