Shipping dog to Saudi Arabia

Hi there,
We brought out small dog from Calgary in 2021. The process was actually much easier than I feared. I used an agent to ensure nothing went wrong.

I came to Saudi first while my wife and kids stayed behind until I was able to obtain my Iqama and obtain residency permits for them. Having an Iqama is key to the import process, so having the family stay behind for a few months with the dog actually works out well. She chased down the necessary documents in Canada while I took care of the process in Saudi. Once we had the residency permits and pet import permits, they all came over together. Because our dog is small, she was even permitted to travel in the passenger cabin (KLM). Note that you need to contact KLM ahead of time to book your pet.

I used a company called Move One Pets. They were awesome. Paid about 1,000 SAR. Try this person : aleksandra.trpkovska@moveoneinc.com

Good luck!

Contact David from Expat Logistics.
My wife's Beagle was shipped from Calgary in June 2021 and because he couldn't not come in cabin, he had to be shipped.

It took 5 days and cost $7500 USD.
Flew from Calgary to Toronto, got clearances, then to Dubai and Riyadh.

Expat Logistics did all the paperwork in Riyadh and then drove our Beagle to Dhahran.

It's a hefty price and well worth it. Our Beagle is a senior dog with ailments and arrived with all smiles. We received email and WhatsApp updates along his journey.

Hi there,
Don't believe this is true at all, we brought our small dog, no problem whatsoever.

Some details on what we did:
Canada Side:
- Obtained a Breed and Health Certificate from the vet
- This certificate documents the owner's name, address, dog's name, breed, DOB, color, microchip number, details of vaccines (inc. rabies), signed letter from the vet that the dog is healthy and fit to fly. Stamped and signed @ vet clinic. The vet clinic will either have a certificate for this info or make one up. There is no standard form.
- We also got an International Health Certificate for Dogs and Cats (google form RDIMS#2354044). Have your vet complete this form and then have the Canadian Food Inspection Agency sign and stamp this document. This helps with the Saudi import while also ensuring you'll encounter no problems leaving Canada with the dog.
- We used the Canada Food Inspection Agency, Animal Health Unit at 1115 - 57th Ave NE Calgary. Receipt shows we paid $20.85 for this certification. Not bad at all.

Saudi Side: (Documents requested and provided to Move One Pets)
- copy of consignee passport
- copy of consignee Saudi ID/Iqama OR Saudi Visa.
- copy of pet passport (vaccination record book) with microchip detail: we provided the above mentioned Breed and Health Certificate + International Health Certificate for Dogs and Cats in lieu of a Pet Passport. This was accepted.
- Name of airport of pet departure at origin country
- Estimated date of pet arrival into Saudi Arabia
- Photo of the pet
- Consignee email address
- Consignee mobile number (preferably Saudi mobile)
- Consignee address in Saudi Arabia

Honestly, it's all much easier than it might appear. The vet certificate and form from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are easy to obtain. Once you have these documents, the rest all falls into place. Note that the import certificate from Saudi is time limited, so don't get it too far in advance. I can't remember how long it's good for - looks like we received the import certificate about 10 days before importing.

Good luck