Travelling or relocating with your pet? Start the paperwork before the ticket
Health certificates, microchips, timing windows and airline rules: what pet travel from Nigeria actually requires.
Every month we meet an owner with a flight in ten days and a pet whose paperwork needs six weeks. Pet travel is very doable from Nigeria, but the calendar is unforgiving. Here is how it actually works.
The non-negotiables
Almost every destination requires three things: a microchip (implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccine), a valid anti-rabies vaccination given after the microchip, and a veterinary health certificate issued close to departure. Some destinations add a rabies antibody blood test with a waiting period that can stretch to three months.
Work backwards from your flight
- 3 months or more before: confirm your destination's exact requirements, microchip, and update rabies vaccination if needed
- 1 to 2 months before: blood tests where required, book the airline's pet slot (they are limited)
- Final 10 days: health certificate examination and export permits
- Flight week: airline-compliant crate, feeding plan, and documents in hand luggage
The crate matters more than you think
Airlines enforce crate standards strictly: your pet must be able to stand, turn and lie down naturally, with ventilation on multiple sides and a secure door. Buy the crate early and let your pet sleep in it at home for weeks before the flight. The journey is far less stressful for an animal that already considers the crate its den.
Common ways trips fall apart
A rabies shot given before the microchip. A certificate issued too early. A crate one size too small, rejected at check-in. A weekend flight booked with no vet available to sign papers on Friday. None of these are exotic; all of them are preventable with a calendar.
How we help
Nexara's Travel Assistance service handles the sequence for you: records brought airline-ready, microchip verification, health certificate examination at your home, and honest guidance on your destination's rules. Tell us your travel date and we will tell you if it is realistic.
Flying with your pet?
Travel Assistance handles the certificates, records and timing so your trip doesn't fall apart at check-in.
