Taking a Dog or Cat to Europe from Australia

General information, not veterinary advice. Requirements are set by the destination authority and can change: confirm with the official authority, your accredited vet and your airline.

Moving from Australia to an EU country with a dog or cat means meeting two sets of rules: the European Union's entry conditions and the export process of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Both run on short deadlines that must overlap in the last days before your flight.

Rabies-free does not mean rabies vaccine-free

Australia is free of rabies, but the EU still requires a rabies vaccination for every pet coming from a listed third country, Australia included. There is no exemption.

Australia is, however, listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, so no rabies antibody titer test is needed, provided any transit through an unlisted country is covered by a signed transit declaration.

The EU side

Microchip. Implanted by a vet before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccine. A vaccine given before the chip is not valid.
Rabies vaccine. Given at 12 weeks of age or older by an authorized vet. At least 21 days, or the vaccine's longer immunity period, must pass after the primary vaccination before the certificate is endorsed and before entry. If a booster comes after the previous dose expired, the wait restarts.
Health certificate. The EU animal health certificate for non-commercial movements, issued or endorsed no more than 10 days before entry. A signed owner declaration confirming the move is non-commercial is attached.
Tapeworm treatment, dogs only. Required for dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway, given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before the scheduled entry time and recorded before the DAFF appointment. It counts back from your arrival in Europe, not your departure.

The Australian export process

Pets need no export license, but DAFF issues an export permit and the health certificate once satisfied. Its pet export page sets out the steps:

Check MICoR, DAFF's database of importing country requirements, and give the requirements in writing to a registered veterinarian.
Lodge a Notice of Intention (NOI) with your regional DAFF office at least 10 working days before departure.
Final exam within 72 hours of departure by the registered vet, who signs a pre-export health and welfare declaration with you. The vet also inspects your IATA-compliant crate.
DAFF appointment with a certifying veterinary officer, who endorses the EU certificate and issues the export permit. DAFF tells you if your pet must attend.
Depart within 72 hours of the permit being issued.

DAFF accepts only documents issued by the importing country's government as the basis for the certificate. For the EU, it endorses only certificates in English plus, where required, an official language of the destination country. Decide your EU arrival country early.

A note on MICoR: when we checked, its EU page still cited the older EU regulations replaced on 22 April 2026. The current EU texts apply, so ask DAFF to confirm it will endorse the 2026/705 certificate model.

How the dates fit together

Step	Rule	Counted from
Microchip	Before or with the rabies vaccine	Vaccine date
Rabies vaccine	Pet at least 12 weeks old	Date of birth
Earliest EU entry	21 days after primary vaccination	Vaccine date
NOI lodged	At least 10 working days before departure	Departure date
Registered vet exam	Within 72 hours of departure	Departure date
DAFF permit	Departure within 72 hours of issue	Permit date
EU certificate	Issued or endorsed within 10 days before entry	EU entry date
Tapeworm (dogs to FI, IE, MT, NI, NO)	24 to 120 hours before entry	EU entry time

Working days, hours and calendar days all appear here. Long flights and stopovers eat into the 72-hour and 120-hour limits, so plan the route before booking the vet.

Fees

DAFF charges a fee to assess your NOI, a time-based fee for assessing the certificate and an export permit fee, payable at or before your appointment. The amounts are in DAFF's charging guidelines. Your vet's fees are separate.

Arriving in the EU

Pets from Australia must enter through a travellers' point of entry, where you report to the competent authority for document and identity checks. If you transit through a country that is not listed by the EU, even if your pet stays airside, you need a signed transit declaration to keep the titer test exemption.

After the entry checks, the certificate covers onward travel to other EU countries for six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that is sooner.

Ireland accepts pets only through six listed airports and ports, and requires advance notice through the DAFM portal, a booked compliance check and the original certificate with wet signature and stamp.

Airlines from Australia

When we checked, Qantas's pet page said only service dogs travel in the cabin, other pets go in the hold, and it strongly recommends a pet travel specialist for international moves. Emirates states that checked pets are limited to itineraries starting in Dubai with a total journey under 17 hours; other itineraries go as cargo through Emirates SkyCargo. Singapore Airlines states that pets cannot travel into or out of Australia as checked baggage. Confirm with the airline before booking.

Plan it with the kit

The Australia to EU kit includes a user guide, a timeline workbook that computes every date from your flight date, a vet visit brief, a document and airline checklist, and letter templates. It lines up the DAFF export steps with EU entry deadlines.

No titer, 10 days$29

Australia to EU pet move kit

The European Union from Australia: chip, rabies vaccine and 21 days, the EU certificate endorsed by DAFF, tapeworm rules and the 6-month onward validity.

See the kit

Bringing a Dog or Cat to Europe from Australia