Bringing your dog or cat to Australia (Working Holiday Makers and others)

If you are moving to Australia for a working holiday or another reason, it is possible to bring your dog or cat with you (but no other animals).

You’ll need to financially and mentally prepare yourself, because the procedure is both expensive and complex. The total estimated cost of importing a cat or dog into Australia ranges between AU$3,000 and AU$4,100, depending on the length of quarantine imposed on your pet (10 to 30 days).

It is also important to know that even if you manage to bring your pet to Australia, they are often not allowed in national parks.

Your most important points of contact for this process will be:

• Your vet
• Your airline
• Australian authorities

Departure preparation overview

The Australian government recommends beginning the process at least six months in advance in order to have enough time to complete all the mandatory steps.

The exact steps depend on:

1. Whether you are bringing a cat or a dog (other animals not permitted)
2. Whether you are coming from a group 3 country (incl. Canada, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the US) or a group 2 country (incl. Japan, Iceland)

Find more detailed information on the official page for how to bring pets into Australia. The following FAQ also answers many common questions: Cats and dogs frequently asked questions.

Among other tasks, you should expect to:

• Take your pet to the vet several times, from several months to a few days before departure.
• Get anti-parasite treatment for your pet a few weeks before departure.
• Apply for the BICON Import Permit in order to bring your cat or dog with you. This permit costs around AU$600 for the first animal and around $280 for each additional animal. Learn more.

When booking your flight, remember to indicate that an animal will be travelling with you (assuming the airline accepts animals).

Your dog or cat must travel in the aircraft hold. They cannot travel in the aircraft cabin with you, as this is an Australian import regulation.

Quarantine in Melbourne

Once you have obtained a BICON import permit, you must reserve a spot at the Melbourne quarantine facility. As this is the only quarantine centre in Australia, you must arrive in Melbourne.

Your pet will remain in quarantine for at least 10 days, where it will be examined by a vet.

Check quarantine fees.

Boarding your flight

If you haven’t already done so, when checking in to your flight, you will need to pay transport fees for your pet.

Fees vary from one airline to another. Some will charge you for a separate ticket for your pet, while others will charge excess baggage fees.

Landing in Australia

On the day of your arrival in Australia, your pet will spend at least 10 days in quarantine in Melbourne. It will be collected directly upon your arrival by quarantine staff and taken to the quarantine facility.

Remember you must land in Melbourne, because that is home to Australia’s only animal quarantine facility.

Looking for housing

When searching for housing, you will see many listings stating that pets are not accepted. Where they are allowed, you may be required to pay additional fees.

If you really like a property but see that animals are not accepted, try to speak directly with the landlord anyway. It is possible that they may make an exception for you if they deem you trustworthy.