Flying with a pet to and from Iceland.
Iceland is one of the strictest pet-import countries in the world — closer to Hawaii or Australia than to anywhere else in Europe. Iceland has been rabies-free throughout recorded history, and the rules exist to keep it that way. Every imported pet does a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a government-approved facility, on top of a long pre-travel paperwork trail. Start 4–6 months ahead, or don't start at all.
Verified against the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) and US APHIS as of May 2026.
No cabin pets. No exceptions. Quarantine for everyone.
Before you do anything else, understand what Iceland is actually asking.
Pets cannot travel in the cabin to Iceland on any commercial airline. The only legal route is manifested cargo via Icelandair, and only into Keflavík (KEF) — the only approved port of entry for pets in the entire country.
On arrival every dog and cat enters a government-approved quarantine facility for a minimum of 14 days. There are currently two facilities: Mósel and Reykjanes. You book and pay for your pet's stay in advance, and quarantine "intake days" only run on specific dates (typically monthly), so your travel date is dictated by the facility's calendar, not yours.
The total preparation timeline is 4 to 6 months minimum from start to landing. Skip a step and your pet is refused entry or sent back at your expense. There is no fast-track and no grace period.
If that sounds like a lot — it is. The good news is that the rules are well-documented, MAST is responsive by email ([email protected]), and once you've done the paperwork it actually goes smoothly. The bad news is there's no shortcut, and the realistic cost (permit + flights + quarantine + vet work) runs into the thousands.
You book it, you pay for it, you visit during it.
The single biggest practical commitment of importing a pet to Iceland.
The two approved quarantine facilities — Mósel (in the south, the larger one) and Reykjanes — are run privately under MAST oversight. You book a space directly with the facility well before applying for the import permit, because the permit application asks for your confirmed quarantine booking.
Pets can only arrive on a "quarantine admission day" — typically once a month, decided by the facility. The Keflavík airport admission window is 05:00 to 17:00 on those days; if your flight lands outside that window, you need pre-arranged approval from MAST (apply by 16:00 the Wednesday before your intended admission day) and pay extra inspection costs.
During the 14 days, you can visit your pet at scheduled times, bring familiar bedding and food, and stay in contact with the facility staff. Pets must be picked up at the end of the quarantine period (typically the morning after day 14). The facility will not extend stays casually.
Quarantine is the single biggest line in the budget. Both facilities currently charge 220,000 ISK (about £1,330 / $1,790) for a dog's 14-day stay and roughly 100,000–110,000 ISK (about £610–670 / $815–895) for a cat, with a booking/confirmation fee on top. That covers airport collection, food, housing, daily care, parasite treatment and vet checks during the stay. The full cost breakdown — permit, flights, vet work and quarantine together — is in the next section. Get a written quote at the booking stage; insurance during quarantine is generally the owner's responsibility.
The realistic bill, line by line.
No one publishes a single all-in number, so here's the honest one — built from each authority's own current figures.
Importing a dog to Iceland realistically lands somewhere around £2,500–4,000 / $3,400–5,400 all in, depending on where you fly from, your vet's rates, and your pet's size. A cat sits lower, mostly because the quarantine fee is roughly half. The figures below are the current published rates as of May 2026 — converted at approximately 165 ISK to the pound, so treat the £/$ columns as indicative and confirm in the currency you'll actually pay.
| Cost | Local (ISK) | ≈ £ | ≈ $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAST import permit (per animal, minimum) | 40,648 | £245 | $330 |
| Quarantine — 14 days, dog | 220,000 | £1,330 | $1,790 |
| Quarantine — 14 days, cat | 100,000–110,000 | £610–670 | $815–895 |
| Booking/confirmation fee (Mósel) | ~50,000 | ~£305 | ~$410 |
| Rabies (FAVN) titer test — lab fee | — | ~£65–130 | ~$90–175 |
| Vaccines, parasite treatments, vet certificates | — | ~£200–500 | ~$270–675 |
| Icelandair cargo flight (varies by origin/size) | — | ~£500–1,200 | ~$675–1,600 |
| Realistic total — one dog | — | ~£2,500–4,000 | ~$3,400–5,400 |
The two big variables are the flight (cargo pricing depends on your departure airport, the crate size and the season) and your vet bill (rates vary widely by country). The fixed, non-negotiable parts are the permit and the quarantine stay — those you can budget for exactly. A second pet adds another permit and another quarantine fee, though some costs (a shared flight booking, vet visit) may be shared.
Watch the late-paperwork trap. MAST's permit fee is a minimum — it only applies if your documents are submitted correctly and on time. Incomplete or late paperwork is billed at an hourly rate on top, so the cheapest version of this process is the one where nothing is rushed.
Your country of origin matters — a lot.
Iceland splits the world into Category 1, Category 2, and "not approved at all".
Category 1 (rabies-free): the easier category. Most EU member states, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan are typically here. Paperwork uses the D1 certificate.
Category 2 (rabies controlled): the United States, Canada, Greenland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Taiwan, Turkey, and a handful of others. Paperwork uses the D2 certificate and adds further vaccination and titer requirements. Strict but doable.
Not on either list: import is not permitted. You can apply to MAST to have a country assessed — the list is revised twice a year — but don't plan a relocation around an unassessed country.
The MAST website publishes the current category list and is the only authoritative source. Confirm your origin country's category before booking anything else.
Six months out is the right start date.
Every step has a clock attached to it. Miss a window and the whole timeline restarts.
6 months before: Confirm your pet is healthy enough for this. Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip before the rabies vaccination — chips after the vaccine don't count.
5–6 months before: Rabies vaccine (or booster). At least 30 days after the vaccine, take a FAVN rabies titer blood sample at an authorised laboratory; you need a result of ≥0.5 IU/ml. The pet may only be imported after 90 days have passed since the date of the satisfactory blood sample. This is the single longest clock in the whole process.
3 months before: Book your quarantine space at Mósel or Reykjanes. Confirm the admission day. Apply for the MAST import permit (the current minimum permit fee is 40,648 ISK / ~£245 / ~$330, covering paperwork and airport inspection — see the full cost breakdown above).
2 months before: Additional vaccinations — leptospirosis, canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus, canine parainfluenza (for dogs); feline panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpesvirus (for cats). Must be administered at least 14 days before entry.
28–21 days before: First antiparasitic treatment (internal and external) by an authorised vet, documented on the Certificate of Health.
10–5 days before: Second antiparasitic treatment. Specific lab tests as required by category — dogs are typically tested for Brucella canis, Leishmania, and Angiostrongylus vasorum; cats for FIV and FeLV.
5 days before: The signed Certificate of Health and all test results must be submitted to MAST for approval. Without prior approval, your pet will not be admitted on arrival.
US-origin pets do not need USDA APHIS endorsement for Iceland (confirmed on the official APHIS page) — but they DO need everything else.
These dogs cannot enter Iceland. No appeal.
Iceland's banned list is short but absolute.
The following breeds (and their crosses) cannot be imported to Iceland under any circumstances:
- — American Pit Bull Terrier
- — American Staffordshire Terrier
- — Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- — Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian Mastiff)
- — Tosa Inu
- — Dogo Argentino (Argentine Mastiff)
- — Any wolf hybrids
If your dog merely looks like one of these breeds, MAST can ask for DNA evidence or pedigree papers to confirm it isn't. Don't gamble on visual judgment — if your dog is on the line, contact MAST in advance for guidance rather than discovering the issue at Keflavík.
Exotic cats (Bengal, Savannah, etc.) are subject to CITES rules and additional restrictions. Email [email protected] before applying for any permits if your cat has hybrid heritage.
Keflavík (KEF) is the only door in.
Reykjavík's smaller domestic airport doesn't accept pet imports.
Iceland has multiple airports but only Keflavík (KEF) is approved for pet imports. Domestic airports — including Reykjavík city airport (RKV) — cannot clear an imported pet under any circumstances.
Pets travel as manifested cargo, not as checked baggage and not in the cabin. Icelandair is the primary carrier; Icelandair Cargo handles the booking. Some other carriers serve Keflavík but they typically route pet bookings through Icelandair Cargo too.
Crates must meet IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Order early — IATA-compliant crates take time to source, and your pet should be carrier-trained for at least 2 weeks before the flight to reduce stress.
Brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds — pugs, French bulldogs, Persian cats, etc. — face the usual cargo restrictions. Some airlines refuse them outright in cargo. Confirm with the carrier before booking.
Easier going the other way — but still cargo.
Leaving Iceland is mostly about meeting your destination's rules, not Iceland's.
Iceland doesn't restrict export. The work goes into meeting the destination country's import rules — which for many destinations is significantly less onerous than coming the other way.
To the EU/EEA: EU Animal Health Certificate or EU Pet Passport (Iceland is part of the EEA, so the EU pet movement framework applies). Microchip + rabies + tapeworm treatment for dogs going to the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland, or Norway.
To the UK: No cabin pets allowed into the UK on any airline — that's a UK government rule, not an Iceland one. Cargo via Icelandair, or fly to Paris/Amsterdam first and cross by Eurotunnel.
To the US: CDC Dog Import Form for dogs (Iceland is on the CDC's low-risk list — no extra titer required). Vet "fit to fly" health certificate. Six US airports accept dogs (LAX, ATL, MIA, JFK, PHL, IAD).
Cabin out of Iceland: Icelandair does not offer cabin pet travel on any route. To fly cabin internationally with your pet, you'd need to fly cargo to a European hub (Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt) and connect onward — but at that point you're managing two carriers and a cargo collection, and most pet owners just book the entire journey as cargo for sanity.
More from the pets-in-cabin guide
Back to the main guide — for the airline grid, journey planner, and full destination list.
Last verified: May 2026. Iceland's pet import rules are regulated by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST). Always confirm current requirements directly with MAST before relying on any third-party guide, including this one. The category list, fee structure, and approved facilities can change without notice.