Travelling by Air with your dog involves a bit of paperwork. And if the travel is from one country to another there will be a lot of it.

The paperwork can be categorised into two parts;

1. Documents needed by airlines to let your dog in and fly it.
2. Documents needed by customs from where you take off and documents needed by customs where you land.

Most of these documents are related to health and vaccination of the dog and another important one is a NOC from the Govt. of the country of origin.

I travelled from Mohali, Punjab, India to Delhi, India by road with my dog. Then from Delhi, India to Toronto, Canada by air which includes a halt at Amsterdam.

Here is a list of documents which i prepared and i had no trouble with anything at the Indian airport, nor at Amsterdam and nor at Toronto. Everything went smooth for me.

Documents Required: (Have all documents in English)

1. NOC (export certificate) (Cost: Rs Zero)
   1. Made at Animal quarantine & certification services center. There is one at Delhi, Mumabi, Kolkatta, Chennai, Banglore and Hyderabad. For details visit http://www.aqcsindia.gov.in/
   2. I got my from Delhi center. Very good experience, the staff was super helpful, doctor saab(vet) was amazing. This was the first time in my life i felt so good about a govt. office and its staff.  You can email them aqcsnr-dadf@nic.in, they are not very prompt but do reply in a day or two. Do email them with unnecessary queries. Use the email for getting an appointment or to get your documents checked before visiting them. Here is my blog on with complete details and my experience getting a pet air travel NOC at AQCS center, Kapashera, Delhi. 
   3. Not more than 7 days before the date of travel
2. Health Certificate from a local vet. (Cost: Rs 500-1000)
   1. A printer letterhead would be best but if it is handwritten ensure it was “clinic name”, “clinic address with phone” and must have “vet’s registration no.”
   2. Not more than 10 days before the date of travel.
   3. Should mention name, breed, sex, age, colour, microchip no(if required), Owner’s Name.
   4. Should mention dog is fit to travel and free of rabies or any communicable disease.
3. Microchip certificate (Rs 1000 for chip, certificate included).Not mandatory for Canada but no harm in having it. The custom people and city registration office did ask for it here in Canada.
   1. The barcode stickers which come along with chip have it pasted on the certificate and save the spare one you may need them.
4. Vaccination record for past 1 year (Cost Rs 500)
   1. Rabies vaccination shot must be given at least 30 days prior to the date of travel.
   2. Rabies vaccination’s date of validity must be mentioned or 1 year is considered.
5. Owner’s Passport copy
6. Owner’s air ticket copy
7. Airway bill in case your pet travels by “cargo” and not with you as excess baggage
8. 2 x postcard size (4in x 6 in) of dog. One from the front and one from the side will do. Needed for NOC.
9. Make at least 2 sets of all these documents. Keep original with yourself. One set will be required for the airlines and have one spare.

NOC or the export certificate from the Animal Quarantine & Certification service center is the most important. Here is the form which is required to be filled and the documents you will need to get the NOC.

Link to the official site. Choose the option “F”. 

Form as downloaded on 17/05/2019

The documents required at the airport will vary according to your airline, please check with them. I flew by KLM, and here is what they asked for;

KLM pet/dog air travel document check list

NOC may not be mentioned in the list. As its a document required by customs and airline will collect it’s copy from you to submit. They will see the original also. KLM staff at Delhi airport was very helpful and I did not face any trouble.

Sample documents only for reference, your documents do not have to be exact same.

Vaccination record or Pet Passport booklet

The documents and the formats are the property of the respective issuing authorities. Any misuse will be illegal.

The documents and the formats are the property of the respective issuing authorities. Any misuse will be illegal.

The documents and the formats are the property of the respective issuing authorities. Any misuse will be illegal.

The documents and the formats are the property of the respective issuing authorities. Any misuse will be illegal.

All the information mentioned above is from my personal experience. The rules and requirements may change with time, please do check with concerned authorities and airlines for updated requirements at the time of your travel.