The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has issued a notification, effective October 7, 2025, regulating the import of horses and other equidae into India. This new order, which supersedes the previous 2012 regulations, mandates rigorous health, testing, and quarantine measures to safeguard the country’s livestock from infectious and contagious diseases.
Import Purpose and General Requirements
Importation of thoroughbred horses is strictly limited to breeding, polo, and sports only, and is explicitly prohibited for racing.
Every imported equine must be accompanied by a valid passport or a complete history sheet with an identification certificate, authenticated by an official veterinarian in the exporting country.
A special certificate of veterinary health, in English (Form A), signed by an official veterinarian licensed and accredited by the exporting country, is mandatory.
Pre-Export and Post-Import Control
The new rules establish rigorous protocols for both before and after shipment:
Pre-Export Requirements (PEQ)
The horse must be kept in pre-export isolation for at least thirty days in an approved Government quarantine station in the exporting country.
The exporting country and the horse must be certified as free from African Horse Sickness Virus (AHS) for the preceding two years, with specific measures to protect the animal from Culicoides attacks during transit.
Importers must submit all test reports and the health certificate to the Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) seven days prior to embarkment to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Disembarkation in India is conditional on the receipt of the original NOC.
Imports are restricted to International airports in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru, or other specially notified airports.
Post-Import Quarantine (PIQ) in India
All equines must undergo a minimum 21-day quarantine at a Government Quarantine Station upon arrival.
Hay, bedding, feed, or fodder from the air float or shipping container must not be allowed to disembark and must be returned to the country of origin or destroyed at the quarantine station.
During the PIQ, the animals will be subjected to standard culture and serological examinations for diseases including African Horse Sickness, Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA), Glanders, Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA), Dourine, and West Nile Virus.
Any equine found positive or doubtful for an exotic disease will be deported back or destroyed at the quarantine station, with all associated costs borne by the importer.
The move emphasizes the Central Government’s heightened focus on preventing the introduction of serious exotic equine diseases into the country.
Mandatory Diagnostic Tests (PEQ)
The schedule includes an extensive list of mandatory diagnostic tests for PEQ, including:
| Disease | Diagnostic Test |
| Glanders & Dourine | Complement Fixation Test (CFT) |
| Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) | Coggins (Immunodiffusion) Test |
| Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) | Virus Isolation or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (on two occasions) |
| Hendra and Nipah virus | Real Time Reverse-Transcription PCR (RT-PCR) |
| Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) | Culture or Real Time PCR (on three occasions) |
| Japanese Encephalitis (JE) | Real Time RT-PCR |
| Equine Piroplasmosis | Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) |