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Bringing a dog from Australia to New Zealand

Yes — under the trans-Tasman arrangement, Australia is New Zealand's only Category 1 origin country, and that buys real privileges: no import permit, no quarantine, and a compliant dog is cleared by MPI inspectors on arrival. It does not buy a paperwork-free trip. Your dog's final month is a sequenced programme of parasite treatments and blood tests (Babesia gibsoni, heartworm, and Brucella canis for entire dogs), ending with a vet inspection in the last 2 days and DAFF-endorsed Model Veterinary Certificates A and B. MPI needs at least 5 working days' notice of arrival, and air arrivals are Auckland or Christchurch only.

Quarantine days

Category 1: compliant dogs are cleared on arrival — no quarantine

Import permit

Not required for cats and dogs from Australia

5 days

Notify MPI ahead

Send the veterinary inspection application at least 5 working days before arrival

Parasite treatment rounds

Two external and two internal parasite treatments, sequenced across the final month

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Dog · Australia → New Zealand
Step	What to do	When
Start the export process	Book a DAFF-registered export vet and lodge the DAFF Notice of Intention; your vet scans and records the microchip at every test, treatment and examination from here on	30+ days out
Parasite programme begins	First external parasite (flea/tick) treatment, then keep protection continuous; first internal parasite (worming) treatment inside the final 30 days and at least 14 days before the second	30 days out
Blood tests	Babesia gibsoni: dogs 6 months and over need negative IFA/ELISA AND PCR results, sampled at least 14 days after the first external treatment and within 30 days of shipment (under 6 months: three PCR tests). Heartworm: negative test within 30 days for dogs 7 months and over. Entire dogs: negative Brucella canis test within 30 days, or provide a desexing certificate	30 to 14 days out
Notify MPI	Email the Application for Veterinary Inspection to [email protected]; plan arrival at Auckland or Christchurch during inspection hours	5+ working days out
Final steps	Second internal treatment and heartworm prevention within 5 days of shipment; last external treatment within 16 days; owner signs the 21-day canine influenza declaration (no respiratory signs or contact); final vet inspection within 2 days (including a CTVT check for entire dogs); DAFF endorses Model Veterinary Certificates A and B and issues the export permit — fly within 72 hours of the permit	Final 16 days

Your preparation timeline

17–8 weeks out — Confirm your dog is eligible (not a banned breed or type, not a hybrid, not more than 42 days pregnant) and book the vet sequence backwards from the flight.
230 days out — First external and first internal parasite treatments; blood samples for Babesia gibsoni, heartworm and (entire dogs) Brucella canis.
316 to 5 days out — Last external parasite treatment inside 16 days; second internal treatment and heartworm prevention inside the final 5 days.
45 working days out — MPI veterinary inspection application sent.
5Final 2 days — Final pre-export inspection, certificates A and B endorsed by DAFF, export permit issued.
6Arrival — MPI inspection at Auckland or Christchurch; a compliant dog is released to you the same day. Register the dog with your local council once settled.

The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Treating this like a domestic hop because there is no quarantine. The Category 1 privileges are real, but the final-month test-and-treatment sequence has hard windows, and one result ends the conversation permanently: a dog that has ever been diagnosed with Babesia gibsoni can never enter New Zealand, regardless of treatment. Miss a treatment window and you restart the sequence and rebook the flight — you cannot fix it at the airport. Note that MPI's Import Health Standard was reissued in 2026 (in force from 1 July 2026, with the old 2021 standard accepted during a transition until 1 April 2027); your export vet should work to the current standard.

Costs you can plan for

MPI charges no import permit fee for Australian cats and dogs. The border inspection costs NZ$374.05 (including GST) for the first pet and NZ$124.68 for each additional pet; if your dog is directed to a facility, veterinary inspection time is charged at NZ$249.37 per hour. Add DAFF export fees in Australia, the registered vet's fees (the blood tests are the notable item), and air freight.

✈️ Government rules are only half the trip. Airlines set their own pet carriage rules (crate size, breed limits, seasonal embargoes). Re-confirm carriage with your airline after you meet the rules above.

Questions people ask about this route

Does my dog need a rabies vaccination or an import permit for New Zealand?

No to both. Both countries are rabies-free and Australia is Category 1, so there is no rabies step and no import permit — but MPI still requires at least 5 working days' notice via its veterinary inspection application, and the test and treatment programme still applies in full.

Which New Zealand airports can my dog arrive at?

Auckland or Christchurch — these are the only air arrival points for cats and dogs from Australia, and inspection happens during set weekday hours, so flight timing matters.

Which dogs cannot enter New Zealand at all?

Dogs wholly or predominantly of these breeds or types are banned: Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario and American Pit Bull Terrier type. Dog hybrids (such as wolfdogs) are also not eligible, dogs more than 42 days pregnant cannot be shipped, and MPI guidance is that puppies should be at least 8 weeks old and weaned.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.

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