Traveling to Angola with your dog

✅ Entry requirements

🗓 In what order, and when

Some steps only count once the previous one is done — check each deadline against the official reference above.

1. Import authorisation (ISV)The ISV is the authority that issues sanitary certificates and authorisations for animal imports. Whether a personal pet dog needs a prior import authorisation is not clearly published; request confirmation from the ISV before shipping. Commercial imports normally require a permit.
2. MicrochipAngola does not publish a microchip rule for dog entry. An internationally readable ISO 11784/11785 chip is strongly advisable so identification matches your dog's vaccination and health certificate.
3. Rabies vaccinationA valid rabies vaccination recorded on the health certificate is the practical baseline for entry, and Angola is rabies-endemic so a current vaccination is essential. The exact minimum interval before travel and validity accepted by Angola are not officially published.
4. Rabies antibody testAngola does not publish whether a rabies antibody test is required for dog entry, and no agreed international certificate for Angola specifies one. Do not assume it is or is not needed.
5. Official veterinary health certificateAn official international veterinary health certificate, completed by a licensed vet and endorsed by the exporting country's government veterinary authority, is the standard document for entry. Angolan practice also commonly requires documents to be translated into Portuguese and legalised by an Angolan embassy or consulate.
6. Parasite treatmentAngola does not publish a mandatory internal/external parasite treatment for dog entry. Endo- and ecto-parasite treatment shortly before travel is good practice and may be recorded on veterinary documents.
7. Arrival veterinary inspectionArriving dogs and their documents are checked at the point of entry, and an animal must be free of signs of disease communicable to humans or animals when examined. Customs clearance is handled by the Administração Geral Tributária (AGT) alongside the veterinary check.
8. Puppies / minimum ageAngola does not publish an explicit minimum travelling age for dogs. In practice, the need for a valid rabies vaccination sets a de facto minimum age, but no official figure is stated.
9. QuarantineAngola does not publish a routine quarantine rule for pet dogs. A healthy dog with complete documents is not expected to be quarantined, but no official policy is available.

🌍 Rules according to your dog's origin

🛬 Arrival

When your dog reaches Angola, the ISV veterinary service and AGT customs handle the checks at the point of entry (mainly Luanda's Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport).

• Present the full document set — the veterinary health certificate (endorsed and, where required, legalised), the rabies vaccination record and any ISV import authorisation you obtained in advance.
• The dog must be free of signs of disease communicable to humans or animals when examined at the entry point.
• Carry original documents, not copies, and keep a set with you throughout the journey; documents translated into Portuguese and legalised by an Angolan mission avoid delays.
• Consequences of missing or invalid documents (further examination, holding, refusal) are not officially published for pet dogs: Unknown. Complete, endorsed paperwork is your best protection.
• Arrive on a weekday during office hours where possible, so the on-duty state vet and customs can clear your dog promptly.