Country entry guide · South Asia
Traveling to Nepal with your dog
Nepal welcomes pet dogs, but it runs its own national scheme through the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Animal Quarantine Division — not the EU pet-passport framework. Imports are governed by the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (1999) and its Rules, 2056 (2000): every animal must enter through a quarantine check post and may only be cleared once a quarantine officer has examined it. The official pet documentation published by the Government of Nepal is a veterinary health certificate issued within ten days of arrival (valid thirty days) plus a rabies vaccination card, and you must notify the Animal Quarantine Office at Kathmandu airport 72 hours before you land. Nepal is rabies-endemic, so a valid rabies vaccination is essential. Several finer details are not published in the official sources, so confirm them with the Animal Quarantine Office and your vet. What you must prepare also depends on your dog's country of origin and travel history — read this guide before booking.
📋 At a glance
| Dogs allowed | Yes — with documents and notice |
| Advance notice to Animal Quarantine Office | Required (72 hours before arrival) |
| Microchip | Not specified in official guidance (ISO recommended) |
| Rabies vaccination | Required (valid vaccination card) |
| Rabies antibody test | Not required by Nepal |
| Veterinary health certificate | Required (issued within 10 days of arrival) |
| Import permit | Not required for an accompanied personal pet (per official guidance) |
| Quarantine | None if healthy and documented; otherwise discretionary |
⏱️ 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 and Nepal's Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Animal Quarantine Office can confirm the exact procedure for your individual dog.
- Notify the Animal Quarantine Office at Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International Airport) 72 hours before arrival by email ([email protected]), attaching the health certificate and rabies vaccination card.
- Several details (microchip standard, exact rabies interval, minimum age, parasite treatment) are not published in the official Nepali sources — confirm them before you travel.
- 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 Nepal
🧭 How your dog's entry requirements are decided
The exact steps depend on three things — Nepal (your destination) is only the first.
- 1 Country of destination — Nepal★★★★★
Nepal runs its own DLS scheme under the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (1999) and Rules, 2056 (2000): entry only through a quarantine check post, a rabies vaccination card, a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival, advance notice to the Animal Quarantine Office and examination by a quarantine officer. It does not use the EU pet-passport system and does not require a rabies antibody test.
- 2 Country of departure★★★★★
A licensed veterinarian in the country of departure must issue the health certificate within ten days of your arrival in Nepal. Because Nepal is rabies-endemic, the rabies vaccination status recorded at departure is central; the departure country's disease situation may also influence how closely a quarantine officer examines the dog on arrival.
- 3 Countries your dog recently stayed in★★★★☆
Your dog's disease exposure and vaccination history shape the certificate wording and the quarantine officer's decision on arrival. Under the Rules, a dog that is not found healthy, or arrives without an authenticated vaccination certificate, can be held in the quarantine spot regardless of the last airport.
So read the requirements below as Nepal's framework, then confirm your dog's exact origin, history and paperwork with your vet and the Animal Quarantine Office before you book.
✅ Entry requirements
| Requirement | Required? | When | Exceptions | Official reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advance notice (Animal Quarantine Office) | Required | The owner must inform the Animal Quarantine Office in Nepal of the arrival time at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA, Kathmandu) 72 hours before arrival, sending the health certificate and rabies vaccination card to [email protected]. | This early notice lets a quarantine officer be on hand to process the dog. Contact numbers are published by the Embassy of Nepal, London. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (c) |
| Veterinary health certificate | Required | A health certificate for the pet must be issued within ten (10) days of your arrival in Nepal; it is valid for thirty (30) days. Another health certificate can be produced in Nepal. | Under the Act, a quarantine officer may prohibit entry if the prescribed disease-free and soundness certificate is not submitted, so carry the original and copies. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (a); Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (s.11) |
| Rabies vaccination | Required | A rabies vaccination card must accompany the pet. Nepal is rabies-endemic, so a current, valid rabies vaccination is essential and is checked against the health certificate on arrival. | The official Nepali guidance reviewed does not publish a specific rabies interval (days before travel or maximum validity) — carry a complete, dated card showing current validity. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (b) |
| Rabies antibody test | Not required | — | The official Nepali pet-import guidance does not call for a rabies antibody test. Only a valid rabies vaccination card is required. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (b) |
| ISO microchip | Not specified | The official Nepali pet-import guidance reviewed does not list a microchip requirement or standard. An ISO 11784/11785-compatible microchip is international best practice and is recommended so the dog can be reliably identified against its documents. | Because it is unpublished, confirm the current identification requirement with the Animal Quarantine Office before you travel. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (microchip not listed) |
| Parasite treatment | Not specified | — | The official Nepali guidance reviewed does not publish an internal/external parasite-treatment requirement for dogs. Keep any treatment records with the health certificate in case a quarantine officer asks. | Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (not listed) |
| Import permit | Not required for an accompanied personal pet | The official pet-import guidance does not require an import permit for a pet travelling with its owner. Separately, the Act operates an import-permit / quarantine-check-post regime for animal imports (application to the veterinary/quarantine authority, generally before import). | Larger or non-personal movements (for example several animals or a commercial import) may require a permit — confirm with the Animal Quarantine Office. The reviewed sources do not publish a fixed pet-number threshold. | Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (s.8–9); DLS Animal Quarantine Division |
| Entry through a quarantine check post | Required by law | Animals may be imported only through the route of a quarantine check post. For pets arriving by air this is the Animal Quarantine Office at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. | A quarantine officer may prohibit entry, order return to the country of origin or order destruction if the dog is diseased or the required certificate is missing. | Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (s.9, s.11, s.12) |
| Arrival examination (quarantine officer) | Required | On arrival, a quarantine officer physically inspects and clinically examines the dog and its documents at the Animal Quarantine Office; laboratory examination may be carried out if there is doubt of disease. | If the dog is found healthy and its documents comply, it is released; otherwise it may be kept in the quarantine spot. | Animal Health and Livestock Services Rules, 2056 (r.6–8) |
| Quarantine | None if healthy and documented; otherwise discretionary | There is no routine quarantine for a healthy, correctly documented dog. Under the Rules, if the dog is not found healthy or arrives without an authenticated vaccination certificate, it is kept in the quarantine spot; fixed durations are set for certain listed livestock diseases, but rabies is not among them. | Quarantine costs (feeding, watering, security) are borne by the importer; no compensation is payable for an animal that dies in quarantine. | Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (s.6); Rules, 2056 (r.6) |
| Minimum age / puppies | Unknown | The official Nepali sources reviewed do not publish a minimum age for importing a dog. | In practice a valid rabies vaccination is required, which is only given from a certain age — confirm the minimum age and vaccination timing with the Animal Quarantine Office and your vet. | No official Nepali source (unpublished) |
| Customs duty / valuation | Set by the Department of Customs | Immigration and animal quarantine are separate from Customs. Any customs duty or valuation on a pet is a matter for the Department of Customs on arrival. | The official sources reviewed do not publish a specific pet duty rate — confirm current charges with the Department of Customs. | Tribhuvan International Airport Immigration Office (refers pets to the Department of Customs) |
🌍 Rules according to your dog's origin
Dog coming from the EU — national procedure applies
Nepal does not recognise the EU pet passport, so an EU-origin dog follows the same national procedure as any other. You need a valid rabies vaccination card and a veterinary health certificate issued within ten days of arrival (valid thirty days), and you must notify the Animal Quarantine Office 72 hours before arrival. No rabies antibody test is required. The dog is examined by a quarantine officer on arrival and released if healthy and correctly documented.
Dog from another country — same national scheme
From any other country the requirements are the same: a rabies vaccination card, a health certificate issued within ten days of arrival, 72-hour advance notice to the Animal Quarantine Office and examination by a quarantine officer at Tribhuvan International Airport. Because Nepal is rabies-endemic, keep the rabies vaccination clearly current and consistent with the health certificate.
Non-compliant arrival, several animals or a dog that is not healthy
A dog that arrives without the prescribed disease-free and soundness certificate, without a valid rabies vaccination, or that is not found healthy on inspection, can be held in the quarantine spot, ordered returned to the country of origin, or (in the worst case) destroyed, all at the importer's cost. Larger or non-personal movements may require an import permit under the Act. Confirm the exact conditions with the Animal Quarantine Office well before travel.
🛬 Arrival
What happens when your dog reaches Nepal depends on whether every condition was completed before departure.
- Before departure, notify the Animal Quarantine Office 72 hours in advance by email ([email protected]) with the health certificate and rabies vaccination card, so an officer is available for your arrival.
- Dogs enter through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu, where the Animal Quarantine Office is the designated quarantine check post — clearance is not available outside a quarantine check post.
- Present the original veterinary health certificate and the rabies vaccination card; a quarantine officer physically inspects and clinically examines the dog and its documents.
- If the dog is healthy and the documents comply, it is released to you. Another health certificate can be produced in Nepal if needed.
- If the dog is diseased, or the required certificate is missing or invalid, the officer may prohibit entry, hold the dog in the quarantine spot, order its return to the country of origin, or order its destruction — all at the importer's expense.
- Immigration and animal quarantine are separate from Customs; any customs duty on the pet is handled by the Department of Customs on arrival.
🧳 Real traveller experience
No reliable documented traveller feedback available.
🚫 Restricted dogs
The official Nepali sources reviewed — the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 and its Rules, 2056, and the Government of Nepal's published pet-import guidance — do not set out a breed-specific import ban. The import rules apply to dogs generally, not to named breeds.
No national breed-specific import ban is published in the reviewed sources. Breeds restricted in some other countries (pit-bull types, Tosa, Rottweiler and similar) are not, in those documents, named as prohibited from being imported into Nepal.
Restrictions come instead from airline policies: many carriers refuse or restrict snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds in the hold and may set their own breed rules. These are carrier rules, not Nepali import bans. Any future breed measure would come from the Department of Livestock Services, so re-check before travel.
Because breed policy is unpublished on the import side, confirm your dog's breed is accepted by your airline before booking, and check the Department of Livestock Services for any future change.
🛂 Airports in Nepal
Check where your dog can relieve itself at each airport — and whether it's before or after security.
🧾 Preparation checklist
- ☐Notify the Animal Quarantine Office 72 hours before arrival ([email protected]) with the health certificate and rabies vaccination card
- ☐Rabies vaccination card valid and up to date (Nepal is rabies-endemic)
- ☐Veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival, valid 30 days, by a licensed vet
- ☐ISO 11784/11785 microchip recommended (identification standard not published by Nepal) — confirm with the quarantine office
- ☐Fly into Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu, where the Animal Quarantine Office clears pets
- ☐Bring originals and copies of all documents; another health certificate can be produced in Nepal if needed
- ☐Confirm minimum age, exact rabies interval and any parasite treatment with the quarantine office (not published)
- ☐Check customs duty/valuation with the Department of Customs; IATA-compliant crate if travelling in the hold; confirm your breed with the airline
📚 Official sources
- Embassy of Nepal, London — Taking Pets to Nepal (official pet documentation)
- Department of Livestock Services — Animal Quarantine Division
- Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 2055 (1999) — Nepal Law Commission
- Animal Health and Livestock Services Rules, 2056 (2000) — English text (Veterinary Council of Nepal)
- Tribhuvan International Airport Immigration Office — bringing a pet to Nepal (refers to Customs/quarantine)