Why it's almost impossible to get a pet out of Dubai (and what happens to those who stay)

©Christoph Schulz via Unsplash

Leaving Dubai with your pet is no easy task. Between compulsory vaccinations, health tests and administrative authorizations, the procedure can take weeks or even months. So, in the event of a hasty departure, many owners find themselves obliged to leave their cats and dogs behind.

According to several veterinary guides dedicated to pet transportation in the United Arab Emirates, preparations for an international move must begin well in advance. The first essential step is the implantation of an identification chip, which must be fitted before any vaccination. Only then can the rabies vaccine, which is mandatory for travel, be administered.

But even after vaccination, departure is not immediately possible. International regulations stipulate a waiting period before the animal can undergo a blood test to measure rabies antibodies. This test, known as a 'serological titration test', is used to demonstrate that the vaccine has produced sufficient protection. The sample must be analyzed in accredited laboratories, and can take some time to obtain the results.

A veterinary health certificate, compulsory anti-parasite treatments and official export authorizations must be added to these procedures. In addition, animals must travel in cages that comply with International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards, and in most cases are transported by air freight.

It's a system designed to guarantee sanitary safety, but one that makes last-minute departures almost impossible.

Administrative hurdles

The administrative side of the process also involves specific steps. To export a pet from the Emirates, you need a permit issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, valid only for a limited period of time. The slightest error in documentation can block the animal's departure, or force people to start the procedure all over again.

As a result, many animals are left behind, while their owners have to leave the country in a hurry.

Volunteers and local associations report that cats and dogs are found in empty apartments, abandoned in gardens or on the street. Some are taken to makeshift shelters set up by rescue networks, while others arrive at veterinary clinics in a worrying state of health.

On the ground, organizations try to recover abandoned animals and find them temporary foster families or people to adopt them. But spaces are limited and the cost of veterinary care continues to rise.

Faced with hasty departures and rigid administrative procedures, many pets risk becoming the invisible victims of a crisis they have no way of coping with.

Source : Moccae.gov.ae

(©GreenMe.it 2026/Managing editor: Julie Morgan - The Press Junction/Picture: Christoph Schulz via Unsplash)