How to Adopt a Pet in Dubai: Steps, Fees and Rules

Adopting a cat or dog in Dubai now has an online starting point from Dubai Municipality (DM), where you can browse the animals and book a visit. It arrived in July 2026, together with a new animal welfare shelter in Warsan. People took to it fast, with 85 cats finding homes in the first 10 days.   

Plenty of people already know why you should adopt instead of buying, so the real hurdle is the how. This guide covers how the process works, who can apply, what it costs and what happens on the day, based on the DM's own announcements and its vets. 

Where can you adopt a pet from Dubai Municipality?

Dubai Municipality runs two adoption points. Cats live at the Animal Welfare Shelter inside the Birds and Pets Market in Warsan. Dogs are at the Al Khawaneej Veterinary Clinic. For now, the service covers cats and dogs only.

The Warsan shelter is set up so you can get to know an animal properly. It has a viewing area and interactive adoption rooms where you spend time with a pet before deciding, plus a vet clinic on site.

Who can adopt a pet in Dubai?

Dubai Municipality's published conditions are short:

• You must be at least 21 years old.
• You must have no record of animal abuse or harm.
• You must pay the vaccination and registration fees.

If you once handed an animal over to Dubai Municipality's Veterinary Services Section, you cannot apply for adoption through it.

Dubai Municipality vets ask where you live, whether your home allows pets, whether you have looked after animals before and whether the newcomer will meet other pets. They say plainly that animals are not simply handed out. If you rent, sort out your landlord's permission first, because the vet will ask. 

It also helps to think through the things to consider before adopting, such as time, budget and space, well before your appointment.

How to adopt a pet in Dubai, step by step

1. Open the platform. Go to Dubai Municipality's adoption platform through the Dubai Municipality website or the DubaiNow app, click Apply Now and log in with UAE PASS.
2. Browse. Each listing shows a photo, name, breed, age, gender and personality, along with health and behaviour details.
3. Choose and book. Pick your pet and book a time slot. Choose a cat and you visit Warsan. Choose a dog and you go to Al Khawaneej.
4. Meet the animal. Spend some time together. You are welcome to meet other animals too if the first one doesn't feel right.
5. Talk to the vet. A Dubai Municipality vet checks that you are a good fit and explains what long-term care involves.
6. Pay and take your pet home. Pay the service fees and collect your new family member.

Applications are handled first come, first served. Dubai Municipality says processing takes about an hour once the steps are done, and collection can usually be arranged within two working days after that. The platform tells you which ID details and documents you need. That list can change, so read it before you head out.

How much does it cost to adopt a pet in Dubai?

Dubai Municipality charges no adoption fee as such. You pay for the care that comes with the animal. After the Warsan launch, Dubai Municipality vets quoted about AED 230 for a cat and AED 260 for a dog, while another report put the range at AED 240 to 270. That covers vaccination, deworming and microchipping. It also includes sterilisation and government fees. Keep in mind that the amounts can shift, so check the final figure on the platform.

What care does the pet get before adoption?

Every animal is assessed by vets first. Depending on need, that can mean health screening, treatment, vaccination, deworming, microchipping, sterilisation and rehabilitation. Before an animal goes up for adoption, it must be healthy, of a breed allowed for adoption, neutered or spayed, vaccinated and registered in Dubai Municipality's system. Behaviour is assessed too, which helps match each animal with the right family.

Since only breeds allowed for adoption are listed, dog lovers may also want to know the banned dog breeds in Dubai before getting attached to a particular listing. 

Why can't you see every stray animal on the platform?

Animals reach Dubai Municipality as strays, rescues, lost-and-found cases or owner hand-overs. Not all of them are offered for adoption. Some need treatment first, lost pets go back to their owners, and healthy stray cats are often neutered, vaccinated and returned to their neighbourhood under Dubai Municipality's trap-neuter-return programme. Dubai Municipality's vets ask residents not to take healthy street cats out of their environment.

What if it doesn't work out, or you find a stray?

Dubai Municipality reviews return case by case, so talk to the shelter early if things get difficult. Dubai Municipality's shelters are not meant for owners to surrender private pets, so if you truly can't keep yours, look for responsible rehoming. If a move abroad is what changes your plans, your adopted pet can often travel with you through pet export from the UAE, as long as you start early. 

And in case you find an injured or distressed stray, call Dubai Municipality on 800900 instead of taking it to the shelter yourself.

Adopting elsewhere in the UAE

Everything above applies to Dubai Municipality only. Other emirates work differently, and a pet arriving from another country is a separate matter altogether, since that falls under pet import rules, not adoption.

In Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Animal Shelter, managed by Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, lets you pick a pet on its website, then book an appointment or visit during opening hours. You fill in an adoption form and complete a few formalities before taking your pet home. Its form asks about your household, whether your landlord allows pets and what you would do with the pet if you left the UAE.

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Cat & Dog Shelter (SCADS), listed by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, runs its own adoption programme. Check each shelter's website for current steps and fees.

Conclusion

The adoption process may take only a few days, but the commitment lasts for years. Your new cat or dog will need daily care, regular vet visits and patience while it settles into a home that is still unfamiliar. Take that first stretch slowly, and the bond tends to follow. Life also changes, and sometimes it means moving to another country. When that day comes, a pet relocation service can handle the crate, the paperwork and the flights, so you can focus on your pet, not the logistics.