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REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-08102025-266760
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II—Section 3—Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 653]
NEW DELHI, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2025/ASVINA 15, 1947
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
(Department of Animal Husbandry And Dairying)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 7th October, 2025
G.S.R. 737(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Live-stock
Importation Act, 1898 (9 of 1898) and in supersession of the notification of the Government of India, in the erstwhile
Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries number G.S.R. 752(E), dated the
5th October, 2012, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i),dated 8th
October, 2012, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government
hereby regulates the import of horse or other equidae into India in the manner laid down in the Schedule as under:-
SCHEDULE
1. General requirements.- The horse or other equidae shall be accompanied with a valid passport or a complete
history sheet with an identification certificate duly authenticated by an official veterinarian of the exporting country.
2. In the case of thoroughbred horses, import shall be allowed for the purposes of breeding, polo and sports only and
not for racing.
3. Testing requirements.- (1) The horse or other equidae shall be tested during pre-export quarantine for applicable
diseases through the diagnostic test as mentioned in the Table, prior to the export.
(2) The horse or other equidae shall be imported only through the International airports at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai,
Chennai, Bengaluru or any other airports notified by the Central Government from time to time.
(3) The importer shall submit all the test reports after completion of the tests indicated in the Table, along with a copy
of veterinary health certificate to the Regional Officer or Quarantine Officer of the Animal Quarantine and
Certification Services attached to the airports, seven days prior to the embarkment and shall obtain a no objection
certificate.
(4) The horse or other equidae shall be allowed to disembark only on the receipt of an original no objection certificate.
4. Special requirements.- No horse or other equidae shall be imported into the country unless certified by a certificate
of veterinary health in English language signed by an official veterinarian licensed and accredited by the exporting
State or country in which a physical examination of the same was made as per the Form A.
FORM A
(a) General Information:
| Name and address of the Consignor: | Certificate reference No. |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| | Veterinary Authority: |
| Name and address of the Consignee: | |
| | |
| Country of Origin: | |
| | |
| Country of Destination: | |
| | |
| Name and address of the establishment or farms (by whatever | |
| name called) specify the duration of stay of the horse or other | |
| equidae with exact dates: | |
| | |
| Date of shipment: | |
| (specify flight number and date of journey. If there is break in | |
| journey, indicate the details of break journey) | |
| Details of the official veterinarian who have examined the horse | |
| or other equidae: | |
| Details of the date of examination, the number of the horse or | |
| other equidae examined: | |
| Details of the establishment or premises at which the horse or | |
| other equidae were examined: | |
| Purpose of Import: | |
| Import License number and date: | |
| (Issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade) | |
(b) Details of the horse or other equidae:
| Species | Breed | Name and | Sex | Age/Date of | Passport No. and | Sire | Dam |
|---------|-------|-------------|-----|-------------|-----------------------|------|-----|
| | | Microchip | | Birth | Passport issuing | | |
| | | number | | | authority | | |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) |
| | | | | | | | |
(c) Diagram, marks and description of the horse or other equidae:
(written description shall agree with the diagram of the horse or other equidae)
Certificate of Health
The undersigned hereby certifies that the horse or other equidae described above has been examined on this day and
certifies that:-
(1) (i) the horse or other equidae is free from African Horse Sickness Virus for the last two years of shipment;
(ii) the .......................................... (name of the country) is free from African Horse Sickness Virus for the last two years
preceding the export as per World Organisation for Animal Health listing;
(iii) African Horse Sickness is a notifiable disease in the whole country, systematic vaccination is prohibited and
importation of equids and their semen, oocytes or embryos are carried out in accordance with Chapter 12.1 of
Terrestrial Animal Health Code of World Organisation for Animal Health;
(iv) the horse or other equidae have not travelled to or through any country infected with African Horse Sickness
during the preceding two years preceding the exportation;
(v) the horse or other equidae have not shown any clinical sign of African Horse Sickness on the date of exportation;
(vi) the horse or other equidae was protected from Culicoides attacks at all times when transiting through an infected
zone;
(vii) the horse or other equidae have not been vaccinated against African Horse Sickness (AHS) forty days
immediately preceding the exportation.
(2)*The horse or other equidae shows no clinical signs or symptoms of any infectious or contagious diseases related to
the equidae on the day of shipment including Contagious Equine Metritis, Japanese Encephalitis, Dourine, Equine
Herpes Virus1, Equine Viral Arteritis, Venenzuelan Equine Encephalitis and Glanders.
(3) (i) **the country of origin has been free from Contagious Equine Metritis for the last two years preceding the
exportation as per World Organisation for Animal Health listing;
or
(ii) **the horse or other equidae has been kept in an establishment (name of the establishment) and herd since birth
or for at least two years prior to shipment that has been free from infection with Taylorella equigenitalis (Contagious
Equine Metritis);
or
(i) kept for at least the last sixty days in a herd and establishment in which no case has been reported during that
period;
(ii) subjected to tests for the detection of the agent, with negative results, carried out on samples collected on three
occasions within a twelve days period, with an interval of not less than three days between sample collections, the last
one being carried out within thirty days prior to shipment.
(iii) Horses have not been treated with antibiotics for at least seven days nor subjected to antiseptic washing of genital
mucous membranes for at least twenty-one days prior to the first sample collection, and have not been mated or
inseminated after the first sampling;
(iv) in case of non-pregnant mares at least one of the above three samples must be taken during oestrus, in an
approved pre-export Government quarantine station within the pre-export quarantine period of thirty days;
(v) the horse or other equidae have had no contact with Contagious Equine Metritis indirectly, by passing through an
infected establishment.
(**Strike off if inapplicable)
(4) The horse or other equidae has been kept in establishment for three months preceding the date of exportation, where
infectious or contagious diseases of Equidae including Equine herpes Virus 1, Glanders, Epizootic Lymphangitis,
Ulcerative Lymphangitis, Trypansoimiasis, Dourine, Equine Piroplasmosis, Equine Rhiopneumontis, Equine
Encephlomyelitis (including Eastern and Western encephalitis), Venezuelan Encephalomyelitis, Equine Influenza,
Equine Infectious Anaemia, Potomac Horse Fever, West Nile Virus infection and Vesicular Stomatitis has not been
reported and no such disease have occurred on any adjoining premises during the same period of time.
(5) The horse or other equidae has been vaccinated with Equine Influenza virus vaccine within the required period of
not less than fourteen days immediately preceding the exportation.
(6) The horse or other equidae has been found to be free from ectoparasites and have been treated with antihelminths.
(7) The horse or other equidae being exported has been kept in pre-export isolation of at least thirty days in an approved
Government quarantine station and subjected to the following specified tests in the Table with negative results:
TABLE
| Disease | Diagnostic Test | Condition |
|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| (1) | (2) | (3) |
| Glanders | Complement Fixation Test (CFT) | During fifteen days immediately preceding |
| | | exportation. |
| Dourine | Complement Fixation Test (CFT) | During fifteen days |
| | | immediately preceding exportation. |
| Equine Infectious | Coggins (Immunodiffusion) Test | During thirty days immediately preceding |
| Anaemia (EIA) | | exportation. |
| Infectious Equine | Serum Agglutination Test (titre not | During fifteen days immediately preceding |
| Abortion (Salmonella | greater than one or three thousand) | exportation. |
| abortus equi) | | |
| Equine Viral Arteritis | Virus isolation or Polymerase Chain | Two occasions at least fourteen days apart with |
| (EVA) | Reaction (PCR) | negative result during twenty-eight days |
| | | immediately preceding exportation. |
| Vesicular Stomatitis | Complement Fixation Test (CFT) or | At least twenty-one days after the |
| | Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay | commencement of pre- export quarantine. |
| | (ELISA) | |
| Contagious Equine | Culture of Micro-organisms or Real | horses or other equidae, stallions and pregnant |
| Metritis (CEM) | Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Real | mares are subjected to tests for the detection of |
| | Time PCR) | the agent (bacterial isolation and identification), |
| | | with negative results, carried out on samples |
| | | collected on three occasions within a twelve |
| | | days period, with an interval of no less than |
| | | three days between sample collections, the last |
| | | one being carried out within thirty days prior to |
| | | shipment. Horses have not been treated with |
| | | antibiotics for at least seven days nor subjected |
| | | to antiseptic washing of genital mucous |
| | | membranes for at least twenty-one days prior to |
| | | the first sample collection, and have not been |
| | | mated or inseminated after the first sampling. |
| | | |
| | | and, in case of non-pregnant mares at least one |
| | | of these three samples must be taken during |
| | | oestrus, in an approved pre-export Government |
| | | quarantine station within the pre-export |
| | | quarantine period of thirty days. |
| Equine Piroplasmosis | Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) | During thirty days immediately preceding |
| (Babesia equi and | | exportation. |
| Babesia caballi) | | |
| Hendra and Nipah virus | Real Time reverse-transcription | During twenty-one days immediately preceding |
| | polymerase chain reaction (Real Time | exportation. |
| | RT-PCR) | |
| West Nile Virus | Nested reverse-transcriptase polymerase | To be tested negative seven to ten days |
| | chain reaction (Nested RT-PCR) or Real | immediately preceding exportation. |
| | Time reverse-transcriptase polymerase | |
| | chain reaction (Real Time RT-PCR) or | |
| | Virus isolation in tissue culture. | |
| Japanese Encephalitis | Real Time reverse-transcription | To be tested negative seven days immediately |
| | polymerase chain reaction (Real Time | preceding exportation. |
| | RT-PCR) | |
| Venezuelan Equine | reverse-transcription polymerase chain | Not less than fourteen days after the |
| Encephalomyelitis | reaction (RT-PCR) | commencement of pre-export quarantine. |
| Equine | Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) | During thirty days immediately preceding |
| Rhinopneumonitis | | exportation. |
| (EHV-1) | | |
Note 1: No Testing is necessary in respect of such diseases for which freedom status has been certified as per World
Organisation for Animal Health listing.
Note 2: Date of testing shall also be specified against each test.
(8) All feed and bedding supplied for the horses during the period of quarantine and transportation were fresh, clean
and hygienic.
(9) The horse was transported using stalls, vehicles, vessels or aircrafts disinfected in advance in a manner officially
approved by the competent authority in the country of dispatch.
(10) Throughout the transport to the port of entry in India, the horse did not come in contact with equidae of a lesser
health status or with livestock animals that are not quarantined in the same pre-export isolation and not accompanied
by the same certificate.
(11) The horses or other equidae were protected from insect vectors during pre-export quarantine and transportation
from pre-export establishment to place of shipment directly.
(12) In case of emergency stopovers, the horse will not normally be removed from its stall.
Signature
Place:
Date:
Name and address of the Official Veterinarian
(Official Stamp)
(The signature and the stamp must be in a different colour to that of the printing)
*For advance no objection certificate within seven days of shipment, the official veterinary health certificate
without date of shipment examination may be accepted. However, the equid(s) shall be examined on the day of
shipment and the date shall be mentioned in the final official veterinary health certificate.
Post-import Quarantine:
(i) on arrival in India, the consignment of horses or other equidae shall be examined as per the guidelines and
procedure for import of livestock mentioned in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of
Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries S.O. 1495 (E) and 1496 (E), dated 10th June,
2014;
(ii) hay, bedding material, feed or fodder available in horse air float shall not be allowed to disembark with the equine
and shall be send back to the country of origin along with air float or destroyed at the quarantine station;
(iii) the horse or other equidae shall be kept in quarantine for minimum period of twenty-one days at the Government
Quarantine Station. In case of adverse clinical observations and long term treatment (more than three days) of equine
during quarantine, the opinion or examination by Indian Council of Agricultural Research- National Research Centre
on Equines, Hisar shall be taken. In case of death of the equine during quarantine observations, the post-mortem shall be
conducted and samples shall be sent to Indian Council of Agricultural Research- National Research Centre on
Equines, Hisar for detailed examination and scientific disposal of carcass and animal waste shall be carried out in the
quarantine station including disinfection;
(iv) during the quarantine period, the horse or other equidae shall be subjected to standard culture and serological
examination for African Horse Sickness by Real-time RT-PCR, Equine Viral Arteritis by Virus isolation or PCR,
Glanders by CFT, Contagious Equine Metritis by bacterial isolation and identification or Real Time Polymerase Chain
Reaction (Real Time PCR), Equine Infectious Anaemia by Coggins, Dourine by CFT and West Nile Virus by Nested
RT-PCR or Real Time RT-PCR or Virus isolation in tissue culture by the Government. In case of any other diseases
need to be tested, the approval of the competent authority shall be taken based on the clinical findings;
(v) in the case Contagious Equine Metritis, the horses or other equidae, stallions and pregnant mares shall be subjected
to tests for the detection of the agent, with negative results, carried out on samples collected on three occasions within
a twelve days period, with an interval of no less than three days between sample collections and in case of non-
pregnant mares at least one of these three samples must be taken during oestrus;
(vi) in the event of any horse or other equidae found positive or doubtful certification from the exporting country for
any exotic disease, the same shall be deported back to the country of origin or destroyed at the quarantine station as
deemed fit at the cost of the importer; and
(vii) all costs of the above-mentioned tests conducted in India is to be borne by the importer.
[F. No. 109-02/2009-Trade-Part (1) (E-21376)]
VARSHA JOSHI, Addl. Secy.
Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064
and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.
GORAKHA NATH YADAVA Digitally signed by GORAKHA NATH YADAVA
Date: 2025.10.08 15:25:01 +0530