Bringing a Dog or Cat to Australia: Preparation, Permits and Quarantine

Not every dog or cat entering Australia needs the same tests or quarantine. Your pet’s species, exporting country and travel history determine the pathway. Read the conditions for that combination before building a timeline.

Choose the correct origin pathway

DAFF’s pet-import guidance distinguishes eligible arrivals from New Zealand from Group 2 and Group 3 imports. Eligible pets on the New Zealand pathway generally do not need an import permit or routine post-entry quarantine. The required export health certification and other conditions still apply.

Group 2 dogs require an import permit, prescribed preparation and at least ten days of post-entry quarantine. Identity verification is required. Routine rabies serology is not a universal Group 2 requirement. Use the separate cat guide for cats.

Group 3 dogs require rabies preparation and an RNATT declaration. The minimum 180-day waiting period runs from the date the laboratory receives the blood sample until export, not from blood collection until arrival. The titre result has a validity window. Standard quarantine is at least 30 days, with a ten-day minimum available to eligible animals meeting the reduced-quarantine conditions. Complete any required government identity verification at the correct stage; arranging it too late can affect eligibility.

Quarantine location and entry arrangements

The government Post Entry Quarantine facility is at Mickleham, Victoria. Entry through Melbourne and a PEQ booking apply to the relevant Group 2/3 pathways; do not apply that statement to every eligible arrival from New Zealand. Quarantine can be extended if conditions are not met.

Build a document trail

• Have the microchip scanned and reconcile its number across laboratory reports, vaccination records, certificates and the permit. Do not reject an existing chip solely because it is not 15 digits; check the relevant government standard.
• Ask the preparing veterinarian to work backwards from export and arrival using the current species-specific checklist.
• Keep valid existing records for assessment. A previous test is not automatically reusable or automatically invalid.
• Coordinate permit approval, available quarantine accommodation and the flight before setting an immovable relocation date.

Use DAFF’s country and species guide selector for the complete protocol, including eligibility, identity checks, tests, treatments and certification. A charter flight does not waive biosecurity conditions.

Moving from Europe and departing London

Preparation may take place in more than one approved country if the exporting official vet accepts it and can certify the required history. Our Europe-to-Australia guide explains how to arrange the UK handover and compares pet taxis, LeShuttle and ferry connections. Country-specific guides cover the route from your actual starting point.

Turn the pathway into a working calendar

• Before fixing the flight: have identity, vaccination and laboratory records assessed against the relevant dog or cat pathway.
• Before leaving the preparing country: agree any handover with the veterinarian who will certify the final export.
• Before final appointments: align the permit, quarantine place and flight so the tests and treatments fall within the required windows.
• After quarantine: plan a collection vehicle large enough for the pet and equipment; keep onward arrangements flexible until release is confirmed.

A real route still needs individual import files

On our first Melbourne–Auckland–Los Angeles charter, families joined or left the journey in different countries. That is why one aircraft itinerary cannot serve as every pet’s preparation checklist. A Melbourne-bound pet needs its own approved import pathway, even when another family on the flight is travelling to Auckland.