Kenya is one of our favorite countries in Africa. We love Kenya because the country has it all – from beautiful landscapes, safari, amazing beaches and much more!
Kenya is known as one of the world’s greatest tourism and expats destinations.
If you are one of those that need to move to Kenya and you have a pet, it is important to become fully familiar with all the import requirements before relocating to Kenya with a pet.
The guide below has all the information needed for bringing pets to Kenya. However, it might be helpful to engage with a pet transport company, such as us, to get professional advice and assistance.
In order to bring a dog or cat into Kenya, your pet should be identified by a permanent mark (such as a microchip).
We recommend you implant your pet with a 15 digit ISO microchip, as required by most countries.
The microchip number should be stated in the vaccination booklet/certificate and on the international health certificate.
Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies once they are at least 3 months old.
In case of a primary vaccination, the rabies vaccine should be done at least 6 months before the pet’s travel and not more than one year prior to the pet’s shipment.
In case of a booster vaccination, not more than one year prior to the pet’s shipment. This is of course only relevant if the booster was given while the previous vaccine was still valid.
Puppies and kittens that are aged 3 months and less, will be allowed to enter Kenya based on the mother’s vaccination records, provided that they are valid.
Not more than 48 hours before your pet’s flight, you should treat your pet against internal and external parasites.
The following aren’t mandatory, but we recommend pet owner’s do so before bringing pets to Kenya:
The rabies antibody blood test isn’t needed (yet) to import a dog or cat into Kenya.
Even though this isn’t one of the import requirements, we still recommend you get this test done before bringing your pets to Kenya.
We recommend this because:
Pets entering Kenya should be accompanied by an international veterinary health certificate endorsed by the relevant authorities in the country of origin.
The health certificate should be done no more than 5 days prior to the pet’s departure.
Please note that the original certificate should accompany the animal.
An import permit, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya, is required for all pets coming into Kenya.
Issuing the import permit takes about 2-3 working days.
Once issued, the import permit is valid for 90 days and only for one consignment.
Pets entering Kenya should do so through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) and only as manifest cargo (with an airway bill).
You can’t bring your pet into Kenya in-cabin or even as excess luggage.
Sending a pet as manifest cargo means that the pet is flying “unaccompanied”. Even if the owner is on the same flight, the pet’s ticket (airway bill) isn’t connected in any way to the owner’s ticket.
If you want to read more about sending pets as cargo, we recommend you read the following article – Flying Pets Unaccompanied
Here are some frequently asked questions about importing a pet into Kenya:
Question #1: Will my pet be placed in quarantine?
There is no mandatory quarantine in Kenya. If all the import requirements are met, your pet will be free to go home once released from customs from NBO airport.
Question #2: Can I bring my small dog/cat with me in-cabin?
No! Importing a pet into Kenya can only be done with an AWB (airway bill). Your pet can only enter Kenya as manifest cargo.
Question #3: When do you recommend to begin the pet import process into Kenya?
In general, the process could take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. However, we recommend beginning the process about 2-3 months before you import your pet.
Question #4: I have a Pitbull. Can I bring him to Kenya?
There are no banned dog breeds in Kenya. Therefore, if all the import requirements are met, you will be able to import your Pitbull into Kenya.
Flying with a “dangerous” dog isn’t simple. If you have such a dog, we recommend you read the following article – Flying A Dangerous Dog
Question #5: What’s your experience with importing pets into Kenya?
Pets2Fly’s owner, Mattan Gal, is the son of Noah Gal. Noah Gal was the Israeli Ambassador in Kenya between August 2017 and August 2019.
Within these two years, Pets2Fly formed strategic partnerships with relevant parties in Kenya.
Bringing pets to Kenya isn’t complicated. If you follow the guidelines stated on this page, you should have no problem importing your pets into Kenya.
If the process isn’t complicated, why should we hire a pet relocation service?
The answer is quite simple – hiring a pet relocation company will make it much easier and smoother.
Relocating with a pet is very stressful. Let us help take that stress away and guarantee the best trip for your pets!
We would love to hear from you!
