How much does it cost to fly a racehorse to Dubai?

As a rough guide, about US$5,000-12,000 per horse in a shared stall from Britain, Ireland or France, and more from the USA or Australia. Add pre-export isolation and tests (about US$1,000-3,500) and UAE permits and quarantine (about US$700-2,000). The date, the route and charter or scheduled flights change the price, so we always get a written quote from a licensed shipper.

Is there customs duty on a racehorse imported to the Gulf?

The GCC countries share one customs tariff. Its general rate is 5%, and customs-broker tariff tools list live horses (HS 0101) at 0%. The calculator shows 0-5% of the price plus flight. Confirm the exact tariff line with customs before the horse flies.

Do I pay VAT when I bring a horse into the UAE or Saudi Arabia?

Import VAT is charged at the standard rate: 5% in the UAE and Oman, 15% in Saudi Arabia and 10% in Bahrain. Qatar and Kuwait had no VAT in force on 25 October 2026. A VAT-registered business may be able to recover it. Horses flown in only to race for a season may come in under temporary import rules instead.

What is your fee for buying and importing a horse?

5% of the purchase price, minimum US$5,000, agreed in writing before you buy. Shipping, quarantine, customs and VAT are passed on at cost from the shipper's and the authorities' written figures.

How long does it take to bring a horse from Keeneland or Tattersalls to the Gulf?

Plan for several weeks: pre-export isolation and tests, the flight, then quarantine on arrival. The destination country sets the isolation and quarantine rules, so we plan back from your target race with the shipper.

Bring a racehorse to the Gulf: what it really costs

Buying at Keeneland, Tattersalls, Goffs or Arqana and racing in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman? Choose where the horse flies from and to, type the price, and see low and high figures for the flight, isolation, quarantine, customs, VAT and our fee. No sign-up, no cookies.

Want a firm number, not a range? Email us the sale and your country. We get a written quote from a licensed shipper and come back with one clear figure. Free 20-minute call if you like. Email for a written quote

Your estimate

Estimate, checked 25 Oct 2026. Ranges from published figures (sources below), not a quote. Not included: vetting, transit insurance and training fees. Exchange rates as in the box below.

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Email: info@silkroadbloodstock.com · Call: +971 52 311 2385 · WhatsApp (backup): +971 52 311 2385

What each line means

An old propeller cargo plane of an airline's bloodstock division, used to fly horses, on the apron at Liverpool airport in 1966 — Horses have flown between racing countries for decades: a bloodstock air freighter at Liverpool, 1966. Illustrative image, not a Silk Road Bloodstock horse. Photo: Ken Fielding, CC BY-SA 3.0

Pre-export isolation and tests. Most exports need the horse kept apart before it flies, with blood tests and official health papers. The destination country sets how long.
The flight. Horses fly in special stalls on cargo aircraft, usually two to a pallet, with flying grooms. A shared stall costs less than a charter; busy dates (the Dubai Carnival, the Saudi Cup) cost more.
Permits and quarantine on arrival. In the UAE the import permit is AED 400 and the release permit AED 500 per horse (2025 fee schedule), then a stay in approved quarantine. For the other Gulf countries no public fee was found, so the calculator uses the UAE range and says so.
Customs duty. The six GCC countries share one customs tariff. Its general rate is 5%; tariff tools list live horses at 0%. We show 0–5% and check the tariff line with customs for each horse.
Import VAT. UAE 5%, Saudi Arabia 15%, Bahrain 10%, Oman 5%. Qatar and Kuwait: no VAT in force. A VAT-registered company may recover it.
Our fee. 5% of the purchase price, minimum US$5,000, agreed in writing before you buy. Fees in full.

Racing a visiting horse for one season? For the 2026–27 Dubai Racing Carnival, Dubai Racing Club pays the return flight only for invited horses rated 105 or higher; other horses travel at the owner's cost, and visitors may come in under temporary import rules. More on the trip itself: racehorse transport.

In your own money: AED, SAR, QAR, KWD, BHD, OMR

Type a horse's price in dollars, pounds or euros. We show the price and our fee (5%, minimum US$5,000) in all six Gulf currencies.

Horse's price Currency

Currency	Horse's price	Our fee
US$US dollar	150,000	7,500
AEDUAE dirham	550,875	27,544
SARSaudi riyal	562,500	28,125
QARQatari riyal	546,000	27,300
KWDKuwaiti dinar	46,050	2,303
BHDBahraini dinar	56,400	2,820
OMROmani rial	57,675	2,884

Approximate, rates of 25 October 2026: AED, SAR, QAR, BHD and OMR are fixed to the US dollar; KWD, £ and € move (US$1 = KWD 0.307, £1 = US$1.32, €1 = US$1.15). Our fee is agreed in US dollars, in writing. You pay for the horse directly to the sales company or seller, in the sale's own currency.

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Questions buyers ask

Can I fly a horse home straight after the sale?

Not the next day. Plan for isolation and tests, a booked flight, then quarantine on arrival. For a horse bought at Keeneland in November or Tattersalls in December, that usually means racing in the Gulf in the new year. We plan back from your target race.

Who pays the shipper and the customs?

You pay the sales company or seller for the horse directly. Shipping, quarantine, duty and VAT are passed on at cost, from the shipper's and the authorities' written figures. We never add a margin on them.

Who trains the horse when it lands?

A licensed trainer of your choice in your country. We help you choose and supervise the handover. We do not train horses ourselves.

Buying this winter? Get one clear figure.

Tell us the sale, your budget and where the horse will race. We send a shortlist and a written landed cost, from any country. Budgets from US$50,000 per horse.

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Email: info@silkroadbloodstock.com · Call: +971 52 311 2385 · WhatsApp (backup): +971 52 311 2385

Rowan is our AI assistant. Answers in seconds.

Sources (checked 25 Oct 2026): flights: Gulf News (UK to Dubai about AED 25,000, older figure), UAE Freezone Finder 2026 (Europe to UAE AED 18,000–35,000; UAE quarantine AED 250–450 a day for 7–14 days), Horse Racing Sense (IRT: US$10,000–30,000 international; export tests US$500–1,500); UAE permits: UAE legislation, 2025 fee schedule; customs: GCC tariff heading 0101, customs-broker tariff search; VAT: Sovereign Group GCC tax comparison, Kuwait VAT 2026; Carnival: Dubai Racing Carnival 2026–27 terms. Rules and prices change: we confirm every figure with the shipper and the authorities for each horse.

Also: Racehorse cost calculator · What a racehorse really costs · Buy a racehorse in Dubai · Saudi Arabia · Qatar · Bahrain · Kuwait · Oman

Cost	Low	High
Horse's price
Pre-export isolation, blood tests, papers
Flight (shared stall, flying groom)
Import permits and quarantine on arrival
Customs duty (0–5% of price + flight)
Import VAT
Our fee: 5% of the price, minimum US$5,000
Total, horse landed
In local money