Getting a NOC or Export Certificate for my dog in India

Yes, you need it.

You cannot do without it if your pet is travelling by air to another country.

The airlines won’t accept your pet onboard as the customs won’t approve your pet as luggage without it. NOC or the Certificate of Health for Export is required for any kind of livestock movement, inward or outward.

Here is the link to official Govt. Of India website for “ANIMAL QUARANTINE & CERTIFICATION SERVICES ” http://www.aqcsindia.gov.in/

Visit the website for location and more details relevant to your pet and your case.

So here is what I experienced getting a NOC for my dog.

So I was planning to travel with my dog by air from Delhi, India to Toronto, Canada. When I first came to know that I need to get some sort of Govt. certificate for travelling with my pet the first thing what came to my mind was “this will be the toughest part”. And then I came across so-called “pet travel agents” who were charging as high as Rs 15000 for it (actually it is FREE Rs 0, there is no Govt. Fee). I initially thought that it really might be a very difficult task getting this export certificate why else would it cost so much. But then I came across another good air Cargo provider (Mr Raj) in Delhi on the phone who suggested I can do by myself no big deal, Thanks to Mr Raj’s support and guidance, it helped me a lot.

So I started looking for the place where they issue this NOC or Export certificate. I was from Chandigarh so the nearest center to my location was in Delhi.

Delhi AQ&CS center address:

Animal Quarantine and Certification Service,
Old Delhi Gurgaon Road, Kapashera,
New Delhi – 110037, India

Google Map Link

aqcsnr-dadf[at]nic[dot]in (this email works and they reply also. But please do not email basic queries. Do your homework first and only send the final documents to get a remote approval before your final visit. Mr. Ashutosh is the person to get in touch here. He is a very helpful and nice person. Dr. Rajiv who heads this place is the soul of this place, amazing person.)

This center is located very close to the airport. The approach road is very crowded but the campus inside is huge, it also has parking space once you enter the main gate and lots of green grass where you ease your pet once you are there.

So I visited this place to check out how things work hoping I will find someone who can help get the certificate quickly so that my dog does not have to wait all day in hot weather. I reached the place parked my car on the road and walked inside the main gate only to find out that there is ample parking inside. But anyways the guard asked me to make an entry into visitor register and also gave me directions to the office. I walked to the office building which was air-conditioned and super clean (it just did not feel sarkaari). I entered the first room on the left and asked for how to get a NOC, the lady directed me to a room at the end of the corridor on the right.

So once you are at the office “walk down to the end of the corridor into the last room on the right”.

Here you will find Mr. Ashutosh, he is the person who takes care of documentation and will also guide you well. He patiently helped me with all the information I wanted and also confirmed the time of appointment to me on phone later in the evening. (He was super helpful I wish there are more people like him in Govt. offices.)

This the form and list documents required to obtain a NOC.

Download Links

Form

List of documents required

*Note: These are govt. forms and list, the requirements may change sooner or later. Please visit the official govt. website for details http://www.aqcsindia.gov.in

Once I had this list I completed all the requirements, prepared all the documents. Later I followed up on email and phone for appointment date and time. I sent all my documents on email for a pre-check. When I reached the center on appointment date there was just one more dog ahead of me in the queue. I handed over the documents (do take a set of photocopies) to Mr. Ashutosh, he checked all the documents, scanned my dog’s microchip number and asked me to wait for the vet to check my dog.

Dr. Rajiv Khosla who checked my dog was a very good person, friendly and helpful (not anything like a sarkari babu I had imagined). He was very thorough with his checkup, asked me a few questions about my pet. After the checkup Mr. Ashutosh called me into the room got my signatures at a few places and handed over the NOC, stamped the pet photos and it was all done.

This whole process took like 40 Mins. And it was such a pleasant experience, they all were so kind and friendly, towards the pet and me. I was wondering what are these pet travel consultants charging for ????

Do’s & Dont’s

Get all the documents as mentioned in the list (you might not need all of them, visit or call first)
Get a photocopy of documents
2 x photos as mentioned in the list
Health certificates etc should not be older than 10 days max.
Get NOC as close to your fight date as possible, not more than 7-10 days old.

Will be helpful……

If possible get someone along as for some time you will need to keep your pet outside (I locked mine in the car for about 20mins).
Carry a bowl and water for pet.
The health certificate/microchip certificate from your vet must have practitioner no. mentioned on it and it should be stamped.

Some more information

Two days after I got the NOC, I flew with my dog from Delhi to Amsterdam and then to Toronto. Read about my experience travelling with my dog.