Bringing your pet to Thailand.
Thailand's Department of Livestock Development sets the import conditions. Apply before travel, wait for the port-specific requirements, have the exporting authority certify against those requirements, and expect document and animal checks on arrival.
Key checks
- Before booking
- Confirm the exact Animal Quarantine Station and operating carrier will handle the proposed species, origin and route.
- Before departure
- Use the case-specific R6 conditions—not a generic checklist—to prepare the certified health evidence and carrier file.
- On arrival
- Document and animal checks come before R7 and release; DLD can still require treatment, quarantine or return.
For breed-specific advice, ask your vet and compare local pet-relocation specialists and pet-friendly rentals directly.
The official sequence
This workflow is for planning a dog or cat movement, not a substitute for the written conditions issued by the Animal Quarantine Station at your Thai port of entry. Species, origin, route and disease status can change what evidence is required.
Choose the port and airline
Confirm the Thai port of entry, the responsible Animal Quarantine Station (AQS), and whether the airline will accept the species, breed, crate and route. Do this before buying a non-refundable ticket.
File Form R1/1
DLD's published live-animal process says to submit the import application at least seven days before import. Use the current e-Movement process or instructions from the destination AQS.
Receive R6 and requirements
DLD reviews the origin's disease status and issues an R6 notification with import requirements when approved. Do not substitute a generic online checklist for this document.
Prepare to the issued conditions
Send DLD's requirements to the competent government veterinary authority in the origin country. Arrange identification, vaccines, tests and timing exactly as that document and the origin's export rules require.
Obtain the official certificate
DLD requires an English health certificate issued by the duly authorised veterinary authority in the origin country. Every identifier, test and statement must match the issued requirements.
Confirm arrival and present the pet
DLD's process says to notify AQS of the exact arrival at least three days ahead. On arrival, officials check the documents and animal, collect the prescribed fee and—if approved—issue the ultimate import licence, Form R7.
Flights, crates and the route you choose
DLD admission and airline carriage are separate approvals. Ask the operating carrier—not only a booking site—whether the animal travels in cabin, as checked baggage or cargo; which breeds and temperatures it restricts; what crate standard and documents apply; and what happens on every transit.
Get written acceptance before paying. Measure the animal using the carrier's current instructions, acclimatise it to the accepted crate, and ask the veterinarian about route-specific welfare risks. A relocation agent can coordinate paperwork, but it cannot waive DLD, airline, transit-country or customs rules.
R7 is not the document to obtain before the flight
Apply with R1/1; prepare from R6; R7 follows the arrival checks
The earlier page incorrectly called R7 a pre-arrival permit. DLD's current public manual describes the pre-arrival application as R1/1, the notification and animal-health conditions as R6, and the final import licence issued after the arrival review as R7. Build the move from the written R6 conditions. Do not rely on universal microchip, vaccine, titre-test or waiting-period claims copied from another origin or route.
Do not let the seven-day minimum become the plan
Before booking: identify the exact AQS and carrier rules, and ask the origin authority how long its export steps take. Before the DLD deadline: submit R1/1 with every current attachment. After R6 arrives: complete only the identification, vaccination, testing and certification sequence stated there. At least three days before arrival: reconfirm the exact arrival with AQS under DLD's published process. On arrival: present the animal and originals for examination, fee and the R7 decision.
Start early enough for the longest condition in your R6 and the carrier's acceptance process; “at least seven days” is the DLD filing minimum, not a promise that a pet can be prepared in a week. Coordinate pet-friendly short-term housing in the first 30 days guide.
// Move the animal case before the household
Lock the pet route before fixing the arrival plan.
Confirm the responsible DLD station, the operating carrier and the evidence sequence first. Then place those controlled steps beside housing and household arrival tasks.
The honest version: moving with a pet to Pattaya
Approval is case-specific. Complete paperwork improves readiness but does not guarantee same-day release. DLD's general live-animal guidance preserves quarantine, testing and disease-control powers. Ask the destination AQS what applies to this dog or cat, origin and date.
Plan both the border and the onward journey. Confirm customs/AQS collection hours, who may collect the animal, a safe vehicle to Pattaya, water and rest arrangements, and an emergency veterinarian. Allow flexibility between airport release and arrival at your home.
Verify paid help. If using an agent, obtain the legal business name, written scope, carrier booking reference, fee schedule and refund terms. The importer remains responsible for the accuracy of documents submitted in their name.
Next steps. Line up your own visa first in the visa comparison, slot the pet's arrival into your wider plan via the first 30 days guide, compare local vets, pet-relocation specialists and pet-friendly rentals directly, and check that a pet-friendly rental fits your budget in our cost of living study.
Pet-import questions, answered
What do I apply for before travel?
DLD's public process starts with Form R1/1. If approved, DLD provides the R6 notification and import requirements. The final R7 licence follows the arrival document and animal checks.
Is quarantine automatically waived for pets?
Do not assume that. DLD retains quarantine, testing and disease-control authority. Ask the destination AQS what applies to the animal, origin, documents and current disease situation.
How early should I start?
DLD states an R1/1 filing minimum of seven days before import, but preparation can take much longer depending on the issued health conditions, origin export process and airline. Start before booking a non-refundable itinerary.
Does the pet need a chip, rabies test or titre test?
Follow the exact R6 requirements issued for the movement plus the origin and carrier rules. Do not import another country's checklist or assume a universal waiting period.
Verify before acting
Official DLD process and current filing
Checked 23 August 2026. Animal-health conditions can change with species, origin, route and disease status; obtain the case-specific R6 requirements from the responsible AQS.
- Department of Livestock Development · live-animal import processOfficial sequence covering R1/1, origin review, advance arrival notice, health certificate, inspection, R7 and DLD control powers.Read the DLD process ↗
- Department of Livestock Development · R7 public manualCurrent official service manual distinguishing the R6 notification/requirements from the R7 licence issued at the import stage.Open the public manual ↗
- DLD · e-Movement request systemOfficial online request entry point; confirm account, attachments and destination AQS before filing.Open e-Movement ↗