Country entry guide · Africa
Traveling to Mozambique with your dog
Mozambique allows dogs, but entry is controlled by its own veterinary authority — the National Directorate of Veterinary Services (Direcção Nacional dos Serviços de Veterinária, DINAV) within the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries. Under the Animal Health Regulation (Decree 26/2009), no animal may enter without an import licence (Licença de Importação) issued in advance by the Director of Veterinary Services, together with an international sanitary certificate from the exporting country. Mozambique is not an EU country and does not recognise the EU pet passport as an entry document. It is a rabies-endemic country, so a valid rabies vaccination is a core requirement. The published customs procedure also provides for advance notification, a veterinary inspection at the border and a period of quarantine for live animals. This guide explains each step so you know what to prepare before you book your flight.
📋 At a glance
| Dogs allowed | Yes (with import licence) |
| Import licence | Required (in advance) |
| Microchip | Recommended (name accepted on certificate) |
| Rabies vaccination | Required (within 12 months before export) |
| Rabies antibody test | Not listed in published conditions |
| International sanitary certificate | Required (from export-country vet) |
| Border veterinary inspection | Required (notify ≥14 days ahead) |
| Quarantine | Provided for live animals (40 days) |
⏱️ Estimated preparation time
Times are indicative. The rabies antibody test alone adds a fixed 3-month wait.
⚠️ Important
- MyDogCanFly provides general information — not veterinary or legal advice.
- Only a veterinarian can confirm the exact procedure for your individual dog, and the Director of Veterinary Services (DINAV) sets the exact conditions on your import licence.
- Requirements depend on: the country of origin, previous travel history, identification, vaccinations, the itinerary and the travel date.
Always consult your veterinarian before booking your trip.
Find a flight to Mozambique
🧭 How your dog's entry requirements are decided
The exact documents depend on three things — Mozambique (your destination) is only the first.
- 1 Country of destination — Mozambique★★★★★
Mozambique always requires an advance import licence from the Director of Veterinary Services (DINAV), a valid rabies vaccination and an international sanitary certificate from a vet in the country of export. Rules flow from the Animal Health Regulation (Decree 26/2009), and the customs procedure adds advance notification, a border inspection and a quarantine period for live animals.
- 2 Country of departure★★★★★
Your departure country feeds Mozambique's risk analysis: DINAV assesses the animal-health situation of the origin (including WOAH/OIE data) before issuing the licence, and your departure country decides who endorses the certificate — an EU official veterinarian, or a USDA-accredited vet with USDA-APHIS endorsement from the United States.
- 3 Countries your dog recently stayed in★★★★☆
Your dog's real origin and recent movements can affect what the country-of-export vet is able to certify and what the border veterinarian asks for on arrival. Confirm your dog's history with your vet before you finalise the import-licence application.
So read the requirements below as Mozambique's framework, then confirm your dog's exact origin and history with your vet — the import licence lists the precise conditions.
✅ Entry requirements
| Requirement | Required? | When | Exceptions | Official reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import licence (Licença de Importação) | Required | Applied for in advance to the Director of Veterinary Services (DINAV), filed through the Provincial Livestock Services (SPP). After a risk analysis based on the animal-health situation of the country of origin, the licence is issued; it is then sent to the exporter so the origin-country veterinary authority can inspect and issue the international sanitary certificate. Fees apply per the veterinary services tariff (Diploma Ministerial 9/2007). | No exceptions — an animal that arrives without an import licence and international sanitary certificate is not permitted to enter the country. | Animal Health Regulation (Decree 26/2009); Autoridade Tributária (Customs) — Import of animals and meat; Ministry of Agriculture — Guide to animal movement (import licence issued by DINAV) |
| ISO microchip | Recommended | An ISO 11784/11785 15-digit microchip is advised for identification, ideally implanted before the rabies vaccination so the records match. The official Mozambique dog/cat certificate identifies the animal by 'microchip number or name of animal', so a microchip is accepted but not the only means of identification. | Mozambique's published conditions do not list the microchip as a mandatory entry condition, but it is strongly recommended. | USDA APHIS — Official Mozambique dog/cat health certificate (identification: microchip number or name) |
| Rabies vaccination | Required | The dog must be vaccinated against rabies with an approved anti-rabies vaccine within 12 months prior to export; OR be less than three (3) months of age and accompanied by the mother's rabies vaccination certificate. Mozambique is a rabies-endemic country. | The under-3-months allowance (with the mother's vaccination certificate) is stated on the official dog/cat certificate. Confirm any minimum interval with the Director of Veterinary Services. | USDA APHIS — Official Mozambique dog/cat health certificate (rabies within 12 months; <3 months exception) |
| Rabies antibody test | Not listed in published conditions | — | Mozambique's published import conditions and the official dog/cat certificate do not list a rabies antibody test to enter. Because the requirement is not published, confirm directly with the Director of Veterinary Services for your specific origin. | USDA APHIS Mozambique dog/cat certificate; Mozambique import procedure (no antibody test listed) |
| International sanitary certificate | Required | An international sanitary certificate issued by the veterinary authority of the country of export must accompany the animal at entry. It certifies the animal is healthy and free from clinical signs of rabies and infectious or contagious diseases (including external parasites), and that no rabies has been reported at the premises of origin for at least 12 months. From the United States it is issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA-APHIS on Mozambique's official dog/cat certificate; it is valid for 30 days after issuance. | Use the certificate format required by your national veterinary authority / the Mozambican import licence; the entry is not permitted without this certificate. | USDA APHIS Mozambique dog/cat certificate; Ministry of Agriculture — Guide to animal movement (international sanitary certificate) |
| Parasite treatment | Partly certified / recommended | The official dog/cat certificate requires the animal to be free from external parasites at examination and its vaccination status and routine treatments to be up to date. A specific internal/external parasite treatment protocol for pets is not published as a separate mandatory step; deworming and up-to-date treatments are recommended good practice. | Confirm any compulsory parasite treatment on your import licence and with your vet before travel. | USDA APHIS Mozambique dog/cat certificate (free from external parasites; treatments up to date) |
| Advance notification & border veterinary inspection | Required | Notify the veterinary inspector of the animal's arrival at least 14 days in advance so an inspection can take place before customs clearance. Live animals are examined by the veterinary inspector at entry; if the inspection is satisfactory, entry is authorised via a sanitary certificate issued by the inspector. | If results are not satisfactory, the inspector may order treatment, retention, quarantine, return to the country of origin or destruction. | Autoridade Tributária (Customs) — Import of animals and meat (14-day notice; veterinary inspection) |
| Quarantine | Provided for live animals | The published customs procedure states that live animals are subject to an isolation regime of 40 days (quarantine), in permanent or temporary facilities, under the Animal Health Regulation (Decree 26/2009). Whether and how this is applied to a compliant pet dog in practice is not separately published for pets. | The exact application to pets is not published — confirm the quarantine terms on your import licence and with the Director of Veterinary Services before you travel. | Autoridade Tributária (Customs) — Import of animals and meat (40-day isolation); Decree 26/2009 |
| Puppies / minimum age | Not explicitly published | No specific minimum travelling age is published. The official dog/cat certificate expressly handles animals under three months by allowing entry with the mother's rabies vaccination certificate; otherwise the animal must carry its own rabies vaccination within 12 months. | Confirm the minimum age for your dog with the Director of Veterinary Services and your vet. | USDA APHIS Mozambique dog/cat certificate (<3 months with mother's rabies certificate) |
| Restricted breeds | No national import ban found | — | We found no official Mozambican breed-specific import ban; entry is controlled by the import licence, the sanitary certificate and the veterinary inspection, not by breed. Because national rules are not always published in full, treat this as 'none found' rather than a guarantee. | Mozambique import conditions (no breed-specific legislation cited) |
🌍 Rules according to your dog's origin
From Europe / the EU
There is no EU pet-passport shortcut into Mozambique: the EU passport is not a Mozambican document. A dog from Europe needs the import licence from the Director of Veterinary Services (DINAV), a valid rabies vaccination (given within 12 months before export) and an international sanitary certificate signed by the official veterinary authority of the country of export. Notify the border veterinary inspector at least 14 days ahead, and plan for the veterinary inspection and the quarantine period provided for live animals. No rabies antibody test is listed in the published conditions.
From other non-EU countries
Mozambique does not operate an EU-style list of approved countries for pet entry; instead it runs a risk analysis on each origin before issuing the import licence. From any non-EU origin the same core requirements apply: import licence, rabies vaccination and international sanitary certificate. From the United States, for example, the certificate must be issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA-APHIS on Mozambique's official dog/cat form, valid for 30 days.
From all other origins
Whatever the origin, Mozambique's framework is the same: apply in advance for the import licence, carry a valid rabies vaccination and an international sanitary certificate, notify the veterinary inspector at least 14 days before arrival, and present everything at the border. Live animals are inspected and are subject to an isolation regime of 40 days under Decree 26/2009. Arriving without a licence or the required certificate risks refusal, quarantine, return to the country of origin or, in the worst case, destruction.
🛬 Arrival
What happens when your dog reaches Mozambique depends on your import licence, the certificates you carry and the veterinary inspection.
- Notify the veterinary inspector of the animal's arrival at least 14 days in advance so the inspection can take place before customs clearance.
- Present the original import licence and the international sanitary certificate; the animal is examined by the veterinary inspector at the point of entry.
- Live animals are subject to an isolation regime (quarantine) of 40 days under Decree 26/2009; the exact application to a compliant pet is not separately published, so confirm the terms on your licence.
- If the inspection is satisfactory, entry is authorised through a sanitary certificate issued by the inspector; if not, the inspector may order treatment, retention, quarantine, return to the origin or destruction.
- Carry original documents (not copies) and keep a set with you throughout the journey; all veterinary-service costs are borne by the importer per the official tariff.
🧳 Real traveller experience
No reliable documented traveller feedback available.
🚫 Restricted dogs
Mozambique's published import conditions control entry through the import licence, the international sanitary certificate and the border veterinary inspection, not through breed. We found no national breed-specific import ban in the official conditions.
No prohibited-breed list: the official Mozambican import framework does not name banned breeds. A compliant dog of any breed can be imported once the import licence, rabies vaccination and international sanitary certificate are in order and the inspection is passed.
We found no official Mozambican breed-specific ownership or import legislation to report. Because national rules are not always published in full, treat this as 'none found' rather than a guarantee, and verify with the Director of Veterinary Services if you own a breed sometimes restricted elsewhere.
Because national rules can change and are not always published in full, confirm any breed requirement directly with DINAV before you travel.
🧾 Preparation checklist
- ☐Apply to the Director of Veterinary Services (DINAV), via the Provincial Livestock Services, for the import licence well before travel
- ☐ISO microchip (recommended) implanted before the rabies vaccination
- ☐Valid rabies vaccination given within 12 months before export (or, for a puppy under 3 months, the mother's rabies certificate)
- ☐International sanitary certificate from the export-country veterinary authority (USDA-APHIS endorsed from the US), valid 30 days
- ☐Ensure the dog is free from external parasites and treatments are up to date
- ☐Notify the veterinary inspector at least 14 days before arrival; plan for the veterinary inspection and possible 40-day quarantine
- ☐Original import licence and certificates to present at the point of entry
- ☐Airline reservation and suitable IATA crate if travelling in the hold
📚 Official sources
- USDA APHIS — Pet Travel from the United States to Mozambique
- USDA APHIS — Official Mozambique dog/cat veterinary health certificate (PDF)
- Autoridade Tributária de Moçambique (Customs) — Import of animals and meat (procedure, 14-day notice, 40-day quarantine)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries — Guide to the movement of animals (import licence issued by DINAV)
- Decree 26/2009 — Animal Health Regulation (Regulamento de Sanidade Animal), PDF
- Ministry of Agriculture — Application form for the import licence for live animals (DOC)