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New Zealand

New Zealand vs Australia: Moving a Dog or Cat from the US

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.

Choose New Zealand if you want two arrival airports, a 10-day minimum quarantine for every pet, lower government fees (quarantine is billed separately) or a Bengal cat on the move. Choose Australia if you need slack on paperwork: its identity check is optional, USDA says it can endorse the health certificate digitally and dogs face fewer tests in the final month. Either way, allow at least six months.

The kit for this move

At a glance

New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) lists the USA in Category 3; Australia's agriculture department (DAFF) treats it as Group 3, Hawaii and Guam aside:

Criterion New Zealand Australia
Identity check Mandatory, before the titer sample Optional, cuts quarantine from 30 to 10 days
Titer timing Sample 3 to 12 months before shipment Export 180 days or more after the lab receives the sample
Minimum quarantine 10 days, private facility 10 or 30 days, Mickleham (DAFF)
Arrival airport Auckland or Christchurch Melbourne only
Official fees, one pet From NZD 642.29, plus facility charges About AUD 2,600 with a 10-day stay (estimate)
Extra dog tests Up to five, mostly within 30 days Up to three, within 45 days
Final vet exam Within 2 days of shipment Within 5 days of export
Bengal cats Eligible Not permitted since 1 March 2026

The clock: how long each route takes

Australia. DAFF says to allow at least 6 months. For the 10-day stay, the identity check comes first, "at least 180 days before export AND before taking blood for the RNATT", at a separate visit. Your pet then "cannot be exported to Australia for at least 180 days after the RNATT sample arrives at the laboratory", with no exceptions, and the result is valid for 12 months from sampling.

New Zealand. MPI's 2026 Import Health Standard requires an official microchip scan before the titer sample, which is taken 3 to 12 months before shipment. The primary rabies vaccination must be at least 6 months before shipment. APHIS wants parts 1 and 2 of its ID check done "at least 6 months prior to export."

The 2021 standard remains an option until 1 April 2027, but a move started now arrives later, and APHIS says certificates for those entries "will be negotiated and posted." The kit can place the ID scans, titer and dog tests for New Zealand on one calendar.

What each route costs in official fees

MPI charges NZD 268.24 for the permit and NZD 374.05 for the border inspection of the first cat or dog (NZD 124.68 per extra animal), including GST; extra time is billed hourly. For quarantine, MPI says to "contact individual quarantine facilities for their fees and charges."

DAFF's minimum permit charge is AUD 626 for the first pet, then AUD 299 per extra animal. Its 2026-27 schedule sets quarantine at AUD 282 for the reservation, AUD 1,132 for confirmation and AUD 56 a day per animal. Our estimate, permit included: about AUD 2,600 for one pet and 10 days, or AUD 3,720 for 30, before inspection and airline release extras. The kit helps you plan the 180-day Australian wait around your flight.

Quarantine and arrival

In New Zealand, pets go straight from the airport to the privately run facility you booked for at least 10 days. MPI vets inspect them within 72 hours and again after 10 days; the stay can be longer if, for example, your pet is unwell.

In Australia, your pet "must arrive directly to Melbourne International airport", with no domestic transfers, then stays at Mickleham for at least 10 days with the identity check, or 30 without. Our Mickleham booking guide covers reservations.

Tests, paperwork and eligibility

For dogs, New Zealand wants Babesia gibsoni, Brucella canis (entire dogs), Leishmania, heartworm (from 7 months) and Leptospira tests (or alternatives), mostly within 30 days of shipment, plus canine influenza vaccination or a test. Australia wants Leishmania, Leptospira (or vaccination) and Brucella canis (entire dogs) within 45 days, plus full canine influenza vaccination.

APHIS says it can digitally endorse the Australian health certificate; for New Zealand, the Official Veterinary Declaration and Rabies Certification Form must be ink-signed and embossed.

Pros and cons of each route

New Zealand: pros and cons

Pros

  • Two arrival airports: Auckland or Christchurch.
  • A 10-day minimum quarantine for every pet.
  • MPI's own fees start at NZD 642.29 for one pet.
  • Bengal cats are eligible.

Cons

  • A mandatory identity check, 6 months or more before export.
  • Up to five dog tests, mostly within 30 days, and an exam within 2 days.
  • Facility fees are not published by MPI.
  • Ink-signed USDA documents; certificates for 2027 entries not yet posted.

Australia: pros and cons

Pros

  • The identity check is optional: skip it and quarantine is 30 days.
  • APHIS says it can endorse the health certificate digitally.
  • A 45-day test window for dogs, no Babesia or heartworm test.
  • DAFF publishes its quarantine charges.

Cons

  • A 180-day wait after lab receipt, no exceptions.
  • Melbourne is the only arrival airport.
  • An estimated AUD 2,600 or more in official fees for one pet.
  • Bengal cats are no longer permitted.

Plan it with the kit

The USA to New Zealand kit, like every route we cover from the US, 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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