Importing a dog to Thailand is quite an easy process if you prepare in advance. No need to pay for an expensive agent, it’s easy to do it all yourself. The first time I flew to Thailand I flew directly into Samui airport. However, every other time I flew into Suvarnabhumi airport. This is usually where most people will land. Both airports were super easy to navigate on your own.
With any pet relocation, there are many agents who can help you with the process for a fee, but my pawrents did everything themselves. It does involve a lot of research and planning, but it can save quite a bit of money.
Requirements
The full list of requirements for importing a dog to Thailand can be found on the Department of Livestock website and there is a simple PDF that explains the whole process. The main requirements are that;
- The dog must be fit and healthy and free of all diseases.
- It must come from a rabies free country OR be vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before arrival into Thailand
- It must be vaccinated against Leptospirosis at least 21 days before arrival into Thailand OR be tested for Leptospirosis with a negative test result within the 30 days before arrival. Leptospirosis is covered in the standard vaccines so if your dog is up to date with their vaccines there should be no need for the test.
- The dog must be vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus at least 21 days prior to departure. As above, these are the standard annual vaccinations so if your dog is up to date with their annual shots they should already be covered for these.
Paperwork Needed
For importing a dog to Thailand, you can apply for an import permit from the Thai Department of Livestock Development in advance of your travel. If you are travelling on the same flight as your pet (either in cabin or in the hold) you can apply on arrival in Thailand. I strongly recommend you apply in advance so that they can check the paperwork before arrival. This ensures that if there are any errors you have time to rectify them. If there are errors on arrival you won’t have this opportunity.
The application form (R1-1) can be found here and is very simple. In order to get the permit you need to provide them with the following;
- Health certificate endorsed by the authorised veterinary official of the Government of the exporting country confirming the requirements as per the Department of Livestock link above. Usually your local vet will do the health certificate and then you need to get it endorsed. This must be done within 10 days of your arrival to Thailand. Usually your local vet will have done this before and know the process. But not always. In the UK, our vet was only familiar with the health certificate for exporting to the EU and not outside of the EU. So it’s best to check in advance.
- Copy of vaccination record with confirmation of rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus & leptospirosis. The vaccine book must have the vets full name, licence number and signature for each vaccination.
- Copy of owners passport. If someone else will be collecting the dog on arrival you will also need to provide their passport copy and a letter of authorisation confirming they are authorised to pick up the dog.
- Photo of the dog’s face
Apply for Import Certificate
You will then need to send these documents to the quarantine station. For Samui we e-mailed these to qssm_urt@dld.go.th. Into Bangkok you submit to qsap_bkk_import@dld.go.th. Both times we kept in contact with the quarantine stations. They were very helpful to answer any questions we had.
It took 3 working days for us to receive the import permit from Samui. However, they say it takes about 5 working days. In my latest application, they began processing my docs on 5th July and I only got the permit on 21st, so it was a lot longer than 5 days. So best to apply in advance. You’ll also need to take into consideration the many Thai public holidays. Once it is ready they will e-mail you the import certificate to print off and take with you to the airport. The certificate is valid for 60 days from issuance.
Your Flight
We flew with Bangkok Airways into Samui and I went in the hold. When we have flown into Bangkok we have always flew with Singapore airlines and I flew in cabin.
For an International flight with Bangkok Airways, you pay for the cost of excess baggage. Myself and my crate weighed 16kg so we booked 20kg of extra baggage. It was only 1,800 baht, so super cheap. I was free on Singapore Airlines as I was an ESA.
In Samui it is recommended to arrive during working hours. This is to ensure that there will be an official on duty to go through the quarantine procedures with you. The only flight available for us landed at 9pm. Thankfully we let the quarantine agent know in advance and she agreed to stay late for us. The quarantine station at Bangkok is open 24 hours a day so this is not an issue there.
You need to bring the originals of your endorsed health certificate, export licence and vaccination records and print out of your import licence and your passport. These will be verified at check in. You should also carry at least one copy of each document as well as sometimes they will take them off you for their records.
Arriving in Samui
There are many things online which state that you must do 30 days quarantine upon arrival, however I’ve not read or heard of any dogs actually having to do it. Upon landing at Samui airport, I arrived along with the rest of the luggage on the carousel. My pawrents then took me to the quarantine section of the airport. It’s a short walk from the luggage belt and the staff are happy to point you in the right direction. You’re not allowed out of the crate until you get to the quarantine office so need to be patient.
At the quarantine office they did a quick once over of me to make sure I was OK and healthy and took all the papers. In total it took about 1 hour to process everything. We had to pay a fee of 510 baht and then we were free to leave. We had to go back 5 days later to collect the original import licence from the same office. I believe this is because it is only the office in Bangkok that can actually issue the import licence.
Arriving in Bangkok
After we collected our luggage we headed to customs. We first went to the plant and animal quarantine section but were directed to the quarantine and inspection service which was located next to baggage belt 8 and the oversized baggage collection.
Here they took all our papers that we had and checked them all. They also scanned the microchip to confirm it matched the papers. They took lots of photos too. There wasn’t any inspection done, only checking the papers. It cost 510 baht in total and took about 15 minutes then they handed us the papers back along with the import permit, of which we were given an original and a copy.
As we passed through customs, we had to show the permits to be able to pass through. Everything was super easy and everyone was very friendly!
Conclusion
Importing a dog to Thailand might seem like a long and tough process but it’s actually pretty simple and certainly manageable without an agent. All offices dealt with were super helpful and checked all documents in advance to ensure everything was in order.
I hope this helps if you are looking to import a dog to Thailand. However, please note that as much as I try to keep this page up to date, policies can change often at no notice. It is always wise to check directly with the relevant authorities with your own personal information prior to travelling. They are the only people who can give you the exact details relevant to your case.
Woof woof, Wylie x
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