Animal Quarantine Malaysia: How Pet and Livestock Border Rules Work

Animal quarantine Malaysia is the mandatory isolation and inspection of imported live animals under Malaysian veterinary border-control law, overseen by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS). As of September 2026, dogs and cats from non-scheduled countries generally face at least seven days’ quarantine after arrival, while breeding cattle from Thailand require at least 28 clear days at an approved Malaysian station. Importers need a MAQIS import permit, a veterinary health certificate from the exporting country, and—when quarantine applies—a booked place at a MAQIS animal quarantine station before the animal leaves origin.

This guide explains how animal quarantine Malaysia works for pets and livestock, which agencies issue permits, how long quarantine lasts by origin and species, and how digital livestock identity tools differ from official travel documents. It is informational only and is not veterinary diagnosis or legal advice. Always verify the current species- and country-specific protocol on the DVS website before you travel or ship animals.

What animal quarantine Malaysia means

Under Malaysian practice, animal quarantine is compulsory detention in isolation at a gazetted or approved quarantine place so officials can check for animal disease and zoonotic risk before release into the country. The Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar Malaysia, DVS) describes quarantine as a prevention procedure against animal and zoonotic disease entry through importation of animals and animal products, and notes that quarantine length is set by risk analysis of species and country of origin in its Arahan Prosedur Tetap Veterinar Malaysia (APTVM) on the animal quarantine process (documentation APTVM 17(a):1/2011).

Two statutes frame the system. Importation of animals and animal products into Malaysia must comply with the Animals Act 1953 (Act 647, Revised 2006) and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Act 728), according to the DVS Import and Export page. Act 728, published on the MAQIS website, establishes integrated quarantine, inspection, and enforcement at entry points, quarantine stations, and quarantine premises for animals, among other commodities.

Who regulates animal quarantine Malaysia: DVS and MAQIS

The Department of Veterinary Services, Malaysia (DVS) is the competent authority for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements for imported animals and animal products, according to Malaysia’s notification on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Import Licensing Procedures portal. Since 2013, import permits for animals and animal products entering Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan have been issued by the Department of Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (MAQIS) under Act 728, the WTO notification states. Import permits for Sabah and Sarawak are issued by the respective state authorities named in that WTO outline—not by MAQIS.

In practice, DVS sets and publishes species- and country-specific import protocols and may conduct SPS risk assessment before MAQIS issues a permit. MAQIS then handles permit issuance through the online e-Permit system, border inspection, and quarantine-station operations. For permit applications, MAQIS directs applicants to register via SPEED and apply at the Dagang Net e-Permit login on its “Permohonan Permit” page.

Documents commonly required on arrival

For live animals, the WTO import-licensing outline lists a MAQIS import permit; a veterinary health certificate or quarantine certificate from the exporting country; and, for wildlife, a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) certificate obtained with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) process. DVS’s Import and Export page likewise requires a valid MAQIS import permit plus a veterinary health certificate from the exporting country’s competent authority.

Permit fees published in the same WTO outline include RM 40 per dog or cat, RM 100 per restricted-breed dog, RM 5 per cattle or buffalo, and RM 3 per goat or sheep. Licence validity on that notification varies between 30 and 90 days depending on transport mode and region and cannot be extended. These permit fees are separate from quarantine-station accommodation charges.

How to import a dog or cat: step-by-step

MAQIS’s pet guidance (“Haiwan Kesayangan”) sets general conditions before you start. Dogs or cats must not be less than three months old at import; must travel with a valid MAQIS import permit; must have a veterinary health certificate from the exporting country’s veterinary authority, with export within seven days of that certificate’s date; must carry an ISO (Std 11784 & 11785) compliant microchip; and must present a vaccination record or pet passport with up-to-date vaccination, treatment, and health status. Restricted dog breeds need written approval from the Director General of MAQIS before the permit application.

1. Confirm whether quarantine applies. MAQIS instructs importers to identify whether the origin country is exempt from quarantine. If quarantine is required, book a station first; if exempt, proceed to the permit step without a quarantine booking number.
2. Book quarantine space when required. MAQIS states that quarantine-space booking should be made 14 days before the import date, citing Regulation 20(2) of the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Quarantine and Inspection) Regulations 2013. Contact the Animal Quarantine Station, complete Form MK1, and pay the deposit. The booking number is required for permit approval when quarantine applies.
3. Apply for the MAQIS import permit via e-Permit. DVS and MAQIS both point importers to the Dagang Net e-Permit system, often through a MAQIS-registered agent. Enter the quarantine booking number when quarantine is mandatory.
4. Prepare arrival documents. Bring the original import permit, veterinary health certificate, vaccination records, and microchip identification for MAQIS inspection at the designated landing place.
5. Arrive only at the permit’s designated entry point. The DVS pet FAQ (updated 30 October 2018) states that pets requiring quarantine may land only where quarantine facilities are provided—historically including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Penang International Airport, and Padang Besar.

As of September 2026, check the MAQIS homepage for station-status notices before booking. MAQIS has publicly posted operational notices affecting stations (including temporary closure messaging for Stesen Kuarantin Haiwan, Batu Maung), so capacity and routing can change without updating older FAQ pages.

How long is animal quarantine Malaysia for dogs and cats?

Quarantine length depends on the DVS country category and any country-specific protocol. Sources do not always agree on older “scheduled country” lists, so treat country notices attached to current PDFs as controlling.

Scheduled countries (DVS notices on 2026 protocols)

A Department of Veterinary Services notice dated 13 March 2026, attached to the scheduled-countries dogs-and-cats protocol PDF, lists scheduled countries as: United Kingdom, Eire, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Brunei, Singapore, Greece, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Malta, Slovenia, Estonia, Bahrain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Lithuania. The scheduled-countries regulation PDF (revised 13 December 2013, with the 2026 notice) requires a MAQIS import permit, ISO microchip identification, a pet passport or identification certificate, and a veterinary health certificate—but it does not prescribe a compulsory multi-day post-arrival quarantine detention period in the same way the non-scheduled protocol does.

An older DVS FAQ (updated 30 October 2018) lists several origins as quarantine-exempt if the animal is healthy and documents are complete. That FAQ list is older than the March 2026 notice; where they differ, follow the current DVS protocol PDF for your origin country.

Non-scheduled countries, Indonesia, and Australia

The DVS regulations for dogs and cats from non-scheduled countries (revised 13 December 2013, with a December 2025 country-list notice on the PDF hosted in the 2026 import folder) require quarantine on arrival for a compulsory period of not less than seven (7) days. The animal may receive approved anti-rabies vaccination in quarantine and is released if free of evidence of infection; quarantine may be extended up to six (6) months based on case-by-case risk assessment. The March 2026 notice also flags Australia, Canada, and Indonesia as outside the simple scheduled/non-scheduled pairing, so those origins need their own PDFs.

The DVS requirements for dogs and cats from Indonesia (revised 5 July 2023) require detention for a compulsory period of not less than fourteen (14) days on arrival, with possible extension after risk assessment, plus stricter rabies timing and a titre of 0.5 IU or more by FAVN or RFFIT.

Australia needs special care because published sources conflict. The DVS Australia-specific dogs-and-cats regulation (revised 14 July 2016) requires approved quarantine of not less than 10 clear days on arrival, with possible extension up to six months. By contrast, the DVS pet FAQ (updated 2018) lists Australia among quarantine-exempt origins when health and documents are complete. As of September 2026, confirm the latest Australia PDF on the DVS live-animal import pages before shipping.

Livestock quarantine example: breeding cattle from Thailand

Animal quarantine Malaysia is not only a pet process. For breeding cattle and buffalo from Thailand, the DVS requirement document revised 7 May 2024 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security requires a MAQIS import permit, individual ear-tag identification, and a veterinary health certificate in English from Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development (DLD) within 10 days of export covering foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease (LSD), tuberculosis, brucellosis, and other listed conditions.

Pre-export, animals must be kept and observed for 35 days at DLD-accredited quarantine facilities for export to Malaysia, with FMD vaccination (P1 and P2) 28 days apart, according to that May 2024 protocol. On arrival, animals proceed to Malaysian approved quarantine in the bordering state for not less than twenty-eight (28) clear days at a MAQIS or Malaysia-approved quarantine station, with FMD antibody titre (VNT) and brucellosis (CFT) testing; release is on the twenty-ninth day if clinically healthy, and the period may be extended if deemed necessary. Importers must book the quarantine station before importing.

Durable individual identification matters: ear tags, microchips, and health certificates must match the same animal through pre-export quarantine, transport, and Malaysian detention.

Where MAQIS animal quarantine stations are

MAQIS publishes an Animal Quarantine Station table listing facilities such as Stesen Kuarantin Batu Maung (dogs, cats, birds, horse stables), Stesen Kuarantin Rantau Panjang, Stesen Kuarantin Padang Besar, and Stesen Kuarantin KLIA (including dog, cat, horse, poultry, and ruminant capacity). KLIA capacity figures on that MAQIS page include dog housing for about 280 animals and cat housing for about 220 animals, plus ruminant pens sized for hundreds of cattle or goats. Always confirm live availability with the station.

The DVS pet FAQ (2018) quotes approximate weekly quarantine charges of about RM 79 for dogs and RM 72 for cats, excluding food and treatment. Treat those figures as historical FAQ estimates; ask the station for the current fee schedule before you pay a deposit.

Both scheduled and non-scheduled DVS dog-and-cat protocols list banned breeds (including Akita, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero, Japanese Tosa, Neapolitan Mastiff, and Pit Bull Terrier / Pit Bull and named equivalents) and restricted breeds (including Bull Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Doberman, German Shepherd/Alsatian and related shepherds, Perro de Presa Canario, and Rottweiler). Restricted breeds need prior written MAQIS approval, ISO microchip recording on a pedigree certificate, premise inspection, and owner declarations on secure housing and public muzzling.

Official pet documents vs Animal Passport’s biometric livestock ID

Malaysia’s official import process may require a government-recognised pet passport or identification certificate plus an ISO microchip, and DVS also operates digital pet-registration systems such as ePetPassport on its e-services menu. Those government documents and microchips are part of statutory border control.

They are not the same product as Animal Passport (https://www.animalpassport.co), a digital animal and livestock passport that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print unique like a fingerprint). Phone-based capture binds owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history; age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and body condition score 1–5 can be derived from a side-profile photo. The product was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals when paper tags washed away. It is not a government-issued Malaysian travel document, EU pet passport, or PETS scheme certificate, and it does not replace MAQIS permits or DVS veterinary health certificates.

For more field and identity context from the publisher, see the Animal Passport blogs. When searching “animal quarantine Malaysia,” rely on DVS and MAQIS protocols for legal entry rules; use biometric livestock identity only as a complementary farm-record layer where it helps match an animal to its owner and health history.

Practical checklist before you book flights or trucks

• Download the current DVS protocol PDF for your exact species, purpose (companion, breeding, slaughter), and country of export.
• Confirm whether Sabah/Sarawak or Peninsular/Labuan rules apply—MAQIS issues Peninsular and Labuan permits under Act 728, while Sabah and Sarawak use state channels per the WTO outline.
• If quarantine applies, secure a MAQIS station booking (MAQIS guidance: 14 days ahead) before e-Permit approval.
• Align microchip numbers, vaccination dates, and health-certificate dates with the protocol’s timing windows (often examination within seven days of export for pets).
• Plan landing only at the permit’s named entry point; quarantine pets generally need stations with kennel capacity.
• Budget separately for permit fees, quarantine deposits, food, and possible extended detention after risk assessment.
• Watch MAQIS operational notices for station closures before you travel.

Animal quarantine Malaysia is a risk-based border programme: DVS writes the veterinary rules; MAQIS runs permits and many quarantine stations in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Pets from non-scheduled countries typically need at least seven days’ quarantine; Indonesia’s published protocol requires at least fourteen; breeding cattle from Thailand need at least twenty-eight clear days after arrival. Because DVS updates country lists—most recently in notices dated December 2025 and March 2026 on the dogs-and-cats PDFs—always open the live protocol rather than relying on outdated FAQ text alone.