Bringing a dog or cat to South Africa

1. 01
   Import permit
   A Veterinary Import Permit from the Department of Agriculture's permit office, in hand before the dog leaves the exporting country. Use the dog form "not subject to quarantine". Pay the permit fee first: R250 from 1 April 2026, within 5 working days before you apply. Individuals put their ID or passport number as the reference on both the form and the payment. E-mail the form and the proof of payment to the permit office. Apply at least 4 weeks before arrival; processing takes 5–10 working days. The permit is valid for a limited period and for one consignment only. The specimen health certificate is sent with it.
   • At least 4 weeks before arrival
   • Before departure — the permit must be issued before the dog leaves the exporting country
   Source:Department of Agriculture — Directorate Food Import and Export Standards (permit office) (opens official site: Application to import domestic dogs into the RSA (not subject to quarantine))· checked 25 Sep 2026

   Also: Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit, Department of Agriculture — Directorate Food Import and Export Standards
2. 02
   Microchip
   Permanent identification with a microchip that ISO 11784 or ISO 11785 scanners can read. Tattoos are not accepted. The chip number goes on the health certificate. US exporters must also put it on every laboratory report.
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
3. 03
   Residence period
   The health certificate states that the dog has lived in the exporting country since birth, or in the exporting country or South Africa for the last 6 months. The sources do not say what happens to a dog that moved more recently; ask the permit office before applying.
   • At least 6 months before departure
   Source:Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries — Directorate Animal Health (opens official site: Veterinary health certificate in respect of dogs for export to the Republic of South Africa, IMP.DOG.GEN.12/05 CG (REV JR 05/2008; RW 06/2017) — specimen notified to the WTO)· checked 25 Sep 2026

   Also: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Defra
4. 04
   Rabies vaccination
   A valid rabies vaccination. A first (primary) vaccination must be given at least 30 days and at most 12 months before arrival. A booster must be given at most 12 months before arrival. It counts as a booster, with no 30-day wait, only if it was given before the previous vaccination expired. The vaccine must meet the WHO potency standard. The original or a copy of the vaccination certificate travels with the health certificate.
   • At least 30 days before arrival — primary vaccination only; no wait for a booster given before the previous vaccination expired
   • At most 12 months before arrival
   • Only if: For pets aged 3 months or more
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
5. 05
   Disease test
   Blood tests with NEGATIVE results for five diseases. The samples must be taken within 30 days before arrival. Any government-approved laboratory accredited for these tests can do them, in any country, or the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in South Africa. The report must be in English. Only these methods are accepted. Brucella canis: serum agglutination or rapid slide agglutination. Trypanosoma evansi: card agglutination test AND Giemsa blood smear. Babesia gibsoni: IFAT or ELISA (BgTRAP antigen) AND Giemsa blood smear or real-time PCR. Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis): microfilarial filtration test; Knott's test is not accepted. Leishmania: IFAT, ELISA, direct agglutination or Western blot. Since October 2017 a statement that the country is free of a disease no longer replaces the test. A dog that tests positive cannot be imported.
   • At most 30 days before arrival
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
6. 06
   Parasite treatment
   Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) prevention from the day the laboratory reports the negative result until departure, at the product's dosing intervals. Use one of: diethylcarbamazine (5–6 mg/kg daily), ivermectin (6 µg/kg monthly), milbemycin oxime (0.5 mg/kg monthly), moxidectin (3 µg/kg monthly), selamectin (6 mg/kg, Revolution) or the yearly ProHeart SR-12 injection. With ProHeart, nothing more is needed if the negative test falls within 11 months of the injection. Bring enough medicine for 6 more months of treatment in South Africa, where very few heartworm products are registered.
   • After the test result — from the date the negative result is reported until export
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026

   Also: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
7. 07
   Parasite treatment
   Tick treatment (acaricide) and insect repellent against biting flies, registered in the exporting country. Start when the blood samples are taken and continue until departure, following the product instructions. The treatment must be given within 30 days before departure.
   • At most 30 days before departure
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
8. 08
   Clinical examination
   Examined within 10 days before export and found free of internal and external parasites and of contagious and infectious diseases, and fit to travel.
   • At most 10 days before departure
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026

   Also: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
9. 09
   Health certificate
   Veterinary Health Certificate on the model sent with the import permit. For dogs this is the general model IMP.DOG.GEN 05/22 CG, unless the exporting country has an agreed certificate that replaces it: the UK uses 6256EHC and Canada uses HA2123. It must be completed in English, on the exporting country's official certificate paper, by a veterinarian authorised by that country's veterinary authority, and signed and stamped by a government veterinarian, all within 10 days of departure. It also certifies: - residence; - the rabies vaccination; - the tests and treatments; - the exam; - that the dog comes from an area without veterinary restrictions for carnivore diseases; - that the dog had no contact with rabies cases; - that it travels in an IATA crate that is new or disinfected. The original certificate travels with the dog.
   • At most 10 days before departure
   Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026

   Also: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (notification to the WTO SPS Committee), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
10. 10
    Transport rules
    The pet must travel as MANIFEST CARGO, not as excess baggage. It may fly in the cabin with the owner if the airline allows, but it must still be booked as manifest cargo. On landing, airline staff take it to the cargo terminal for inspection, because there are no state veterinarians at the passenger terminals.
    Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
11. 11
    Port of entry
    Arrive by air at O.R. Tambo (Johannesburg), Cape Town International or King Shaka (Durban), and leave the aircraft through the cargo terminal. No other airport, seaport or land border post is allowed.
    Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026
12. 12
    Arrival inspection
    At the cargo terminal, the veterinary import control official checks the originals of the import permit and the health certificate, the laboratory report (in English) and the rabies vaccination certificate. The documents can travel with the dog, or the person collecting the dog presents them. If both originals are not there, the dog is held in quarantine until they are.
    Source:Department of Agriculture (formerly DALRRD) — Directorate Animal Health, Import Export Policy Unit (opens official site: Information document on the importation of dogs and cats into the Republic of South Africa)· checked 25 Sep 2026

Dog from Germany: 12 requirements.

In short: No quarantine, but a lot of preparation. You need a veterinary import permit (apply at least 4 weeks ahead) and a rabies vaccination; dogs from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the Channel Islands are exempt from the vaccination. Blood tests for five diseases must be negative, with samples taken within 30 days of arrival: Brucella canis, Trypanosoma evansi, Babesia gibsoni, heartworm and Leishmania. Heartworm prevention must start after the test, and you must bring a 6-month supply. Tick and fly treatment is also required. The health certificate is issued within 10 days of departure. The dog must fly as manifest cargo into Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban.