For a pet move to India, settle the import-permission path before committing to the flight. A dog or cat needs more than a US veterinary certificate: India’s Animal Quarantine and Certification Services, or AQCS, must issue the Advance No Objection Certificate, or NOC, before the animal boards.
Your reason for travel matters. A permanent move and a temporary visit do not follow the same licensing path. This guide covers dogs and cats traveling from the United States; it is not permission to bring an animal into India regardless of the owner’s immigration or import eligibility.
Permanent relocation or a temporary visit?
USDA’s India requirements say pets temporarily traveling to India need a Directorate General of Foreign Trade, or DGFT, license before obtaining the NOC. AQCS also places short visits outside the ordinary transfer-of-residence baggage route. Resolve the license and its current processing requirements before booking; a short visit is not a shortcut around import eligibility.
Under AQCS’s baggage-category instructions, the transfer-of-residence route covers up to two dogs or cats and requires evidence of two years abroad and transfer of residence to India. AQCS lists unaccompanied baggage within one month after the owner’s arrival. Arrival before the owner, or more than one month afterward, requires advance customs permission. If you do not qualify under the baggage route, the DGFT or re-import category must be established rather than assumed.
The health paperwork also needs the correct vaccination timing. AQCS’s baggage instructions specify rabies vaccination more than one month but within 12 months before embarkation, with the details certified. A US three-year vaccination record should not be treated as automatically sufficient.
Tell us the purpose of the move, intended airport, and your passenger itinerary. These determine the approvals and supporting evidence.
Use the correct dog or cat certificate
India has separate veterinary certificate forms for dogs and cats. A USDA-accredited veterinarian can prepare the relevant certificate through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System, or VEHCS, and submit it to USDA APHIS for endorsement.
Bring the pet’s full vaccination history, identifying details, and the import instructions to the appointment. The applicable certificate and AQCS supporting forms must both be addressed. AQCS’s checklists name Annexure 1.1.1 for dogs and 2.1.1 for cats. Confirm the required official form and its relationship to the USDA certificate with the receiving station; a general travel letter is not equivalent.
USDA’s process for the India route allows electronic veterinary signatures and digital endorsement. The endorsed certificate can be returned electronically, but a printed paper copy must accompany the animal. The USDA certificate states 30-day validity, but the AQCS cat procedure additionally requires examination within seven days of shipment. Use the species-specific timetable with the NOC lead time.
Plan the veterinary work and NOC application together: AQCS needs those records to issue permission. A flight reservation is not import approval.
Obtain the NOC before arrival
The NOC comes from AQCS in India. USDA does not issue or endorse it. AQCS’s import procedure directs baggage-category passengers to apply for an Advance NOC through ATITHI 2.0. Its text says seven days, while the process diagram specifies seven working days before embarkation; plan on the longer working-day lead time. The checklist includes the vaccination and microchip certificate, official veterinary certificate, passenger documents, and ticket or air waybill.
Register with your own passport details and do not share portal credentials. AQCS says third-party access is not required; its procedure also provides an authorization form when the owner cannot apply personally. Receiving assistance and authorized representation should be agreed explicitly, not confused with giving someone your login.
The airline should not transport the pet without the valid Advance NOC. Carry the original supporting documents for arrival verification and make sure the NOC matches the final travel arrangement. A changed flight or receiver needs to be addressed before departure.
Choose the arrival city and handover
India’s AQCS instructions are organized by entry station. USDA links the stations at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Identify the station handling your proposed arrival and its requirements before selecting the final itinerary.
Our destination pages for Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad describe the corresponding local service context. An arrival at one airport is not interchangeable with another airport’s NOC and receiving plan.
Agree on the collection point and transport after release. A manifest-cargo arrival is not the same handover as collecting accompanied baggage, and an airport quote is not necessarily delivery to the home. If your final city is far from the gateway, include that journey in the scope from the start.
Allow for arrival and post-arrival requirements
Do not plan around a blanket promise of “no quarantine,” but do not assume every healthy pet must spend 15 days in a station either. AQCS’s import procedure requires examination and original-document verification at the entry port. It provides for a Final NOC there when the animal passes, and 15-day quarantine when the animal fails the examination or shows clinical signs of disease. Customs release follows the applicable checks.
Published instructions are not fully aligned: USDA’s India guidance describes a different quarantine and later veterinary follow-up sequence, while AQCS’s baggage page describes later final clearance specifically under re-import. Before finalizing the move, establish the applicable category and receiving station’s process, including any follow-up. That difference matters to the arrival plan and cannot be resolved by promising instant release.
Include examination and clearance in the receiving arrangement; a healthy appearance does not waive document checks.
Crate size affects feasibility and price
Provide your pet’s breed, age, weight, and standing measurements before buying the flight crate. The animal needs the required room to stand naturally, turn, and rest. The crate’s chargeable size can matter more to freight cost than body weight.
Our crate-sizing guide explains how to measure. Include the dimensions of a crate you already own; “large kennel” is not enough information to assess it.
For our India cargo moves, we coordinate the certificate and flight details with the receiving side before departure. If the routing uses an EU hub, the transit-document assessment is a separate step; an India certificate alone does not establish whether EU paperwork is needed. The carrier, transit arrangements, and accompanying-person classification all matter.
Airline acceptance and the import rules are separate checks. A route available for passengers may not be available for your dog’s breed, crate, or chosen transport arrangement. Avoid committing to tickets on the assumption that the pet can simply be added afterward.
Budget for the whole move, not one invoice
India’s total cost depends on the departure services, flight and crate size, import assistance, destination reception, and any onward transport. Keep veterinary work, endorsement, licensing or permit assistance, boarding, and ground collection or delivery visible in the breakdown.
Budget $3,000–$7,000 to ship one dog or cat from the US to India, including our pet shipping services and freight.
The travel crate, veterinary exams and health certificate, USDA endorsement, Indian import permits and clearance, and domestic collection or delivery are extra. See our international shipping cost breakdown for the separate charges.
Large dogs, oversized crates, and complex routes cost more. We quote multi-pet moves as a whole, not by multiplying a single-pet price.
Ask for a proposal showing what is included on both sides of the flight. If you already have a crate, a veterinarian handling the export documents, or an Indian representative arranging the NOC, state that clearly so those responsibilities are not left ambiguous. Use the current USDA endorsement fee schedule for government charges.
What to send us first
Send these details:
- US starting city, Indian destination, travel window, and purpose of the move.
- Your passenger itinerary and each animal’s details and crate measurements.
- Who is handling any DGFT license and the AQCS application.
Establish import eligibility first, then coordinate veterinary paperwork and the transport details needed for the Advance NOC. The pet boards only after permission is issued, with a receiving plan covering examination and clearance. That sequence matters more than choosing the cheapest-looking flight first.
Related reading: How to choose a veterinarian for a travel certificate, Choosing the right travel crate
Planning a move with your pet? Get a quote from Transcon Pet Movers.