Bringing Your Pet to Australia: Things to Know

Are you and your beloved pet virtually inseparable, and you don’t want to leave them behind on your next trip to Australia? Or maybe you’re planning to relocate and are considering bringing your pet to Australia with you. This is actually more common than you might think, especially if you’ve been working from home in constant companionship and you want to keep your furry family members close to you even while traveling the world. However, as with the requirements that humans need to complete and processes that need to be completed, bringing along your pets will also entail a few paperwork and checks to make sure that your dog is fit for travel and will adhere to the country’s border laws. In this article, we’ll take a look at the things you need to know before traveling with your pet to the land down under. 

5 Things Your Pet Needs to Have Before Traveling to Australia

Before you can arrange for your pet’s travel or shipping, there are a few things that you need to get. To help you, here’s a checklist that you absolutely need to tick everything off before you move:

1. ISO-Certified Microchip

All pets coming into Australia must be given an ISO-certified microchip that ISO readers can process. These microchips are assigned specific microchip numbers to help identify a pet in case they get lost. Each microchip number is put into a database that includes the contact information of owners, as well as other relevant information about your pet.

2. Complete Vaccination

Pets – regardless of breed and size – will require complete vaccinations before they can enter Australia. This does not only protect your pet from any accidental exposure to animals infected with diseases and parasites, but this also helps Australia preserve its rabies-free environment.

3. Rabies Titer Test

To ensure that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies and that they are immune to the virus, the Australian government requires all pets to undergo a rabies titer test at least three weeks after they are vaccinated.

4. Veterinary Health Certificate

The Australian government will also require a veterinary health certificate for your pet that is signed and sealed by an authorized and official government veterinarian. Before submission, ensure that the veterinarian has stamped all pages of the certificate since this will be checked during the import process.

5. Animal Import Permit

After consolidating all the required documents, the next step is to apply for an animal import permit at the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. As these permits may take up to 20 days before release, you might want to plan your application ahead of time.

4 Reminders Before Processing Pet Travel

In addition to the requirements that your pets need to comply with, there are also a few reminders you need to know before processing your travel documents, including breed restrictions, quarantine periods, and country of origin approvals. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Australia accepts pet importations – but has strict breed restrictions for safety. 

While Australia accepts a vast number of dog and cat breeds across the board, there are a few exceptions – mainly for banned or “dangerous” breeds. So, if you’re an owner or a dog breeder living in Australia, you should check out the list prior to planning a trip or purchasing an imported breed. 

These banned breeds include Pitbulls, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canario, and Fila Brasileiro.

2. All animals imported into Australia will require a minimum of 10 days for quarantine.

After your pet arrives at the airport, chances are you won’t get to see them right off the bat. All animals that arrive from overseas will require a minimum of 10 days for quarantine to ensure that they’re not carrying parasites or diseases that may wreak havoc on Australia’s biodiversity.

While owners were previously allowed to visit their pets in quarantine, this permission has now been revoked by border control.

3. Australia will only accept animal importations from a list of approved countries of origin.

Australia only allows the importation of animals from specific countries, which are generally divided into categories depending on the health and safety of animals. Animals coming from other countries that are not part of the approved list will need to pass through other countries before ultimately being granted entry to Australia. This process may take up to six months since animals will need to be moved to another approved region before being approved for importation.

4. Pets need to be at least eight weeks old during travel.

Pets younger than two months will not be permitted to travel to Australia, as well as pregnant dogs more than 40 days pregnant. This is to ensure that pets will be able to withstand long travel. 

Please note that most of the documents required by the Australian government will require steep prices, so it would be advisable to add these to your travel finances. If you own multiple pets, expect to pay higher since they will need their documents, and you will need to pay additional costs for processing. However, these prices will all be worth it once you are reunited with your pup!