Aliyah with Pets

Chayot Machmad חיות מחמד

Dogs and cats are the standard pet imports handled by the Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security Veterinary Services (the authority that issues import permits/exemptions and inspects animals on entry).

Overview

As a general rule, importing animals requires a written import permit from the Director of Veterinary Services, unless you receive an exemption.

If you are bringing up to two dogs or cats, you may request an import license exemption instead of a license if all of the following apply:

• You are 18 or older
• Your pet travels with you on the same flight
•  Your pet has been in your care for at least 90 days
• Your pet is not a restricted (dangerous) breed
• Your pet is not intended for sale or transfer
• Your pet meets all health requirements

If you meet all these conditions, you can submit the online exemption request. Please note that the link will bring you to a Hebrew site but you can switch the language at the top left of the page.

Pets that are not allowed

Pets that have undergone cosmetic procedures (such as ear cropping, tail docking, or decorative tattoos) cannot be imported, except when the procedure was done only to indicate neutering.

General Requirements for Dogs & Cats

Dogs/cats must be microchipped with an ISO-compatible chip (134.2 kHz; ISO 11784/11785).

Minimum age on arrival is generally 4 months (with limited exceptions for certain countries).

• Rabies Vaccination and Titer test (when required). The Rabies vaccination must generally be no less than 30 days and no more than 1 year before arrival (with country-specific exceptions listed in the certificate notes).
• Where required, the rabies serology sample must be taken after vaccination and show ≥ 0.5 IU/ml (with exceptions described in the certificate notes).
• Official veterinary health certificate (Annex A). You must travel with the official Veterinary Certificate for Domestic Dogs and Cats Entering Israel (Annex A).
• The certificate is valid for 10 days (as stated on the certificate).
• Ownership Declaration (Annex B) – The import procedure includes a Pet Owner Declaration stating (among other things) the animal was in your possession for at least 90 days prior to import.
• Prior notification before arrival – Israel’s Animal Diseases Regulations require notifying the State Veterinary Officer at least 48 hours before arrival.

In practice, the official arrival-notification form (Annex) for Ben-Gurion is emailed to: vs-airport@moag.gov.il.

Coming from a Rabies-free country?

If your pet is from a rabies-free country and is at least 3 months old, it may enter Israel without prior rabies vaccination. In this case, your pet must be vaccinated within 5 days after arrival in Israel.

The following countries are recognized in Israel as being Rabies free: Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Cyprus, Singapore, Japan, the UK and Ireland. There might be other countries that are as well but you need to check with the Israeli Veterinary Services Import – Export unit (Hebrew) before travel to verify.

Which Pets Require Special Licenses?

You usually need an import permit/license if:

• You are importing more than two animals, or
• The import is not personal luggage/not clearly non-commercial, or
• The species is not a dog/cat (see Other Pets below), or
• Your case is otherwise outside the standard exemption conditions.

Dangerous Dog Breeds/Mixes

Israel’s official import procedure defines what a dangerous dog is and lists breeds considered dangerous including mixes resembling them.

• American Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Amstaff)
• Bull Terrier
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Japanese Tosa
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Rottweiler
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier

If your dog is (or may be considered) one of these breeds or a similar mix, contact the Import – Export unit (see General Contacts section below) before you book travel, because additional requirements/approvals may apply and entry can be refused if conditions aren’t met.

In addition, crossbreeds/mixed dogs of any of the above dangerous breeds are also restricted if they exhibit similar physical or behavioral traits. A dog can be declared “dangerous” not only because of breed — but even if it has previously bitten or injured a person. In that case it may face the same restrictions.

It is important to note that there are fines (which may vary by municipality), ranging from 500 NIS to 10,000 NIS for various infractions such as importing a dangerous breed, owning a dangerous breed without a license or owned by a minor, keeping the dog in an unfenced yard, walking the dog without a muzzle near individuals younger than 16 and the failure to post a sign stating that one should be careful, dangerous dog lives here etc .

Cats

There are also a few cat breeds and mixes that are not allowed to be imported as well such as Bengali and Savannah cats or mixes and their offspring.

Other Pets ( birds, reptiles, etc.)

Israel’s Animal Diseases Regulations explicitly address imports of birds and set quarantine provisions for chicks/fledglings/hatching eggs, and also note that the Director may exempt certain dogs, cats and birds arriving as personal luggage under conditions (including the 90-day possession condition and a health certificate).

For any non-dog/cat pet, you should treat it as “import of animals requiring a written permit” and contact the official Import – Export unit for the correct permit/species procedure.

Import License Procedure for non-Citizens

A tourist or someone who has not yet received a Teudat Zehut number and requires an import license must submit an import license application manually.

• Use this link to access the payment page for the manual application
• Change the site to English and enter a passport number without letters in the ID field
• The completed application must be sent via email to: vs-ie@moag.gov.il
• Please note that the import license issuance process takes at least 10 business days
• Multiple animals can be attached to one license application.
• For imports of more than 5 animals, approval from the authorized veterinarian is required
• Receiving the import license is subject to additional conditions that vary according to the requirements of the license department – including issuance and presentation of a bill of lading, inspection and release from the cargo terminal, etc.
• After receiving the import license, the documents (import license, health certificates and attachments) must be transferred to the cargo department of the airline flying the dog
• The airline’s cargo department will contact Ben Gurion Airport’s veterinary services and submit the application on your behalf

Actual Transporting of Pets

Regarding the actual transporting of your pet to Israel, you should reach out to the airline that you will be flying on to see what their requirements are in general and to determine if they allow pets to travel in the cabin or require you to send your pet as checked baggage or registered cargo. The same applies for any medication that may or may not be required to be administered to them to calm them down during the flight.