Check approved origin and certificate availability, then match residency, RNATT, quarantine and dog/cat veterinary steps.
Match approved export country and species
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
Use the DAFF country list and the actual export/residence history, not the last connecting airport. New Zealand is a separate Group 1 branch; Groups 2 and 3 have different identification, rabies and quarantine procedures. Mainland China and Hong Kong are separate selections. A country on the approved list may still lack an agreed veterinary certificate and cannot currently export through that branch.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Use the agreed country-specific health certificate
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
Get the correct Australia-export veterinary health certificate from the competent authority in the country of export. Approval of the country alone is insufficient if no certificate is agreed. A pet passport, vaccination card or microchip certificate cannot replace the official identity declaration. New Zealand standard entries use the MPI-selected AUPET9 or AUPETOA9 certificate; do not impose a Group 2/3 permit on that exempt standard branch.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
Group 2/3 guides recommend allowing at least six months for preparation; this is not a universal six-month quarantine. New Zealand standard pets may take one to two months, while a history outside Australia/New Zealand can require at least six months. Mandatory residence/test clocks, permit assessment, quarantine booking and carrier availability are separate. An application or flight reservation does not replace an issued permit where required.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
This origin is not on DAFF’s approved export-country list. A short transit or flight change in an approved country is insufficient. A potential route requires continuous residence in approved countries for at least 180 days immediately before export and all preparations under the actual approved export-country conditions. Vaccinations and required sampling performed in a non-approved country are not accepted for that preparation. Time under quarantine restrictions in the intermediary country does not count as ordinary residence. Confirm that country’s own entry rules and agreed certificate before moving the pet.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Approved classification, but no agreed export certificate
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
DAFF currently lists this country among approved origins without an agreed country-specific veterinary health certificate. It therefore cannot currently export cats or dogs through that country branch. Do not rely on group classification, a generic health certificate or an airline booking. Ask DAFF and the exporting authority for the current position or assess a different approved-country residence route; this note is a restriction, not import clearance.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dog / Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
The ordinary air branch requires manifested cargo in an IATA-compliant crate; cabin or excess-baggage booking does not replace it. Groups 2/3 arrive at Melbourne International for Mickleham quarantine, without a domestic transfer from another Australian airport. The New Zealand standard branch enters mainland Australia directly and allows a domestic connection only after first-entry clearance. Assistance animals, private aircraft and sea transport have separate procedures. Confirm the operating airline and reception before booking.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Before preparation, have a compliant readable ISO microchip. The vet scans it at every visit and before sampling, and records the exact number throughout certificates, tests and permit documents. Numbers starting 999 are not accepted. If two compliant chips are present, both must be scanned and recorded on the required documents. Do not amend a laboratory report to insert or correct the chip number; contact the authority about discrepancies or an unreadable chip before continuing.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
For this ordinary Group 3 branch, rabies vaccine must be approved for the species, given from at least 84 days of age and remain continuously valid from RNATT through export. A government-approved vet in an approved country scans the chip and takes the sample after vaccination. The guides use a 3–4-week first-vaccination interval; regularly vaccinated pets may be sampled sooner on veterinary advice. Use an accepted FAVN or RFFIT test with at least 0.5 IU/ml, and obtain the country-specific RNATT declaration signed/stamped by the official government vet. Three-year vaccine validity does not extend RNATT validity.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 3: 180 days from laboratory receipt, 12-month test validity
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
For ordinary first entry, wait at least 180 days from the RNATT sample’s arrival at the testing laboratory before export, while continuously resident in approved countries. This is not 180 days after the result, vaccination or arrival in Australia. RNATT is valid for 12 months/365 days from blood collection, not laboratory receipt; keep it valid through export and check the issued permit. A lapse in rabies vaccination or expired test can restart preparation. Returning-Australian and repeat-test continuity cases require their own authority/permit assessment rather than automatic waivers.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 3: identity verification and 10/30-day quarantine
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
Group 3 normally requires at least 30 days at Mickleham. Eligibility for at least 10 days requires competent-authority identity verification before RNATT sampling and at least 180 days before export, or acceptable Australian-origin export evidence assessed with the permit. The identity check cannot be at the same vet visit as RNATT and must be completed/provided directly by the official government vet. A pet passport, vaccination card or routine chip scan is not equivalent. The actual issued permit decides the minimum stay; late ID checking does not retroactively shorten the clock.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Apply in BICON after obtaining the RNATT laboratory report and corresponding officially endorsed declaration; submit both and pay the required fee. Application does not guarantee issue. The permit normally expires with the RNATT, 12 months from sample collection; follow its actual dates and conditions. Once issued, reserve Mickleham quarantine and arrange transport. Account for business-day assessment time and veterinary preparation separately; a flight booking is not a permit.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
For the ordinary adult first-entry Group 2 branch, arrange the mandatory competent-authority identity verification before other preparations, and allow at least 180 days after that verification before export with the qualifying continuous Group 1/2 residence. The official vet completes and sends the declaration directly to DAFF; passport, vaccination card or chip certificate is not equivalent. Since-birth, direct Australian return and under-six-month cases have specified alternatives and must be confirmed against the actual permit; do not use those exceptions merely because the last airport is in Group 2.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 2: import permit and at least ten days at Mickleham
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
Group 2 ordinary pets need an issued BICON import permit, valid for the journey, and a Mickleham post-entry quarantine booking. Group 2 permits are normally valid for 12 months from grant; check the actual dates. The minimum quarantine is ten days, with longer measures possible for compliance issues. This does not remove the separate pre-export residence/identity period. Receive the permit before booking the quarantine/travel sequence, and pay quarantine charges before release.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 2 young or returning pets: confirm the exception
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
Rules depend on the route, animal and operating carrier. Confirm your own journey with the relevant authority and airline.
Applicable conditions
The guides list residence since birth, since direct export from Australia, or 180 days in Group 1/2; they also allow a possible waiting-period exception when identity is verified and a permit is lodged before six months of age. An Australian-issued export certificate may verify a direct returning animal’s identity. These are conditional permit decisions, not a blanket waiver of identity checking, all health steps or quarantine. Confirm the actual case with DAFF before shortening the ordinary 180-day plan.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 2: distinguish transit from changing aircraft
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
Staying on the aircraft on the international side may transit any country. Changing aircraft is restricted to Group 1/2 countries or Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, London, Dubai or Hong Kong in Group 3. Keep the animal on the international side under competent-authority supervision with contact with other animals restricted. Ask that authority about acceptance, facilities, holding time and additional conditions. These transport permissions do not establish residence or allow departure from an unapproved origin.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Group 3: change aircraft only in approved countries
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
For Group 3, a stop while remaining on the aircraft on the international side may be in any country. Changing aircraft is only in an approved country, without leaving the international side, under competent-authority supervision and with other-animal contact restricted. Confirm facilities, permitted holding time and extra conditions with that authority. Final Australian arrival for this branch is Melbourne International; an Australian domestic transfer is not a substitute.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Cats in Groups 2/3: external treatment at least 21 days
Cat · Separate cargo service
A government-approved vet must start an accepted flea/tick product at least 21 days before export and maintain continuous protection through export by manufacturer-directed re-treatment. Count the first treatment as day 0. Scan the chip and check for parasites at preparation visits; finding fleas or ticks requires removal and restarting preparation. Owners cannot administer the required treatments themselves. This 21-day cat schedule is not the 30-day dog schedule.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dogs in Groups 2/3: external treatment at least 30 days
Dog · Separate cargo service
A government-approved vet must start an accepted contact-killing flea/tick treatment at least 30 days before export, counting the first treatment as day 0. Repeat by the manufacturer’s shortest applicable interval to maintain continuous protection to export, with examination at visits. If fleas or ticks are found, remove them and restart the preparation. Do not apply the shorter cat or New Zealand schedule to this Group 2/3 dog branch.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Groups 2/3: two internal treatments and final five days
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
A government-approved vet treats nematodes and cestodes twice within 45 days before export, at least 14 days apart. The second treatment must be within five days before export. Meet all three limits together; one recent treatment is insufficient. The second treatment may share the final clinical-examination visit. Use accepted products and record treatments against the correct chip.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Meet the Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola requirement by a compliant vaccine course or the permitted negative MAT test within 45 days before export. Vaccine must cover Canicola, follow its manufacturer and remain valid at export. Group 2: finish a first course at least 14 days before export; a regular annual booster is between 12 months and 14 days before export. Group 3: the final primary dose or annual booster is between 12 months and 14 days before export. The Group 2 guide says choose one pathway, not MAT-testing vaccinated/in-course dogs, and a positive MAT cannot be fixed simply by switching to vaccination. Positive results require DAFF advice before continuing. Cats do not inherit this requirement.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Only if not desexed: collect blood within 45 days before export for a negative standard RSAT, TAT/SAT or IFAT Brucella canis test. Evidence of bilateral orchiectomy in males, or ovariohysterectomy/bilateral ovariectomy in females, may be requested for the desexed branch. Do not mate or inseminate within 21 days before sampling or after sampling until export. Use an approved laboratory and accepted standard test, not an unlisted modified test. This is a dog-only condition.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
A government-approved vet scans the chip and collects blood within 45 days before export for a negative Leishmania infantum result using standard quantitative IFAT or ELISA at an approved laboratory. Rapid or snap versions are not accepted. This Group 2/3 dog requirement does not apply to cats and differs from the conditional New Zealand dog-history branch.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
USA, South Korea, Singapore and Hawaii dogs: CIV vaccination
Dog · Separate cargo service
For these stated origins, complete a canine influenza course using a vaccine registered in the exporting country and effective against the strains where the dog has lived. Follow manufacturer dose intervals; complete a first course at least 14 days before export. With a regular history, keep immunity valid and give the required booster between 12 months and 14 days before export. This is not a universal dog vaccination or a cat requirement. Hawaii uses Group 2; ordinary USA uses Group 3.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Canada dogs: CIV vaccine or isolation/testing alternative
Dog · Separate cargo service
Dogs from Canada must be fully vaccinated against CIV or meet the specified isolation/testing option. For the latter, obtain the vet’s certified owner/exporter declaration of ten days immediately before export without direct contact with other dogs except the same export shipment, a negative CIV PCR on a nasal/deep-pharyngeal swab collected within seven days before export, and a clinical examination within 48 hours before export. This is a pre-export alternative, not ten additional days of Australian quarantine, and does not remove the other Group 3 requirements.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dogs ever in mainland Africa: additional treatment
Dog · Separate cargo service
If the dog has ever visited mainland Africa, the Group 2/3 guides require government-approved veterinary treatment for Babesia canis rossi with imidocarb dipropionate within 28 days before export. The specified injection regimen and timing must be arranged with the vet and the actual permit. Do not infer the history solely from the departure country or apply this condition to cats; New Zealand has a separate history/timing branch.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Groups 2/3: final examination, endorsement and original papers
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
Complete the final clinical examination within five days before export. Obtain the agreed country-specific health certificate and official endorsement in that same five-day window, after examination and the second internal treatment. Send the original certificate, valid permit, RNATT declaration where applicable and required reports/vaccine documents with the pet. Group 2 guides require an official crate seal with its number recorded and intact arrival; they allow the stated official stamp/signature or secure digital endorsement and do not require permit endorsement. Group 3 guides require each health-certificate/report page to bear original wet-ink official stamp, signature and date, with the permit’s first page endorsed. Do not substitute one group’s procedure for the other, use correction fluid or privately alter reports.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
New Zealand: standard residence and permit exception
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
The New Zealand standard branch requires residence only in NZ since birth, since import from Australia, or for at least 180 days immediately before export if the animal has lived outside AU/NZ. It must not be under quarantine restrictions; minimum age is eight weeks, no more than 40 days pregnant and not nursing. Animals meeting the standard health-certificate conditions do not need an Australian import permit or quarantine. This is conditional on the whole NZ standard, not simply a flight from Auckland.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
New Zealand: MPI certificate and pre-arrival notice
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
NZ MPI decides AUPET9 from a listed veterinary practice or official-assurance AUPETOA9 from an MPI official vet; use the latter if AUPET9 criteria are not met. Send the original certificate and relevant lab reports with the animal. Notify DAFF’s regional office at least three days before first arrival, with arrival date/time, flight and air-waybill numbers and animal description. Fly directly NZ–mainland Australia as manifested cargo; complete first-entry checks before any domestic connection and allow at least one hour for clearance.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
New Zealand: parasites and examination within five days
Dog / Cat · Separate cargo service
For the NZ standard branch, an MPI-listed practice vet must give a compliant topical flea/tick product effective through export and a compliant nematode/cestode treatment within five days before export. Arrange the clinical examination in that same five-day period with the listed vet or MPI official vet. Count the treatment/preparation date as day 0. These are NZ timings; do not substitute them for Group 2/3’s 21-/30-day external or two-dose internal schedules.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
New Zealand dogs: previous-country history changes testing
Dog · Separate cargo service
If a dog has lived outside NZ since birth or its import from Australia, the NZ guide requires negative Leishmania infantum IFAT/ELISA on blood collected after at least 21 days’ NZ residence; keep continuously resident in NZ from sampling to export for validity. Mainland-African history adds the specified Babesia treatment at least two weeks before export, unless prior qualifying treatment with continuous AU/NZ residence is officially attested by MPI. Confirm the actual certificate and treatment regimen; these are dog-only history conditions, not every NZ cat’s tests.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Dog · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
DAFF lists prohibited pure breeds including Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American pit bull/pit bull terrier and Presa Canario. Domestic/wild hybrids such as wolf-dog crosses also face environmental restrictions. Confirm classification with the responsible Australian authority before spending on preparations; health testing, an airline booking or a generic breed label does not supply a breed exemption.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Bengal and other wild/domestic hybrid cats: restriction
Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
Current DAFF guides and DCCEEW policy say Bengal cats are no longer permitted to enter Australia; do not rely on the former fifth-generation exemption for a new ordinary import. Savannah, Safari and Chausie and other domestic/wild hybrids also face the environmental prohibition unless the specific type is lawfully eligible. Ask DCCEEW about any claimed pre-existing exemption before making arrangements. Being sold or registered as a domestic breed is not itself clearance.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
Bengal transition dates differ between official pages
Cat · In the cabin / Accompanied hold baggage / Separate cargo service
Rules depend on the route, animal and operating carrier. Confirm your own journey with the relevant authority and airline.
Applicable conditions
The DAFF guides state 1 March 2026 for the Bengal policy change, while the DCCEEW announcement dated 10 December 2024 states 1 March 2025 and an exemption-application deadline of 28 February 2025. Both describe the current prohibition. Confirm any historic permit or transitional claim directly with DCCEEW; this site does not reopen the old exemption window or infer eligibility from the conflicting date.
Ordinary healthy adult pet dogs/domestic cats by air. First-entry Group 2/3 preparations apply only where a country-specific certificate is currently agreed; New Zealand has its own standard branch. Actual residence, breed, history and permit still determine eligibility. Assistance animals, private aircraft, sea travel, young/pregnant/nursing animals and returning-Australian exceptions require separate assessment. No selection guarantees carrier acceptance.
