Australia has extremely strict pet import regulations to protect local wildlife from introduced diseases. Hence, pets must satisfy all the biosecurity relations in accordance with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to enter the country.
Importing pets is also expensive and takes several months to handle documentation. However, using a professional pet exporter is one of the best options to help you bring them safely to Australia. Services include veterinary checks, treatments, shipping crates, flights, and other requirements. Moreover, the steps in this process are all timebound, so failure to follow the rules or a small mistake during the documentation process will result in your being denied entry immediately or additional costs.
You can use this link below to help you find an exporter who will be your pet’s guide when transferring to Australia.
Country Categories
There are four different country categories that your animal will belong to. All categories have different guides pet owners need to follow as they are separated by risks of countries with certain diseases.
If your animal meets the criteria and is from the approved country categories, they can enter Australia without any concerns.
Country Category Group I
New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Cocos Island
Country Category Group II
American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Christmas Island, Cook Island, Falkland Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Iceland, Japan, Kiribati, Mauritius, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis, and Futuna.
Country Category Group III
Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary and Balearic Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak only), Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Netherlands—Antilles & Aruba, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, the Republic of South Africa, Reunion, Saipan, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland (including Liechtenstein), Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States (including the district of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (but excluding Guam and Hawaii), Uruguay.
Country Category Group IV:
All countries that are not listed in categories one, two, and three are non-approved. Your pet cannot directly enter Australia from these destinations. Animals travelling from non-approved countries must move to country categories two and three for at least six months.
Click on the link to see the step-by-step guide the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources provides for your animal.
How to import a cat or dog | Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
Banned Breeds
here is a stringent ban on numerous domestic and non-domestic hybrids of animals in Australia. This protects public safety for everyone in Australia, so checking whether your pet is prohibited from entering the country is essential.
Animal breeds listed below are NOT allowed to enter Australia.
Banned Cat Breeds
Hybrid cats that are banned from entering Australia are:
- Savannah Cat, domestic cat (Felis catus) crossed with serval cat (Felis serval)
- Bengal cat, domestic cat crossed with Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
- Chausie, domestic cat crossed with Jungle cat (Felis chaus)
- Safari cat, domestic cat crossed with Geoffroy cat (Oncifelis geoffroyi)
Banned Dog Breeds
There is a strict ban on aggressive dog breeds specifically bred for fighting. The dog breeds that are banned from entering Australia are:
- Pit Bull Terrier breeds, including American Pit Bull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino (Argentinean fighting dog)
- Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian fighting dog)
- Japanese Tosa
- Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario
The Australian Government also bans domestic and non-domestic dog hybrids (such as wolf crosses) in Australia.
- Czechoslovakian wolfdog or Czechoslovakian Vlcak
- Lupo Italiano or Italian wolfdog
- Kunming wolfdog or Kunming dog
- Saarloos wolfdog or Saarloos wolfhound
When applying for an import permit to Australia, the animal’s owner must provide a declaration stating that the breed of the cat or dog is not a prohibited breed.
If your animal has visible characteristics of the mentioned dog breeds, they will not be allowed to enter the country.
Click here to view information on unique and exotic pets you can bring to Australia.
Microchip
Pets coming into Australia must have an ISO 117484/11785 compliant microchip so that a government-approved veterinarian can scan the microchip every visit. Ensure that microchip numbers are correctly recorded in all documentation, as there has been an increase in microchip numbers being incorrectly recorded. Suppose the Australian biosecurity officials cannot read it, or it is different from the matching number in the documentation. In that case, your cat or dog will not be allowed to enter the country. If you have submitted application forms with the microchip number in them and detect an error afterwards, email [email protected] as soon as possible and make sure you do not update anything yourself.
Import Permit/ Fees for Permit
To import your pet to Australia, an application with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the environment.
Supporting documentation that every pet owner needs to provide is evidence of ownership, personal details of the pet owner, and veterinary and health certificates for your pet. If your pet is from category country I or II, documentation for rabies vaccinations, rabies titre test laboratory report and declarations must also be provided.
Remember that all supporting documentation should state the pet’s microchip number clearly.
The conditions depend on the approved country your animal is coming from. Make sure the requirements are followed, as these steps you need to undertake are mostly time-bound. Import permits generally take up to twenty days to process and are valid for twelve months from the date of issue.
Click on the link here to find the conditions that will apply to your animal and you.
Import permit application fees are required at the time of lodgement. The permit will be approved once all payment is cleared.
The table below displays the lodgment and assessment fees for import permit applications.
| Service | Lodgment | Assessment | Total (AUD) |
| First cat or dog in a consignment | $122 | $444 | $566 |
| For each additional animal thereafter in the same consignment | $122 | $148 | $270 |
Remember that further fees may apply if incomplete applications require additional information.
Health Checks, Treatments and Vaccinations
Pets must undergo an examination by a government-approved vet within five days of flying to Australia to check for unexpected contagious or infectious diseases. Your vet must provide veterinary health certification signed in the country of export. It must include details of all the vaccinations and other health examinations. Remember that if there is a slight error after entry into Melbourne, your pet will have to undergo a longer quarantine period.
Pets from category one countries do not require rabies vaccinations as they are from rabies-free countries. However, suppose your pet comes from category countries two and three. In that case, they will need to be vaccinated against rabies after the microchip implantation. All dogs must be vaccinated against Leptospirosis and other mandatory vaccinations against distemper, parvovirus, Bordetella, hepatitis, and parainfluenza. Cats travelling to Australia must be immunised against rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and feline enteritis. The vaccinations must be valid during their quarantine period at Mickleham Quarantine Centre in Melbourne. Suppose your pet animal is from country category three. In that case, they must meet all the requirements for vaccinations in country category two in addition to undergoing a Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test. They will be able to enter Australia 180 days after the blood sample is collected, provided that the outcome is satisfactory. Remember that an official Government veterinarian must sign the rabies titre test results.
Click here to read and fill out the ‘Rabies neutralising antibody titre test declaration form’.
Check the step-to-step guide here to understand the process better, as all the steps are timebound.
Pets from category four must move to the countries listed in country categories two or three for at least six months to be eligible to enter Australia. However, the same vaccination schedule and documentation will be applied to your pet for country categories two and three.
Quarantine and Quarantine and Costs
Pet dogs and cats entering Australia from Category II and III countries must enter the country in Melbourne only. Your pets will be inspected and moved to the Mickleham Quarantine Centre upon entry. Pets coming from Category I countries can go home after the inspection. If your pet enters Australia from categories two and three, they will spend a minimum of 10 in the quarantine facility. This is so the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment can monitor your pet’s condition and be aware of any concerns raised before the quarantine period ends.
UPDATE: In November 2022, the Australian Government increased the quarantine period from 10 days to 30 days. There has been increasing evidence that pet owners avoid requirements by producing false documentation. Hence, this enhances Australia’s protection from catching rabies amid increased international movement and trade of pets. Moreover, the changes act as a safeguard to Australia’s community as the number of domestic pets coming into Australia from overseas has increased over the past ten years.
Keep in mind that there are exceptions to the number of days if evidence can be provided to show that your pet originally came from Australia.
Booking your pet into quarantine is essential, and this must be done after your import permit has been received. Reservation applications are generally assessed within seven days. Once the booking is confirmed, you must prepare and conduct pre-export examinations, blood tests, and other treatments that need to be made to comply with the import conditions.
Click here to reserve a spot in the quarantine facility for your animal.
There are costs to quarantining your cat or dog in Australia. The minimum cost for an animal to stay within the quarantine facility for ten days costs approximately AUD $500. This does not include additional fees and will cost more if they need extra veterinary care, extended stay, or other unique treatments. Keep in mind that if your pet stays longer than 10 days, costs will be more expensive. Two invoices will be billed for your pet’s stay in the Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) Facility. The first invoice includes standard veterinary inspections, document assessment, an International Documentation Fee (IDF) charged by the local airport freight handler, and the daily rate for accommodation. The second invoice includes additional fees, such as unforeseen circumstances. These include subsequent inspection/s caused by non-compliant or incomplete documentation with your animal, daily fees when import conditions have not been met, transportation costs caused by flight delays, service fees if unexpected hospital visits occur, and any other third-party expenses that incur during the quarantine isolation period.
Remember that all invoices must be paid before they confirm the reservation.
See the following table for the set fees for cats/dogs completing post-entry quarantine.
| Service | Fee (AUD $) |
| Initial booking fee (daily rate) | AUD $29 |
| Inspection fee (fee every 30mins) | AUD $74 |
| Document assessment (fee every 30mins) | AUD $74 |
| Quarantine accommodation (daily rate) | AUD $50 |
| Importation charge | AUD $1012 |
| Release appointment (charged per airway bill number) | AUD $120 – AUD $250 |
| Accommodation of an additional cat/dog in consignment (daily rate) | AUD $50 |
| Overstay accommodation of cat/dog (daily rate) | AUD $50 |
| Any additional costs, out-of-hours collection, etc. | AUD $160 for weekdays, AUD $170 for weekends and public holidays |
| Any additional costs (every 30mins per animal) | AUD $74 |
Registering your dog in Australia
When your pet arrives in Australia, search for a local council and register with them. Remember that penalties will apply if you do not register them in time. There are many ways to register, including filling out an online form, printing out a document and mailing it, or visiting the local council closest to you.
If you have any unexpected concerns and require help with your pet, contact 1800 900 090 (Department of Agriculture and Water Resources).
Bringing cats and dogs to Australia
Last Update: 18 January 2023
