Home › From the UK › Australia
Flag of Australia
From the UK

Bringing your pet to Australia

About 7 months of preparation: rabies vaccine, a rabies blood test and 180 days of waiting, an import permit, then tests and parasite treatments in the last 45 days. Pets fly as cargo into Melbourne and stay at least 10 or 30 days in quarantine.

Time you needAbout 7 months — the first deadline is 213 days before you fly
Easy to get wrong on this route
  • Starting late — the 180-day wait only begins when the blood sample reaches the lab.
  • DogsUsing a rapid Leishmania test or a 2ME-RSAT Brucella test — Australia only accepts the standard tests.
  • CatsStarting flea and tick treatment late — cats need it at least 21 days before export.
Your Australia plan, dated to the day

Every deadline worked out for your travel date, calendar reminders and a travel-day checklist.

Build my plan — free preview$19 to unlock the PDF · 14-day money-back promise
DifficultyVery hard
QuarantineAt least 30 days at Mickleham, or 10 days with the identity check
Rabies blood testRequired (RNATT), then 180+ days before export
PermitAustralian import permit (20–40 business days)

Rules checked Oct 28, 2026 against official sources · Dogs & cats · Free route check for your date →

Flying from somewhere else?From the US →From the EU →

Step by step

  1. At least 213 days (~7 months) before
    ISO microchip + rabies vaccine
    Pet at least 84 days old at the rabies shot. First vaccine? Wait 3–4 weeks before the blood test. The vaccine must stay valid until export.
  2. At least 186 days (~6 months) before
    Identity check (optional, cuts quarantine to 10 days)
    Done by your government vet service before the RNATT blood draw (not at the same visit) and at least 180 days before export.
  3. At least 185 days (~6 months) before
    Rabies blood test (RNATT) + RNATT declaration
    Blood taken by a government-approved vet between 12 months and 180 days before export; result ≥ 0.5 IU/ml (FAVN or RFFIT). Export only 180+ days after the sample reaches the lab — we date this step 185 days out to leave time for shipping. An official government vet then signs the RNATT declaration.
  4. Right after the RNATT declaration
    Apply for the import permit (BICON)
    Most permits take 20–40 business days, some up to 123. The permit is valid until the RNATT expires, 12 months after the blood draw.
  5. After the permit is issued
    Book quarantine + a flight to Melbourne
    Mickleham quarantine: at least 30 days, or 10 days with the identity check. Pets fly as manifested cargo in an IATA crate, directly into Melbourne.
  6. 14–365 days before arrivaldogs only
    Leptospira vaccine — or a test
    Final vaccine or yearly booster between 12 months and 14 days before export. Not vaccinated? A negative MAT test within 45 days of export.
  7. 5–45 days before arrivaldogs only
    Leishmania test (+ Brucella canis if not desexed)
    Blood tests within 45 days of export, ready for the final vet check. Leishmania: IFAT or ELISA (no rapid tests). Brucella canis: RSAT, TAT or IFAT only.
  8. At least 30 days beforedogs only
    Start flea and tick treatment
    At least 30 days before export, repeated as the product says so it protects until export.
  9. At least 21 days beforecats only
    Start flea and tick treatment
    At least 21 days before export, repeated as the product says so it protects until export.
  10. 14–45 days before arrival
    Worm treatment #1
    First of two treatments for roundworms and tapeworms within 45 days of export, at least 14 days before the second.
  11. Within 5 days before arrival
    Final vet check, worm treatment #2 + endorsement
    Within 5 days before export: clinical exam and the second worm treatment by a government-approved vet, then the health certificate and lab reports endorsed by an official vet (your EHC comes through GOV.UK) (original wet-ink stamps).

Watch out

  • Every step must be done by a government-approved vet in an approved country, with the microchip scanned at each visit.
  • Australia only accepts standard Brucella tests (RSAT, TAT, IFAT) — not 2ME-RSAT, 2ME-TAT or AGID.
  • Banned dog breeds include pit bull terriers, dogo Argentino, fila Brasileiro, Japanese tosa and Presa Canario, plus wolf hybrids. Non-domestic cat hybrids are banned too.
  • Pets more than 30 days pregnant or nursing can’t be exported.
  • These rules are for travel from England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own.

Official sources: www.agriculture.gov.au · www.agriculture.gov.au · www.agriculture.gov.au. Not legal or veterinary advice — confirm with your vet, your airline and the destination's authority.

Related guides
Personal plan · early access

Join early access — 50% off at launch

Tell us your route and travel month. We'll email you when the personal plan launches, with 50% off for early-access members, and we'll prioritise your route if it isn't covered yet.

We use your email only for launch news and your discount. Unsubscribe any time. See our Privacy Policy.
Check my route — free