Australia

Australia has some of the world’s strictest pet import requirements, designed to protect its unique ecosystem from introduced diseases. All dogs and cats must complete a minimum 10-day quarantine at the Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine facility (PEQ) in Victoria — the only approved post-arrival quarantine site in the country. Melbourne Tullamarine is the primary port of entry.

Preparation takes 7 months minimum — 6 if your pet already has a valid rabies vaccination; nine to twelve is strongly recommended to absorb any Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) delays.

Timeline and key milestones

• Microchip (ISO 15-digit) before any vaccination
• Rabies vaccination (recommended to be given at least 30 days prior to the RNATT)
• 2 x OV66 Identity Verifications prior to the RNATT to qualify for 10 days quarantine (not required for pets who originate from Australia, these automatically qualify for 10 days quarantine)
• RNATT at a government approved laboratory (Animal Plant Health Agency in Surrey is the only UK government approved laboratory, other laboratories can be used as they typically send on to APHA or IDEXX in Germany which is also approved)
• 180 days must pass from the date the RNATT blood samples arrive at the testing laboratory before your pet can travel
• Australian import permit application — applications can be submitted once the RNATT results are available
• PEQ booking — booking requests can be submitted once the import permit has been granted
• Flight booking request — flight booking requests can be submitted 1–3 months prior to departure depending on airline
• Penultimate veterinary appointments in the 21–45 days prior to departure (21 days minimum for cats and 30 for dogs)
• Final veterinary appointment in the 5 days prior to departure for the final internal parasite treatment and completion of export health certificate

Quarantine at Mickleham

Pets transfer to Mickleham (35 km north of Melbourne Tullamarine) immediately on arrival. Minimum stay is 10 days; quarantine fees are approximately AUD $2,000–$2,500 per animal. It’s highly recommended that PEQ bookings be made as early as possible.

Airlines

There are no direct UK→Australia cargo services. Routings via Dubai (Emirates) or Doha (Qatar Airways) are most common.