Get in touch+44 (0)1725 551124
Get a Quote
Get in touch+44 (0)1725 551124
Get a QuoteWith over 1.2million Britons now living in Australia, it’s clear that it’s a very popular place to emigrate to. However, a lot of expats feel that their journey wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t take their beloved pooch with them. Although it’s a long and tiring flight, which is a daunting time for dog owners, we are here to help take all of that stress away from you so that the experience is as relaxing as it can be.
Flying your dog to Australia is a slightly lengthier and more complicated process than most other countries. However, with our extensive experience and team of veterinary surgeons and healthcare professionals, we really feel that the stress of this big move is lifted off you. We flew over 500 pets to Australia in 2022, so your dog is in extremely safe hands.
Since 01st March 2023, the rules have changed slightly and now pets need to serve 30 days quarantine rather than 10 days, unless they are pets returning to Australia. Pets need to have their identities verified by a government veterinarian and due to the way government vets are organised in UK, this is not possible at this time, but we hope it will change.
We’ve put together a broken down step-by-step guide to help give you an idea of what needs to be sorted and prepared in order to export your dog to Australia. If you have any questions, or need more information about flying a dog to Australia, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
1. Confirm eligibility before starting the process – Dogs must not be under quarantine restrictions or be more than 30 days pregnant or suckling young at the time of export. Some dog breeds, including pit bull terriers, are banned from Australia – check up on this.
2. Make sure your dog is microchipped
3. Check rabies vaccination – Your dog will need to have a valid rabies vaccination (when it was at least 90 days old).
4. Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre (RNAT) test – This must be done between 180 days and 12 months before the export. Following the rabies vaccination, a vet must scan your dog’s microchip and collect a blood sample for the RNAT test. Your dog must have a valid RNAT test at the time of export. The blood sample MUST be taken by a UK official veterinarian – so be sure to check with your vets before they take the blood.
5. An Official Government Vet must complete the rabies vaccination and RNAT test declaration – Must be done before applying for the import permit. The vets at PetAir UK can do this for you if you choose for us to get your dog’s import permit. It is worth noting that the vets who complete the RNATT declaration and the vets who take the blood sample MUST be from a different practice – or the vets who help Petair export the pets can do this for you.
6. Apply for an import permit – This should be done after you’ve received the declaration, and at least 42 days before the time of export. You can apply for the import permit on the http://www.agriculture.gov.au website.
7. Book a post-arrival quarantine space – Go to http://www.agriculture.gov.au for more information on booking quarantine space.
8. Check other vaccinations – Your dog must be fully vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola at least 14 days prior to export.
9. External parasite treatments – The dog must be given a product that kills ticks and fleas on contact by a vet at least 21 days before a blood sample for Ehrlichia canis is taken.
10. Testing for Ehrlichia canis, Leishmania infantum and Brucella canis (testing for Brucella canis is only needed if your dog has NOT been neutered) – The tests all must be done within 45 days before export, but at PetAir UK we will send your vet a schedule of treatments and tests in order to make things as simple for you as possible.
11. Internal parasite treatments – Your dog must be treated by a vet twice with an internal parasite treatment; the 2 treatments must be at least 14 days apart and within 45 days before export. The second treatment must be given within 5 days before export.
12. Pre-export vet examination – Your dog must be examined by a vet and found to be free of external parasites (e.g. ticks) and signs of infectious/contagious diseases within 5 days before export.
13. Completion of Veterinary Health Certificate by an Official Government Vet – this must be done by a completely separate practice to the vets who gave the initial treatments and took the blood samples. If you have trouble arranging this then please do let us know and we can help arrange a plan.
After your dog lands in Australia, they will be transported into quarantine. There is now a single quarantine station near to Melbourne where the pets travel to. After quarantine your dogs can be flown to your final destination in Australia and either we can help with this or you can arrange it yourself.
We can organise and arrange the move of your dog to Australia, and help you as much as you need with everything mentioned. Understandably, taking in all of this information can be difficult and may feel overwhelming, so if you’d like to speak to someone who knows exactly what they’re talking about, please phone our friendly team on 01725 551124 or by email. You can also read more about how we can help you and how everything works across our website.
