Travelling to Kenya with your pet cat or dog

17 January 2018 Written by PawSpace

Official entry requirements

When travelling to Kenya with your pet there are a series of steps you need to consider, both for their welfare and to comply with legal requirements.

What your pet will need when entering Kenya:

Identification and Vaccination Requirements:

A formal letter from the pet owner requesting for the permit.
Copy of the pet owner’s passport and telephone contact.
An International Veterinary Certificate authenticated by the local Prefettura.
Pet’s original passport showing all the vaccinations.
Any other vaccination card/form/documents signed by the veterinary doctor including an antibody test as prescribed in the OIE Terrestrial Manual.
Copy of the money transfer for applications made by post

No canine or feline animal shall be imported into Kenya from any country unless accompanied by an international veterinary certificate attesting that the animal:

Showed no clinical sign of rabies on the day of shipment;
Were kept since birth or for the 6 months prior to shipment in a rabies free country as defined in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code OR satisfy the following stipulations:-
Showed no clinical sign of rabies within 48 hours of shipment;

AND EITHER

Were identified by a permanent mark (such as a microchip) and their identification number shall be stated in the certificate or had any other adequate identification; and

Were vaccinated against rabies:

Not less than 6 months and not more than one year prior to shipment in the case of a primary vaccination, which should have been carried out when the animals were at least 3 months old;
Not more than one year prior to shipment in the case of a booster vaccination;
With an inactivated virus vaccine or with a recombinant vaccine expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein; and
Were subjected not less than 3 months and not more than 24 months prior to shipment to an antibody test as prescribed in the OIE Terrestrial Manual with a positive result equivalent to at least 0.5 IU/ml;

Have not been vaccinated against rabies or do not meet all the conditions set out in points ii, iii and iv above; in such cases, the Kenya may require the placing of the animals in a quarantine station located on in the country for up to six months at the cost of the owner of the animal.

Is clinically free of symptoms of any other contagious and infectious disease and internal and external parasites, the certificate being dated not more than 48 hours before embarkation;
The animal shall be accompanied by a certificate from the captain of the ship or aircraft or driver of a vessel in which the animal traveled to Kenya certifying that the animal has not left the vessel between the place of embarkation and the place of entry into Kenya, and has been isolated from all other canine and feline animals throughout the journey.
This import permit shall be valid for a maximum of thirty (30) days and shall only be for one consignment.

This import permit shall accompany the animal during importation.

Animals entering Kenya should travel as Manifest Cargo and use the Freight Compartment of the aircraft. They should not travel as baggage-cargo or in passenger cabins.

REQUIREMENTS

A formal letter from the pet owner requesting for the permit.
Copy of the pet owner’s passport and telephone contact.
An International Veterinary Certificate authenticated by the local Prefettura.
Pet’s original passport showing all the vaccinations.
Any other vaccination card/form/documents signed by the veterinary doctor including an antibody testas prescribed in the OIE Terrestrial Manual.
Copy of the money transfer for applications made by post

FEES

€ 40 for the import permit.
€ 20 for the authentication of signature of the international veterinary certificate authenticated by the Prefettura.
€ 10 for registered mail postage fee (if the Embassy is to post the documents)

Source: http://www.embassyofkenya.it/consular/canine-importation