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Booking Mickleham Quarantine for Your Dog or Cat: Steps, Fees, Timing

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.

Every dog or cat flying to Australia from the United States ends its journey at the post entry quarantine (PEQ) facility in Mickleham, Victoria, run by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). You can only book once your import permit is granted, space is not guaranteed, and the bill depends on the length of the stay. Here is how the reservation works, what it costs and how to time it.

When you can book

DAFF's guides for dogs and cats say to book quarantine after you receive your import permit, and the facility page asks you to submit your reservation as soon as it is granted, never before.

  • Space is not automatic. DAFF states that a permit does not guarantee accommodation availability and that waiting periods may apply. It assesses reservation submissions within 7 days of receipt.
  • The date has limits. The requested arrival date must fall after your pet's eligible export date and before the permit expires. Export is only possible 180 days after the rabies titer (RNATT) sample reaches the laboratory, and a Group 3 permit is valid until the RNATT expires, 12 months from sampling.

DAFF says most permits are issued in 20 to 40 business days, but it can take up to 123. The permit fee is currently AUD 626 for the first cat or dog in a consignment and AUD 299 for each additional animal.

How the reservation works

You book on the Post Entry Biosecurity System (PEBS) reservation website, from a desktop browser rather than a phone.

1. Request. You enter the owner's details (and any agent's), add each cat or dog as its own entry, sign the declaration and pay by card. DAFF warns that an unpaid reservation is void. You receive a 14-digit reference number (PRN) per animal and a tax invoice by email.

2. Confirmation. You must confirm no later than seven days before your pet is due to arrive, with your flight into Melbourne and the Air Waybill number, and pay for the services provided during the minimum stay. After that, only DAFF staff may be able to change the date: contact PEQ services.

Your airline must also send DAFF an OK to Forward request, approved before your pet departs. DAFF only accepts it from an airline, once your reservation is confirmed.

What a stay at Mickleham costs

DAFF's 2026-27 schedule, from 1 July, sets the first four charges (its fees page still shows the older 269, 1,078 and 53), per animal unless stated:

Charge Amount (AUD)
Reservation charge 282
Importation charge (confirmation of reservation) 1,132
Accommodation, 10-day stay 560 (56 per day)
Accommodation, 30-day stay 1,680 (56 per day)
Inspection or document assessment 80 per 30 minutes, each
Out-of-hours collection 170 weekdays, 180 weekends and public holidays
Airline terminal service fee 170 to 350 per Air Waybill

The reservation and importation charges are non-refundable unless exceptional circumstances apply, and private or emergency vet care is billed to you. Leaving out the last three rows, which may also have risen, one pet comes to AUD 1,974 for 10 days or AUD 3,094 for 30 days, plus the permit. Your account must be paid in full, by card, before release.

10 days or 30 days: decided before you book

Dogs and cats from Group 3 countries spend at least 30 days at Mickleham, reduced to at least 10 days if an official government veterinarian verified the pet's identity before the RNATT blood sample was taken.

From the mainland US, that check is the USDA Identity Declaration. APHIS states that pets completing it are eligible for 10 days, and that Part 3 must be endorsed within 3 months of the first microchip scan. Our USA to Australia guide covers the full sequence.

Arrival day and release

Your pet must fly directly into Melbourne International Airport: DAFF does not permit domestic transfers such as Sydney to Melbourne, apart from limited transhipment subject to eligibility.

Accepted arrival times are 5:00 to 14:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, and 5:00 to 21:00 from Wednesday to Friday. Out-of-hours collection fees apply for arrivals on weekends, on public holidays or after 14:30 any day. DAFF takes your pet straight to Mickleham and emails you within 24 hours of arrival.

Collection is between 10:00 and 12:00 on the eligible release date, by the importer or an authorised agent with photo ID.

Food, medication and visits

Visits are not permitted during the standard stay. Food sent with your pet is destroyed; declare a special diet at booking and supply Australian-sourced food. Send enough medication for the whole stay, labelled in English, but nothing refrigerated. Cytotoxic or chemotherapy drugs must stop at least 7 days before arrival.

A sample timeline

When Step
Months ahead Identity Declaration, then RNATT sample, then permit application
Permit granted Submit the PEBS reservation and pay
Within 7 days DAFF assesses your request
At least 7 days before arrival Confirm with flight and Air Waybill, pay the minimum stay
After confirmation Airline submits the OK to Forward request
Arrival day Direct flight into Melbourne within the accepted hours
Release date Pay any balance, collect between 10:00 and 12:00

Plan it with the kit

The USA to Australia kit places the quarantine reservation and confirmation deadlines inside your full move. It 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.

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