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Australia

Moving to Australia with a Dog or Cat from the UK

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.

For Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the United Kingdom is a Group 3 country. Pets from Group 3 countries can enter Australia after a sequence of checks spread over at least six months, followed by government quarantine near Melbourne. On the UK side, the process runs through Official Veterinarians (OVs) and APHA export health certificates.

The rule that shapes everything: 180 days

Your pet must live in an approved country for at least 180 days before export, counted from the day the laboratory receives the rabies titer sample. DAFF is clear that there are no exceptions. This is residency, not quarantine: your pet stays at home with you, and courier days count against you.

Before you start: eligibility

Australia does not accept the Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Pit Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier), Perro de Presa Canario or certain wolfdog hybrids. Crossbreed dogs are fine. Savannah, Safari, Chausie and Bengal cats are banned.

Your pet must not be more than 30 days pregnant or nursing at export. The microchip must be ISO compliant, must not start with 999, and both numbers must appear on every document if your pet has two chips.

The UK identity check: two OV66 vets

This optional check is what earns the shorter quarantine: a minimum of 10 days at Mickleham instead of 30. Since 4 November 2024, the UK process works like this:

  • Two separate Official Veterinarians holding OV66 authorization, from separate practices with no association, each examine your pet.
  • Each scans the chip, photographs the scanner with your pet, completes the declaration and emails it straight to DAFF from their registered address. You can get the OV66 list from APHA.
  • The APHA notes for EHC 2580 and EHC 2432 say each check must fall between 180 and 365 days before export. DAFF's pages state at least 180 days.
  • The second check must come before the titer sample. DAFF's UK page and APHA allow the blood draw on the same day as the second scan, by the second OV66, but DAFF's general guides say the identity check cannot share a vet visit with the titer sample. Follow the stricter rule: book the sample as a separate visit, on a later day. An OV66 who draws the sample cannot sign the titer declaration or endorse the health certificate.

Pet passports do not count as identity evidence.

Rabies vaccine and titer test

  • Vaccinated at 84 days of age or older, with a vaccine approved in the UK.
  • Vaccination kept continuously valid from the blood sample until export. Boosters due in that window go in on or before the due date.
  • A FAVN or RFFIT result of at least 0.5 IU/mL, with the sample taken between 12 months and 180 days before export.
  • An OV completes the country-specific titer declaration, and the chip number, result and date must match the lab report exactly.

DAFF publishes no lab list, so confirm the lab choice through APHA or your OV.

Permit, fees and the quarantine place

The import permit is applied for in BICON, with the lab report and signed declaration, and paid in full at submission. At the time of writing, DAFF's fee page shows AUD 626 for the first cat or dog and AUD 299 for each additional animal in the same consignment, reviewed annually.

DAFF states that Group 3 permits are valid until the titer result expires, 12 months from the sampling date. Your pet must arrive before then. Once the permit is granted, you book Mickleham through the Post Entry Biosecurity System. DAFF lists a non-refundable reservation charge of AUD 263, an importation charge of AUD 1,053 and accommodation at AUD 52 per day per animal.

Your last 45 days in the UK

Window before export Dogs Cats
12 months to 14 days Leptospira vaccination (or MAT test within 45 days) n/a
At least 30 / 21 days External parasite treatment begins External parasite treatment begins
Within 45 days Leishmania test; Brucella canis if entire n/a
Within 45 days, then within 5 days Two internal parasite treatments, 14+ days apart Same
Within 5 days Exam, certificate, OV endorsement Same

Canine influenza is not listed for UK dogs: DAFF names only the USA, South Korea and Canada for that requirement. Entire dogs must follow mating rules around the Brucella test; APHA guidance says no mating from at least 21 days before sampling until export.

The certificates are EHC 2580 for dogs, including assistance dogs, and EHC 2432 for cats, applied for through EHC Online in England, Scotland and Wales. The OV signs and stamps every page, in any ink color other than black. Australia needs original documents, not copies.

Arriving in Australia

Every pet must land directly at Melbourne International Airport as manifested cargo, in an IATA-approved crate with nothing inside it. Transit is allowed if your pet stays on the aircraft.

At the time of writing, Singapore Airlines' pet page lists restrictions on checked pets into and out of Australia. Check directly with the carrier you choose.

Plan it with the kit

The UK to Australia kit gathers this process into a set of working files for UK owners. It contains 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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