How many days of quarantine for a dog coming to India?

None if the dog is healthy and its papers are in order: AQCS issues the Final NOC at the airport. Under the AQCS procedure of August 2026, a dog showing clinical signs of disease is quarantined for 15 days at the AQCS station, with testing at the owner's cost, and is cleared only if the tests are negative.

Where is a pet quarantined in India if it fails the check?

At the AQCS station for the port where it arrived. AQCS has stations at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and pets landing at Cochin International Airport come under AQCS Chennai. The owner pays Rs 800 a day for the pet's accommodation, under AQCS's charges from 1 May 2025.

Does India quarantine pets from rabies-free countries differently?

The AQCS procedures do not set a separate quarantine rule by country. Every pet dog or cat needs the Advance NOC, a valid rabies vaccine and the health certificate, and every pet is examined on arrival. Whether it is quarantined depends on that examination, not on where it flew from.

Why does the USDA page say my pet will be quarantined in India?

USDA APHIS's page for US owners, last modified 27 February 2026, still describes a 15-day quarantine and a permanent certificate after 30 days. It is out of step with AQCS's own procedure of August 2026, which quarantines a pet only if it fails the arrival examination. AQCS is the Indian authority, so follow its procedure.

Can I visit or stay with my pet during quarantine in India?

The AQCS procedure does not say. It says the station keeps a daily examination record, carries out tests and updates the results online. AQCS's charges order lists a daily fee for a water cooler or air conditioner the owner installs. Ask the AQCS station directly about visits before you travel.

Petym Answers 7 min read

Is there quarantine for pets coming to India?

Updated October 2026By PetymFacts checked against official sources on 21 October 2026

Quick answer

Not for a healthy pet with the right papers. Under AQCS's procedures of August 2026, a dog or cat arriving with an Advance NOC is examined at the airport and, if found sound and healthy, given its Final NOC there. Only a pet showing signs of disease is quarantined, for 15 days at the AQCS station, at the owner's cost.

Some pages still say every pet is quarantined, including USDA's guidance for US owners. The AQCS procedure is the primary document, so follow it, and ask the AQCS station at your arrival airport if anything is unclear.

What happens to your pet when it lands in India?

Two checks decide it: the Advance NOC before you fly, and the examination at the airport.

Before you fly
You apply on CBIC's ATITHI 2.0 portal and AQCS issues an Advance NOC within 1 working day of checking your documents. The airline will not carry the pet without it. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
At the airport
AQCS staff carry out a physical examination in a prescribed format and check the original documents at the port of entry. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Found sound and healthy
The Final NOC is issued at the port of entry itself, and Customs clears the pet on the strength of it. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Showing clinical signs of disease
The pet goes to the AQCS station and stays in quarantine for 15 days, with a daily examination record and testing at the owner's cost. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
After quarantine
If the test reports are negative, AQCS issues the Final NOC. If tests are positive or the pet dies of disease, deportation or post-mortem and incineration follow, at the owner's cost. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Is the rule the same for cats?

Yes. The cat procedure follows the same pattern, with its own health certificate.

AQCS's procedure for pet cats says a cat found sound and healthy gets its Final NOC at the port of entry, and a cat showing clinical signs of the diseases listed in its examination format is quarantined at the AQCS station for 15 days, with testing. The cat's vet examination must be done within 7 days of shipment.

Only dogs and cats come in as pets under the baggage route. AQCS's FAQ says any other animal needs a DGFT licence, so a parrot or rabbit cannot simply arrive with you.

Why do some websites say every pet is quarantined in India?

Because older official pages are still online. Sources disagree, and the AQCS procedure of August 2026 is the primary document.

You may have read
A healthy pet arriving from the USA is quarantined for 15 days.
Myth
What the sources say
USDA APHIS's page for US owners, last modified 27 February 2026, still says pets free of illness with documents in order shall be quarantined for 15 days, then get a permanent certificate after 30 days. AQCS's own procedure quarantines a pet only if it fails the examination. USDA APHIS
You may have read
Final clearance only comes 30 days after arrival.
Myth
What the sources say
AQCS's older baggage page still describes this, but the current procedure has AQCS examine the pet and issue the Final NOC at the port, and CBIC's 2026 traveller guide says Customs clears pets on that NOC. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
You may have read
You get a provisional quarantine clearance first.
Myth
What the sources say
AQCS's FAQ still describes one. The procedure of August 2026 issues the Final NOC at the port after the examination for a healthy pet. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
You may have read
A titre test lets your pet skip quarantine.
Myth
What the sources say
The AQCS procedures ask for a rabies vaccine given more than one month and within 12 months before embarkation, not a titre test. Quarantine depends on the examination, not a blood test. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

How do you avoid quarantine when bringing a pet to India?

Arrive with a healthy pet and papers that match. These are the AQCS requirements most likely to trip owners up.

Hold a valid Advance NOC before check-in. A pet that arrives without one, or with a fake or altered one, faces a deportation or re-export order. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Time the rabies vaccine: more than one month but within 12 months before embarkation, for dogs aged 3 months or more and for cats. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Carry the official health certificate from the country you leave, with India's format (Annexure 1.1.1 for dogs) signed by its competent authority. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
For a dog, the vet certifies freedom from clinical signs of rabies, distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis, infectious canine hepatitis, scabies and leishmaniasis. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
For a cat, the examination must fall within 7 days of shipment, and the cat must show no influenza-like illness on the day. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Make sure the owner's name on the health certificate matches the ticket, with your addresses abroad and in India. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Land at a notified port: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or Cochin International Airport under AQCS Chennai. Gazette of India (Controller of Publications), for Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

What does quarantine cost if your pet fails the check?

These are AQCS's own charges from its order of 28 April 2025, in force from 1 May 2025, quoted as published.

As published

Import application processing chargeRs 1,000 per applicationPaid for every import, quarantine or not, on Bharatkosh. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Quarantine accommodation for a dog or catRs 800 a dayThe procedure sets the stay at 15 days. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
A water cooler you installRs 100 a day Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
An air conditioner you installRs 500 a day Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Tests during quarantineNot publishedBorne by the applicant. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Petym's arithmetic: 15 days at Rs 800 a day comes to Rs 12,000 for accommodation alone, before tests or any cooler or air conditioner.

Does the 2026 relaxation for pets from the Middle East change quarantine?

A Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying memorandum of 12 March 2026, for pets of Indians stranded in war-hit Middle East countries, lets a pet with a delayed rabies vaccine, or with no papers, be vaccinated at the port and cleared after examination. It says all quarantine, vaccination and medication costs fall on the owner and that the measure is not a precedent. Petym found no end date in it, so check with AQCS before relying on it.

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Questions owners ask

How many days of quarantine for a dog coming to India?: None if the dog is healthy and its papers are in order: AQCS issues the Final NOC at the airport. Under the AQCS procedure of August 2026, a dog showing clinical signs of disease is quarantined for 15 days at the AQCS station, with testing at the owner's cost, and is cleared only if the tests are negative.
Where is a pet quarantined in India if it fails the check?: At the AQCS station for the port where it arrived. AQCS has stations at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and pets landing at Cochin International Airport come under AQCS Chennai. The owner pays Rs 800 a day for the pet's accommodation, under AQCS's charges from 1 May 2025.
Does India quarantine pets from rabies-free countries differently?: The AQCS procedures do not set a separate quarantine rule by country. Every pet dog or cat needs the Advance NOC, a valid rabies vaccine and the health certificate, and every pet is examined on arrival. Whether it is quarantined depends on that examination, not on where it flew from.
Why does the USDA page say my pet will be quarantined in India?: USDA APHIS's page for US owners, last modified 27 February 2026, still describes a 15-day quarantine and a permanent certificate after 30 days. It is out of step with AQCS's own procedure of August 2026, which quarantines a pet only if it fails the arrival examination. AQCS is the Indian authority, so follow its procedure.
Can I visit or stay with my pet during quarantine in India?: The AQCS procedure does not say. It says the station keeps a daily examination record, carries out tests and updates the results online. AQCS's charges order lists a daily fee for a water cooler or air conditioner the owner installs. Ask the AQCS station directly about visits before you travel.

Keep reading

Bringing a dog or cat into IndiaThe ATITHI Advance NOC, step by step.
Taking a pet abroad from IndiaThe AQCS export certificate, for the way out.
Pet travel rules in India
Flying with a pet in India
Is flying in cargo safe for my dog?

Words on this page, explained

Sources

Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources

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