How to bring your cat or dog to Australia from New Zealand (Group 1 country)

Importing a cat or dog to Australia can be a complex process.

If the cat or dog has only lived in Australia or New Zealand, the typical timeframe is about 1 month.

It will take longer for a cat or dog that has lived outside Australia or New Zealand. This may be at least 6–7 months, depending on travel history.

You will need to make sure your cat or dog meets a range of import conditions. This includes veterinary checks and treatments.

Seek help from a pet transport agent with experience in importing cats and dogs to Australia. They will help guide you through the import process.

To find a pet transport agent or shipper you can:

• search online (use terms like ‘pet transport agent Australia’)
• check the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA).

We cannot recommend one agent over another. We have no influence over any fees or charges an agent may require for their services.

Cats and dogs travelling to Australia from New Zealand on a vessel via sea (either commercial or non-commercial) must also meet the import conditions in this guide.

This step-by-step guide is for cats or dogs exported from New Zealand to Australia.

New Zealand is considered a Group 1 country. This means it’s an approved country of origin for cats and dogs imported to Australia.

Other Group 1 countries have separate step-by-step guides. These are Norfolk Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

To be eligible for import to Australia, your cat or dog must have either:

• only lived in New Zealand since birth, or
• only lived in New Zealand since being imported from Australia, or
• only lived in New Zealand for at least 180 days immediately before the date of export (if the cat or dog has ever lived in a country other than Australia or New Zealand).

When you plan to export your cat or dog, it must NOT be:

• under quarantine restrictions
• less than 8 weeks old
• more than 40 days pregnant
• nursing kittens or puppies.

Cat breeds

Hybrid cats NOT allowed into Australia include:

• Savannah cats: domestic cat (Felis catus) crossed with serval cat (Felis serval)
• Safari cats: domestic cat crossed with Geoffroy cat (Oncifelis geoffroyi)
• Chausie cats: domestic cat crossed with Jungle cat (Felis chaus)
• Bengal cats: domestic cat crossed with Asian leopard cat (Prionalilurus bengalensis), except in some cases.

If you plan to import a Bengal cat, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water at Exotic.Species@dcceew.gov.au. You’ll need to confirm your cat satisfies their requirements before you export your cat.

Dog breeds

Hybrid dogs NOT allowed into Australia include:

• Czechoslovakian wolfdog or Czechoslovakian Vicak
• Saarloos wolfdog or Saarloos wolfhound
• Lupo Italiano or Italian wolfdog
• Kunming wolfdog or Kunming dog.

Contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water at exotic.species@dcceew.gov.au. They can provide more advice on hybrid animals.

Pure breed dogs banned from Australia include:

• dogo Argentino
• fila Brasileiro
• Japanese tosa
• American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier
• Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.

Contact the Department of Home Affairs on +61 2 6264 1111 or 131 881 (within Australia) for more on prohibited pure breed dogs.

If your cat or dog is sick or old

We do not recommend importing sick or very old animals. International travel can cause them to de-stabilise and rapidly deteriorate. Even cats and dogs with well-managed chronic diseases can arrive in distress and poor health.

If your cat or dog relies on regularly administered medication, please consider that animals may be unable to get medication during transport. As a pet owner, you must consider if it’s in your pet’s best interests to travel the distance.

There are 2 types of veterinary health certificates which may be issued:

1. A pre-printed export certificate (AUPET9) completed and issued by a private veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice, or
2. An official assurance certificate (AUPETOA9) completed and issued by a NZ MPI official veterinarian.

The certificates will specify the conditions the cat or dog must meet to be eligible for import.

A veterinarian at an MPI listed veterinary practice can help determine what certificate you need. If your cat or dog does not meet all the criteria for AUPET9, you’ll need to get an official assurance certificate.

Find out more about NZ MPI requirements and view sample certificates.

If you’re unsure, you can also email the NZ MPI at animalexports@mpi.govt.nz. 

We recommend you read this whole guide before you start the import process.

Share this guide with your NZ MPI listed veterinary practice and pet transport company. They will help you meet all conditions.

Microchips are the only approved identification method. The NZ MPI will use the microchip to verify your cat or dog’s identity.

A private veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice must scan the microchip:

• at each visit
• before any pre-export blood sampling.

They will check that the microchip number is recorded on all documentation.

Your cat or dog must be implanted with a microchip that is ISO compliant. Generally, microchips with 10 or 15 digits are ISO compliant.

Microchip numbers starting with 999 are not accepted because they are not unique.

If your cat or dog has 2 compliant microchips

Both microchips must be scanned and recorded at each veterinary visit. They must match all import documents.

If your cat or dog has a compliant microchip and a non-compliant microchip, we will only use the compliant microchip.

If your cat or dog’s microchip stops working

The veterinarian should try multiple microchip scanners to read the microchip. An X-ray can be used to locate the microchip if it has moved from the implant site.

You can send your cat or dog by sea or by air. You can use any operator or airline, at their discretion.

Travel by air

Your cat or dog must travel:

• as manifested cargo (not in the cabin)
• in an International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved crate.

Domestic transfers

We will inspect your animal and their import documents at the first point of entry into Australia.

If your cat or dog is connecting with a domestic flight, you’ll need to arrange for it to be moved from the international to the domestic terminal of the airport.

Animal transport agents or pet shippers can help you with this. Find a list of pet shippers on the IPATA website.

Travel by sea

Your cat or dog may travel directly to Australia from New Zealand on a vessel.

Cats and dogs travelling on a vessel from New Zealand directly to Australia do not need to travel as manifested cargo. They must be secure on the vessel and arrive at a first point of entry for live cats and dogs. They must meet all health certificate requirements and import conditions.

No cats or dogs, except those for import to Australia, may be carried on the vessel without prior approval by the department.

See more about animals on vessels.

The NZ MPI will advise you of the listed veterinarian you will need to see. This will depend on the type of veterinary health certificate your cat or dog requires (See step 2.3).

All veterinary preparations must be done:

• by a private veterinarian employed by a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice
• in New Zealand.

Find a listed veterinary practice (NZ MPI website).

We recommend you share this step-by-step guide with your preparing veterinarian.

The veterinarian will help prepare a schedule of treatments and tests to ensure you meet all import conditions. This information is also useful to share with pet transport companies.

This is an optional step.

We recommend that your cat or dog is vaccinated against diseases that are present in Australia.

Some Australian states and territories have their own vaccination requirements. It’s your responsibility to check and comply with these.

Cats

We recommend that your cat is vaccinated against:

• feline enteritis (also known as feline panleucopenia or feline distemper)
• rhinotracheitis
• calicivirus.

These diseases exist in Australia.

Dogs

We recommend that your dog is vaccinated against:

• distemper
• hepatitis
• parvovirus
• parainfluenza
• Bordetella bronchiseptica.

These diseases exist in Australia.

A veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice must scan and verify your dog’s microchip. They must collect and test a blood sample using one of these methods:

• an indirect fluorescent antibody titre (IFAT) test, or
• an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

The test must produce a negative result.

The test result only remains valid if the dog continuously lives in NZ from the sampling date until export to Australia.

Dogs must be treated by a private veterinarian from an NZ MPI listed veterinary practice with imidocarb dipropionate.

The treatments are either:

• a subcutaneous injection at 7.5 mg/kg bodyweight, or
• 2 subcutaneous injections, at an interval of 2 weeks.

If the dog was treated for Babesia canis to allow import to Australia or New Zealand additional treatment may not be needed. Dogs must have been continuously living in New Zealand or Australia since this treatment. The NZ MPI official veterinarian will need to attest to this treatment. You will need to check with the NZ MPI before organising treatment.

A private veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice must treat your cat or dog with a compliant topical product. The product must kill ticks and fleas on contact and remain effective until export. It must be applied within 5 days before the date of export to Australia.

Oral treatments for external parasites do not generally meet Australian import conditions.

The veterinarian may need to repeat the treatment to maintain protection until export. They must follow the manufacturer’s directions. If the reapplication periods for fleas and ticks differ, you must follow the shortest reapplication period.

At each visit after the treatment has started, the veterinarian must examine your cat or dog for external parasites. If fleas or ticks are found they must be removed, and the treatment restarted.

See acceptable external parasite treatments.

A private veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice must treat your cat or dog with a compliant internal parasite treatment effective against nematodes and cestodes (internal parasites). This must be done within 5 days before the date of export to Australia.

See acceptable internal parasite treatments.

You must have a veterinary health certificate issued by a vet from an NZ MPI listed veterinary practice, or a NZ MPI official veterinarian.

Your cat or dog must be examined for external parasites and clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease. A private veterinarian from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice, or MPI official veterinarian must do this within 5 days before the date of export to Australia.

The vet must attest to the requirements as outlined on the in the appropriate section of the relevant health certificate for your cat or dog. They must declare that the animal is:

• treated for external and internal parasites within 5 days of the date of export
• free from external parasites and clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease
• fit for travel.

If NZ MPI determine you need to complete the AUPET9 export certificate, the exporter must complete a declaration on the veterinary health certificate. This states:

• the breed, sex, age and microchip number of your cat or dog
• your cat or dog has resided in New Zealand since birth, or direct import from Australia, or for the 180 days immediately before the date of export
• your cat or dog is not derived from a domestic or non-domestic hybrid
• your dog is not a banned breed
• if female, that the cat or dog is not more than 40 days pregnant or nursing kittens at the time of export
• whether your dog has ever been to mainland Africa.

If the exporter is not the owner, then the owner of the cat or dog must also complete a statutory declaration. This must be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace. An example of where the exporter is not owner is if the owner is using a pet transport agent.

Check NZ MPI advice on gathering export documents.

The veterinary health certificate is an agreed document between us and the NZ MPI.

If NZ MPI determine you need to complete the AUPET9 export certificate, the vet from a NZ MPI listed veterinary practice will issue you with a unique, numbered veterinary health certificate. They will issue the certificate at the pre-export clinical examination.

If NZ MPI determine you need to complete the AUPETOA9 official assurance export certificate, a NZ MPI official veterinarian will issue the certificate at the final pre-export examination.

The veterinary health certificate must certify that:

• the veterinarian has scanned and confirmed the microchip listed on the veterinary health certificate
• New Zealand is free from rabies, Brucella canis, Leptospira canicola, and indigenous cases of leishmaniasis
• all conditions, tests and treatments specified on the veterinary health certificate have been met.

Your cat or dog must arrive in Australia with these documents:

• a veterinary health certificate (either AUPET9 or AUPETOA9)
• laboratory test reports (if relevant).

The veterinary health certificate must be an original document. Copies will not be accepted.

Email the regional office in the state or territory where your animal will first arrive in Australia.

Your email must include:

• the date and estimated time of arrival
• the flight number (unless travelling via vessel)
• the air waybill number (unless travelling via vessel)
• a short description of your cat or dog
• a contact phone number in Australia or New Zealand
• whether your dog is an assistance dog.

If your cat or dog is travelling on a sea vessel, the vessel master must notify the department at least 3 days before arrival at the first port of entry in Australia.

Office contacts in Australia

New South Wales – ceranimalimports@aff.gov.au 

Victoria – seanimal@aff.gov.au AND VIC.Controller@aff.gov.au 

Queensland – qldliveanimalimports@aff.gov.au 

South Australia – cargosa@aff.gov.au 

Western Australia – waliveanimalimports@aff.gov.au 

Tasmania – tas.controller@aff.gov.au 

Northern Territory – ntliveanimalimports@aff.gov.au AND ntcontroller@aff.gov.au 

Australian Capital Territory – actregoffice@aff.gov.au 

General inquiry: 1800 900 090 or + 61 3 8318 6700 (from outside Australia).

You will be charged for the time taken to assess the documents that arrive with your animal.

Details of our fees can be found in our charging guidelines. Contact the relevant state or territory office to check the fees for clearing your cat or dog.

Fees are usually collected by the airline carrying your animal. The payment should appear on the air waybill (issued by the airline). We will invoice the airline to recover the fees.

On the day of air travel:

• place your cat or dog in an International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved crate (see Step 4)
• do not place any items, including toys, medication or items of value, in the crate (these will be destroyed as biosecurity waste upon arrival).

In most cases, you will check your cat or dog in at the freight terminal, not the passenger terminal.

If your dog or cat is travelling with you on a vessel, refer to our animals on vessels page for more information.

A biosecurity officer will check the cat or dog. They must verify that all details match the import documents.

Your animal will be released from biosecurity control if everything is acceptable. If not, more documents may be requested.

If your cat or dog is transferring to a domestic flight, this can happen after they are cleared by us.

You are responsible for meeting any local requirements in Australia.

Contact your local Australian council or government. They can tell you what you must do. This may include registering your cat or dog and their microchip and paying yearly fees.

Your local hospital or animal shelter may also be able to advise you.