Saudi Arabia requires an official import permit from MEWA (Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture) obtained through the Naama electronic platform. The permit is valid for 30 days. Pets need a microchip, rabies vaccination, species-specific vaccines, and a government-endorsed Veterinary Health Certificate. Cats may travel in cabin if under 5 kg total with carrier.
Government-endorsed Veterinary Health Certificate from origin country
Vaccination booklet showing microchip number required
Dogs generally must fly in temperature-controlled cargo hold
Cats and small birds may travel in cabin if total weight under 5 kg
Import requirements by pet type
Requirements for relocating a pet to Saudi Arabia vary significantly by species. Below are the rules for birds, horses, and exotic pets — dogs and cats are covered in the key requirements above.
Birds
Generally not permitted
MEWA's official pet-import procedure covers only cats and dogs and does not provide a pathway for companion birds, so ordinary pet birds (such as parrots) are effectively not importable. The recognised exception is falcons, which per US-Saudi export guidance require a MEWA import permit accompanying the consignment plus written approval from the wildlife-conservation authority and a veterinary health certificate.
MEWA's official 'Pets Importing procedures' document addresses only cats and dogs; it provides no import mechanism for companion birds
Companion birds (e.g. parrots) are treated as not permitted under standard pet-import rules; general live-bird import is widely reported as not allowed
Falcons are the recognised exception: per APHIS US-export guidance, a MEWA import permit must accompany the consignment
Falcon imports also require written approval from the wildlife-conservation authority and a veterinary health certificate, with avian-influenza testing and isolation before departure
CITES permits apply to protected raptor species
Verified against MEWA's official 'Pets Importing procedures' PDF, which lists only cats and dogs (allowed dog breeds, microchip, rabies vaccination with at least six months validity, 30-day import permit) and makes NO mention of birds, falcons or parrots. The 'not allowed' verdict for companion birds and the falcon exception come from APHIS US-Saudi falcon export guidance and pet-travel summaries, not from the MEWA pet page itself. Treat companion-bird import as not available and confirm any falcon case directly with MEWA and the wildlife authority.
Horses
Import permitted
Saudi Arabia imports horses, but the route sits outside MEWA's cat-and-dog pet-import procedure and follows separate equine export protocols. Per APHIS export guidance, horses come from MEWA-accredited countries, must be registered (with a passport/registration document), need a MEWA import permit, a certificate of origin and a government-endorsed health certificate, with pre-export quarantine, vaccinations and disease testing, processed via the Janadriyah international quarantine.
Horse must originate from a MEWA-accredited country and be a registered horse accompanied by a passport or official registration document
Obtain a MEWA import permit by submitting a completed import-permit application
Certificate of origin plus a health certificate issued by the exporting country's authorized authority
Pre-export quarantine (reported as around 30 days before export) with required vaccinations and pre-export disease testing
For US horses, an APHIS-endorsed certificate verified by MEWA (checked in the VEHCS system)
Processing through the International Quarantine for Horses at Janadriyah on arrival
MEWA's official pet-import PDF covers only cats and dogs and does not address horses, so the equine requirements here are drawn from APHIS US-to-Saudi live-animal export guidance rather than a MEWA pet page. The roughly 30-day pre-export quarantine figure, accredited-country list and Janadriyah quarantine come from that APHIS guidance and can change; specific disease tests (e.g. EIA, glanders, piroplasmosis, EVA, dourine) depend on the origin-country protocol. Confirm the current model certificate and accredited-country status with MEWA.
Reptiles
Generally not permitted
No official Saudi source confirms a route to import reptiles as pets. MEWA's official pet-import procedure covers only cats and dogs and is silent on reptiles, so reptile relocation is UNVERIFIABLE as a standard pathway. Saudi Arabia also tightly controls exotic and protected wildlife under CITES, with licences for exotic pets reported as routinely refused, making private reptile import realistically impractical.
MEWA's official pet-import procedure does not cover reptiles, and no official Saudi source confirms a standard reptile pet-import pathway (status UNVERIFIABLE)
Import and keeping of exotic animals is reported to require explicit permission from the Saudi wildlife authority, with licences for exotic pets routinely refused
CITES compliance is mandatory for listed species, with permits required and enforcement strict
Any case-specific clearance would require a veterinary health certificate and other entry requirements set by the authorities
Illegal ownership of protected or predatory wildlife can carry heavy fines and imprisonment
MEWA's official 'Pets Importing procedures' PDF lists only cats and dogs and contains no reptile provisions, so a standard reptile import route cannot be confirmed from the official source and is marked UNVERIFIABLE. The exotic-wildlife restrictions, routine licence refusals and CITES enforcement are reported by pet-travel and news sources rather than a single official reptile page. For any specific species, verify directly with MEWA and the National Center for Wildlife.
Pet-type requirements researched and last updated June 2026. Always confirm current rules with the destination’s government authority before booking — regulations change frequently.
How much does it cost to ship a pet to Saudi Arabia?
A full-service move to Saudi Arabia typically costs $2,370–$5,610 for a medium dog, covering the airline cargo fee, IATA crate, vet and USDA documents, rabies titer test, import permit, customs clearance. Typical process time: 7–12 days.
