Thailand is inexpensive on paper and demanding at the clinic. The import permit is 500 baht. There is no rabies blood test and no published quarantine period. What Thailand wants instead is a fuller vaccination record than almost any other destination: five vaccinations for a dog, two for a cat, and a leptospirosis position that has to be settled before you fly. The permit is also short lived, so the paperwork and the flight have to be planned as one thing rather than in sequence.
| Cost | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| Import permit, form R1/1 | THB 500 per animal | Department of Livestock Development |
| Rabies titre test | Not required | Not applicable |
| Quarantine | No set period is published | Department of Livestock Development |
| Export certificate endorsement | Set by the CFIA at the endorsement appointment | CFIA |
| Microchip | Set by your clinic | Your veterinarian |
| Five vaccinations for a dog, two for a cat | Set by your clinic | Your veterinarian |
| Leptospirosis test, where it is needed | Set by your clinic | Your veterinarian |
| IATA crate | CAD $80 to $340 at retail depending on size | Retail |
| Airline freight | Quoted per booking | Airline |
The permit application goes in at least seven working days before departure and takes about five working days to come back once the file is complete. It is then valid for 60 days from the day it is issued. That window is the reason not to apply too early. A permit obtained three months ahead of a move expires before the flight and has to be applied for again.
The health certificate has a tighter clock still. It is valid for 10 days from the day the government veterinary authority endorses it, which from Canada means CFIA. Your veterinary appointment, the CFIA endorsement and the flight all sit inside a single week and a half.
A dog needs rabies, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus and leptospirosis. A cat needs rabies and feline panleukopenia. The animal has to be at least 12 weeks old when the rabies vaccination is given, and a first rabies vaccination has to be at least 21 days old on the day of departure. A booster given while the previous one is still valid does not restart that clock.
Leptospirosis is the one to check, because it is not part of the routine schedule everywhere in Canada. A dog without valid coverage either waits 21 days after the vaccination is given, or travels on a negative leptospirosis test taken within 30 days before departure. Both options are workable. Neither is workable if you find out about it the week before the flight, which is why the vaccination review belongs at the start of the plan rather than at the vet appointment for the certificate.
The microchip number appears on every document, so it goes in before any of this begins.
Live animal freight from Canada to Bangkok is quoted per booking rather than taken from a rate card. The airline prices it once it knows the crate outside dimensions, the loaded weight and the date. There is no direct service from Canada, so every routing connects, most often through Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul or a Gulf hub, and each connection is a handling stop where the crate waits on the ground.
Bangkok is hot all year, and so are most of the connecting points on this route. Airlines apply heat embargoes on forecast temperature at every airport on the itinerary, which on a two stop routing means three chances for a booking to be refused. It is the main reason a Thailand move is worth booking with room to move the date.
Your veterinarian sets their own fees. The vaccinations, the examination, any leptospirosis test and the certificate paperwork are priced by your clinic and vary widely between cities. Customs handling at Bangkok and ground transport from the airport to your address are charged separately, as is any boarding in Canada if your flight date and your own moving date do not line up.
Crate size drives the flight cost, as on every route, because freight is charged on the space the crate occupies rather than on what your pet weighs. After that, the variable on this route is the vaccination position you start from. A dog already current on all five costs almost nothing extra. A dog missing two of them adds clinic visits and, more importantly, adds weeks to the timeline, which is what usually forces a more expensive flight date.
Figures verified September 2026. CFIA fees are re-indexed for inflation every 31 March, and Thailand revises its import conditions periodically, so check the sources if you are reading this later.
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Send us the route, the breed and roughly when you want to travel. Request a quote and we will reply with an itemised plan, a timeline and clear next steps.
For entry rules and the full paperwork timeline, see our guide to pet shipping requirements for Thailand.
Last updated 7 September 2026
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