Moving to the UK with a Dog 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.

Australia is a listed country for Great Britain, so no rabies blood test is needed. What sets this route apart is the Australian export process, with its 72-hour deadlines, and one extra document for cats.

Great Britain's rules, and why Northern Ireland is separate

The pet rules on GOV.UK are those of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own rules under DAERA, which this guide does not cover.

What Great Britain asks for

Microchip before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccination.
Rabies vaccination, even though Australia is rabies-free. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old, and the vaccine must be inactivated or recombinant and approved in the country where it is given. Entry is possible 21 full days after the primary vaccination, Day 1 being the day after the shot, or longer if the vaccine requires it.
Great Britain pet health certificate, signed by an official veterinarian, with entry into Great Britain within 10 days of issue.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs, given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival in Great Britain.
Hendra certificate for cats from the Australian Department of Agriculture (see below).
Pet travel declaration that the pet will not be sold or change owner.

The Hendra rule for cats

This applies only to cats. MICoR, DAFF's database of importing country requirements, describes it as no residence on a Hendra-confirmed property during the 60 days before export. DAFF issues the certification after you sign a residency declaration.

The Australian export steps

Pets need no export licence. DAFF issues an export permit and endorses the health certificate once satisfied, following these steps:

Check MICoR and give the Great Britain requirements in writing to a registered veterinarian.
Lodge a Notice of Intention (NOI) with your DAFF regional office at least 10 working days before departure.
Book the registered vet's final exam within 72 hours of departure, unless the importing country sets another period. You and the vet sign a pre-export health and welfare declaration, and the vet inspects your IATA-compliant crate.
Attend a DAFF appointment with a certifying veterinary officer. If an officer must verify your pet's identity, DAFF will tell you to bring it.
Fly within 72 hours of the export permit being issued.

For Great Britain, MICoR says the Departmental Veterinary Officer endorses every page of the "Pet health certificate for the non-commercial movement to Great Britain", and that air exports must use an approved airline and route. MICoR may lag behind GOV.UK: where they differ, follow GOV.UK and ask DAFF.

DAFF charges a time-based fee for certificate assessment and a fee for the export permit. The amounts are in DAFF's charging guidelines.

Lining up the clocks

The 10-day certificate and 120-hour tapeworm limits run to your arrival in Great Britain, while DAFF's 72-hour limits run to your departure.

Deadline	Counted to	Rule
NOI	Departure	At least 10 working days before
Hendra (cats)	Departure	No Hendra exposure in the 60 days before
Registered vet exam	Departure	Within 72 hours before
DAFF export permit	Departure	Fly within 72 hours of issue
GB pet health certificate	Arrival in GB	Entry within 10 days of issue
Tapeworm (dogs)	Arrival in GB	24 to 120 hours before

GOV.UK does not state how the 10 days are counted, so keep a day of margin. The tapeworm window is counted in hours to your arrival time in UK time, and Australia is 7 to 11 hours ahead of the UK depending on state and season. Planning the treatment before the DAFF endorsement puts the record on the certificate in time. A dog landing more than 120 hours after treatment may need treating again.

Flying into Great Britain

GOV.UK says pets arriving by air have to travel as cargo, and the APHA list states that approved commercial airlines carry them in the hold. Exceptions are a chartered private plane or a guide or assistance dog. The airline, route and airport must be on the APHA approved list.

Listed carriers include Qantas (Heathrow) and Emirates (Newcastle). The list changes, so confirm with the airline. At the time of writing, Qantas's pet page says only service dogs fly in the cabin and strongly recommends a pet travel specialist internationally. Emirates states that cats and dogs are not permitted in the cabin, and that animals must travel as cargo through Emirates SkyCargo on journeys over 17 hours.

Arrival and customs

On arrival, the microchip and documents are checked. Pets are released only after customs clearance, arranged by an agent, travel company or airline, or through the National Clearance Hub (nch@hmrc.gov.uk). A pet that does not comply can be quarantined for up to 4 months or sent back, at your expense.

Other points

Up to 5 pets can travel, each arriving within 5 days before or after you. Beyond that, or for a sale or rehoming, the Balai commercial rules apply. Great Britain also bans Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully types unless the dog already holds a Certificate of Exemption.

Plan it with the kit

The Australia to UK 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 puts the DAFF export steps and Great Britain entry rules into one schedule.

No titer, 10 days$29

Australia to UK pet move kit

Great Britain from Australia: chip, rabies vaccine and 21 days, the GB pet health certificate endorsed by DAFF after a Notice of Intention, tapeworm timing and approved routes.

See the kit

Moving to the UK with a Dog or Cat from Australia