What is rabies titre test?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A rabies titre test is a blood test that measures the rabies antibodies in a vaccinated pet, to prove the vaccine worked. The UK and the USA ask for it before a pet from India can enter. The UK wants at least 0.5 IU/ml from an EU-approved laboratory, and no lab on the EU or US lists is in India.
Also called rabies antibody test, rabies titer test, RNATT, FAVN test, rabies serology, rabies blood test.
Key facts
- For Great Britain, the blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and show at least 0.5 IU/ml. GOV.UK
- After the sample is taken, the pet must wait 3 months before travelling to Great Britain from an unlisted country. GOV.UK
- For the USA, the sample must be drawn at least 30 days after the first valid rabies vaccine and at least 28 days before entry, at a CDC-approved lab. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- A passing US titre stays valid for the dog's life as long as rabies vaccination does not lapse. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- None of the labs on the EU's list for countries outside the EU is in India. European Commission
- Many older animals vaccinated for the first time fail to reach the legally required titre; younger animals do better. WSAVAstudy
Which countries ask for a rabies titre test from India?
Rules as published by each country's government, checked on 21 October 2026. Always read the current page before you book.
| Titre test | Where it can be done | |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom GOV.UK | Yes: at least 0.5 IU/ml, sample 30 days or more after vaccination, then a 3-month wait | An EU-approved laboratory; none is in India |
| USA US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Yes for dogs: a passing result, sample 30 days or more after vaccination and 28 days or more before entry | A CDC-approved laboratory; none is in India |
| UAE UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment | Yes | A laboratory accredited by the exporting country's authorities is accepted |
| Australia Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia) | Accepts no vaccine or test done in India | In an approved country where the pet lives first |
| Canada Canadian Food Inspection Agency | Not needed with a valid rabies vaccination certificate | Not applicable |
How does the rabies titre test work?
A vet draws a blood sample, separates the serum and sends it to a laboratory that runs a virus neutralisation test. The two standard methods described by the World Organisation for Animal Health are the FAVN (fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation) and the RFFIT (rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test). The result is reported in international units per millilitre; 0.5 IU/ml is the level the UK and many other countries accept as proof of response.
For a pet leaving India the sample usually has to be couriered abroad to an approved laboratory, such as one of the labs on the EU and CDC lists in the UAE, the UK or the USA, so build in time for shipping, testing and any repeat.
What if the result is too low?
The pet is boosted and tested again, and for the UK the 3-month wait restarts from the new sample date. Low results are more common in older pets vaccinated for the first time, which WSAVA notes from UK pet-travel studies. Ask your vet about timing the vaccine and the sample so there is room for a repeat before your travel date.
How far ahead should you plan?
For the UK, work back from the travel date: the 3-month wait after the sample, at least 30 days between the rabies vaccine and the sample, the microchip before or with the vaccine, and time to ship the sample and get the result. By Petym's working from those rules, that makes four to six months a realistic minimum. India's AQCS export certificate and the airline's own rules come on top.
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Questions owners ask
Can I get a rabies titre test done in India?
- Some Indian laboratories run the test, such as the rabies antibody service at TANUVAS in Chennai, but none is on the EU's list of approved labs or the US CDC's list, so their results are not accepted for the UK or the USA. The UAE accepts a result from a laboratory accredited by the exporting country's authorities. Check the destination's rules first.
What rabies titre level is needed to travel?
- The UK requires at least 0.5 IU/ml from an EU-approved laboratory, on a sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. The USA asks for a passing result from a CDC-approved laboratory. Read the destination government's current page before booking the test.
How long is a rabies titre test valid?
- For the USA, a passing result stays valid for the dog's life as long as rabies vaccination never lapses and the lab stays approved. If the vaccination lapses, the CDC requires a new vaccine and a new test. For the UK, keep boosters on time and check GOV.UK's current rules before travel.
Is a titre test the same as the rabies vaccine certificate?
- No. The vaccine certificate shows the pet was vaccinated; the titre test proves the vaccine produced enough antibodies. Countries that ask for a titre want both, plus a microchip and, from India, the AQCS export health certificate.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in vaccines and parasites
- BabesiosisBabesiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Babesia, tiny parasites that live in and destroy red blood cells. It is spread mainly by ticks, and in India one species, Babesia gibsoni, also spreads through dog fights and blood transfusions. Signs are anaemia with pale gums, weakness, jaundice and red or brown urine. Dogs that recover can relapse.
- Booster vaccineA booster is a repeat dose of a vaccine that tops up or confirms a pet's protection. Puppies and kittens get a booster at about 26 weeks after their first course. After that, modern core vaccines for distemper, parvovirus and panleukopenia protect for years, while leptospirosis, kennel cough and most killed vaccines need a booster every year.
- Brown dog tickThe brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is the most common tick on dogs in the tropics, including India. Unlike most ticks it lives and breeds indoors, in homes and kennels, as well as outdoors. It spreads ehrlichiosis and one form of babesiosis, the infections Indian owners call tick fever, so tick control is needed all year.
- Core vaccinesCore vaccines are the vaccines every dog or cat should have, wherever it lives, because they protect against widespread, serious diseases. For dogs they cover distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; for cats, panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. In India rabies is core for both, and WSAVA also treats leptospirosis vaccine as core for dogs where the disease is endemic.
- DewormingDeworming is giving a pet medicine, chosen by your vet, to kill intestinal worms such as roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Puppies can be born with roundworms and catch more from their mother's milk, so deworming starts in the first weeks of life. Some dog and cat worms can infect people, especially children, so regular deworming protects the family too.
- DHPPi vaccineDHPPi is the combined core vaccine for dogs printed on many Indian vaccine cards. The letters stand for distemper (D), hepatitis from canine adenovirus (H), parvovirus (P) and parainfluenza (Pi). DHPPiL adds leptospirosis (L). It is the same vaccine group that US cards call DHPP or DA2PP, and puppies start it at 6 to 8 weeks.
- EhrlichiosisEhrlichiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Ehrlichia canis, a bacterium carried by the brown dog tick. Signs appear 1 to 3 weeks after infection: fever, dullness, bleeding such as nosebleeds or bruising, and enlarged lymph nodes. Some dogs seem to recover but carry the infection silently and later develop a severe chronic form.
- Flea and tick preventionFlea and tick prevention means regularly protecting a pet from these parasites with a product your vet recommends, plus checking the coat and treating the home. Tropical guidelines say dogs and cats in places like India should be protected all year, including indoor pets. Use products licensed for the species, and never put a dog product on a cat.
- FleasFleas are small, wingless, blood-feeding insects. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is the most common flea on dogs and cats worldwide, and the main flea on dogs studied in India. Fleas cause itching, flea allergy, tapeworm and, in heavy infestations, anaemia in puppies and kittens. Most of the flea life cycle happens in the home.
- FVRCP vaccineFVRCP is the core combined vaccine for cats. It protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia. Indian cards often show a brand name from the vial sticker instead, such as Tricat. Kittens start at 6 to 8 weeks, with doses every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, then a booster at about 26 weeks.
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- GOV.UK: Rabies blood tests (opens in a new tab)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Entry requirements for foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab)
- European Commission: Designated laboratories performing rabies antibody titration tests: non-EU countries (opens in a new tab)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Approved rabies serology laboratories for testing dogs (opens in a new tab)
- UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Import of pets (cats and dogs): service details (16 October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia): Cats and dogs: frequently asked questions (read in the web-archive copy of 2 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 13 sourcesShow fewer
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Import reference document (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Rabies vaccination and boosters (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Bring your pet to Great Britain: microchip (opens in a new tab)
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): Terrestrial Manual 2023, chapter 3.1.18: rabies (opens in a new tab)
- AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Export of pets (dogs and cats) (opens in a new tab)
- Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (state government university): Testing Services for Rabies Antibody Estimation in Vaccinated Pets (brochure with no date on its pages; PDF metadata 2 Aug 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats (WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, Journal of Small Animal Practice) (opens in a new tab)