Bring a Dog or Cat to Phuket: Permit, Vaccines, Airport

Email the Phuket airport animal quarantine station for an import permit at least 7 days and no more than 60 days before you fly. Vaccinate first and wait 21 days after primary vaccines. Carry the printed permit and original papers to the station on arrival, where R-6 and R-7 cost THB 500 per animal.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

Start with the vaccine date: the wait after primary vaccines is 21 days and a US health certificate is valid for 10 days. Dogs and cats need an import permit from the Animal Quarantine Station, requested by email at least 7 days and no more than 60 days before departure. The station for Phuket is at Phuket International Airport.

Timeline: what to do and when

1. Vaccinate. A primary rabies vaccine needs a pet at least 12 weeks old; the pet must be at least 4 months old to import.
2. Wait 21 days after primary vaccines before you start the permit application.
3. Email the permit request 7 to 60 days before you fly.
4. Allow 5-7 Thai business days for processing; the permit is then valid for 60 days.
5. Get the English health certificate endorsed. A US certificate is valid for 10 days from USDA endorsement, so plan to arrive within that window.
6. Fly, collect the pet, and go to the quarantine station with the originals.

Processing time is the figure to plan around. Embassy guidance asks you to allow 5-7 Thai business days, and the minimum on the Department of Livestock sheet for Suvarnabhumi is 3 business days. Phuket’s station may work to either figure, so apply early; the Los Angeles consulate recommends 30 days before departure.

Boosters carry no waiting period, but send the earlier vaccination records. Check your airline early: some require the Thai import permit before boarding.

Vaccines and microchip

Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus and leptospirosis. Cats need rabies and feline panleukopenia.

A dog without a valid leptospirosis vaccine or the 21-day gap needs a negative leptospirosis test within 30 days before departure. A pet from a country free of rabies for at least 12 months needs no rabies vaccination; otherwise it needs an approved vaccine at least 21 days before departure.

The permit application must include the microchip implantation certificate. The vaccination certificate must be in English and carry the vet’s full name, licence number and signature.

The permit email

Send it to the Phuket airport station at qshk_hkt@dld.go.th. Attach:

• Form R1/1, with the pet’s breed, sex, date of birth, colour and microchip number.
• Your address in Thailand and your country of origin on the form.
• A copy of your passport.
• A colour photo of the pet with the face clearly shown.
• A copy of your flight confirmation.
• The English vaccination certificate and the microchip certificate.

The health certificate must be in English and signed or endorsed by a full-time authorised veterinary official of the exporting government.

A US traveller with the pet who already holds the original USDA-endorsed health certificate and other documents may apply on arrival at the station instead.

At Phuket airport

The station is open 24 hours daily. Its telephone is +(667) 6351 514. Bring these originals:

• Your passport.
• The original health certificate with the government endorsement stamp (for a US certificate, the USDA stamp; electronic copies are not valid).
• The printed import permit.
• The original pet passport or vaccination records.

The officer issues the Notice of Import Approval (Form R-6) and Import License (Form R-7), for 500 baht per animal. Airports of Thailand’s pet procedure then sends you on to Customs: present the permit and the pet at the Goods to Declare channel and pay duty and taxes. Pets are not exempt from duty, so budget for this step as well as the station fee.

Crate, breeds and what goes wrong

The animals must travel in nose-and-paw-proof crates designed to avoid any risk of injury. No dog breeds are banned from importation, but airlines may have their own restrictions.

If papers fall short or the microchip number differs from the documents, the pet may be returned to the exporting country or detained in government-approved quarantine. Failure to follow the procedures may result in returning the animals to the country of origin or destroying them without compensation.

Quarantine and licence validity

The Department of Livestock Development sheet is the written rule: imported dogs and cats are quarantined at approved premises for at least 30 days, and the owner pays. Embassy guidance differs in practice: a pet showing no sign of illness is not quarantined. A quarantine officer can still detain any pet at their discretion.

Because the written rule and the embassy guidance differ, plan boarding as a fallback and ask the station before you book. The import licence stays valid until the pet departs Thailand, and the Chicago consulate adds that once you leave the country you need to reapply for it. A pet that travels out and back with you therefore needs a new licence on the return trip.

Next in this journey

Pets travel with a family move: see visas for children and spouses, international schools in Phuket and the host address notice.

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Not confirmed: Quarantine for a healthy pet: the DLD sheet requires at least 30 days; embassy guidance is none. Phuket station hours: 24 hours against 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Email the station before booking boarding or a late flight.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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