Exporting dogs and cats from Australia to another Country
Pet Carriers International has over 30 years’ experience with Exporting Pets from Australia.
As at March 2025 : We have safely exported over 7,000 sets of Family's Pets to over 350 destination airports in over 100 different countries.
We can provide a complete service to include obtaining Destination Country Import Permits, veterinary treatments , official documentation processing and the transport from Australia.
For full details please contact our export specialist’s on +61 2 9700 7223 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We prefer to manage the whole export process for in-cargo travel as we find that provides a better result, and we can arrange the paperwork required for in-cabin travel.
Dogs and cats exiting Australia may require an Import permit issued by the Destination Country. The first thing to be arranged is an import permit from the Destination Country (if required). That import permit will list conditions that must be met prior to allowing the pet to be imported into the Destination Country.
Pet Carriers International has a team specialising in Exporting Pets from Australia.
Pet Carriers International can organise a Destination Country Import Permit on your behalf and guide you through the strict protocol, to ensure your pets smooth exit from Australia and into the Destination Country.
There are some countries from which cats and dogs cannot be directly exported from Australia. Sometimes the pets will need to make multiple stops, or may need to stay in a third country, to get to the Destination country.
Some countries require that certain vaccinations and/or parasite treatments that need to given to your pets prior to travel.
A rabies vaccination may be an import requirement, and if travelling in countries where rabies is present is a very good precaution anyway.
Keeping your pet's rabies vaccination coverage current whilst your pet is overseas in a Destination Country where Rabies is found is very important.
Exporting Birds and small vertebrates (Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, etc) from Australia to another Country
Pet Carriers International has over 30 years’ experience with exporting birds and small vertebrates (Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Companion Rats, and even Companion Mice) from Australia.
We can provide a service that includes:
- Custom-built, specialised bird and small vertebrates, in either plastic or wooden travelling crates,
- Approved Bird Pre-Isolation Quarantine facility,
- Obtaining Destination Country Import Permits,
- Veterinary health checks,
- Official documentation processing,
- Transport from Australia.
For full details please contact our bird and small vertebrates export specialists on +61 2 9700 7223 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We prefer to manage the whole export process as we find that provides a better result.
Birds and small Vertebrates exiting Australia may require an Import permit issued by the Destination Country.
The first thing to be arranged is an import permit from the Destination Country (if required).
That import permit will list conditions that must be met prior to allowing the pet to be imported into the Destination Country.
Please speak to one of our team members to confirm if you should seek these permits early in the export process.
Some countries require that certain blood tests, vaccinations and/or parasite treatments are need to given to your pets prior to travel.
Pet Carriers International can also provide a pre-export isolation quarantine service onsite.
Can I export my pet(s) to wherever I want to go in the world?
Usually yes, dependent on Breed export regulations in Australia and breed embargoes by airlines and breed import regulations and embargoes in the transit and destination countries.
It may take multiple journeys to get to less regularly travelled destinations.
Australian native animals are subject to worldwide export/import regulations and are covered by by international convention.
Not all pets can be exported from Australia and not all Destination countries will take all pets. Not all airlines will take pets.
Some countries have embargoes for some or all pets at different times of the year, or due to temporary circumstances.
These temporary embargoes may due to be heat or cold temperatures embargo, or where there are war-zones, severe weather events or natural disaster zones.
Sometimes conditions in Australia prevent some pets from being exported temporarily, such as outbreaks of bird influenza preventing birds to temporarily banned from export.
Once I export my pets, can they come back into Australia?
Dogs and Cats can generally come back into Australia , dependent on Australian import breed embargoes, and where they have been since leaving Australia.
Note that not all pets exported from Australia can come back into Australia.
For instance , once exported , birds and rabbits are currently not able to be imported at all.
Depending on circumstances, with cats and dogs may be worthwhile to do some extra processing prior to leaving Australia to make it easier to return to Australia.
When transporting your pets back into Australia it is best to start organising as early as possible as the lead time can be as long as nine to twelve months.
It is a lengthy, complex and costly exercise to import your pets back into Australia and we HIGHLY recommend that you use an experienced transporter in Australia
with local knowledge to ensure that your Import into Australia occurs with least cost and time involved as possible due to no or minimal rework.
How long does the Export process usually take?
Our minimum time to arrange the Export permit process from Australia is three (3) weeks, however at times this may be longer due to flight restrictions.
The time to prepare for the Import side of the is dependent of the destination country's import regulations.
This Import process time can be months. Please do not leave your pet's travel arrangements until the last minute.
Can my pet travel in the plane cabin with me?
Exporting from Australia - cargo vs cabin
Most pets must travel out of Australia as manifested cargo.
Certified Service dogs and Military dogs are the main exceptions, such as sight impaired guide dogs, but there are strict rules and tests as to which pets are accepted as service dogs.
This is treated on a case by case basis and is not a rule and is completely up to the airlines discretion.
Some airlines/routes are now offering an in-cabin option for small dogs and cats, where the client has a 1st class ticket.
There may also be seat tickets charged per sector for a pet travelling in-cabin in 1st class. This is usually limited to 1 pet per client.
This 1st class pet seating offering is at the airlines discretion. Only a small number of airlines are offering this currently.
This offering is best discussed with the airline and please, please make sure that you do get a written confirmation of your pet's acceptance from the airline.
in the past we have had to help a number of distraught flyers, who have talked to airline by themselves and thought they had an arrangement for their pet(s) to fly in-cabin,
only to be told by the airline upon arriving at the airport for an international flight, that their pet cannot fly with them.
The vast majority of pets will travel on flights from Australia in a special area within the cargo hold.
This is a safe method with those airlines that we know have proven their ability to transport animals, and provide the required level of care for your pets.
We wouldn't send your pet(s) on an airline or route that we wouldn't send our own pets on.
How much does the Transport Cost?
When exporting Pets from Australia the transport cost is dependent on a variety of factors.
The breed and size of your pets – Airfreight is calculated by the volume of space taken up on the flight, and their weight, and various other airline and transit charges.
Location of your pets – Where your pets travel from can make a significant change in the cost, as they vary from origin within Australia.
Some pets require specialised crates to be used due to their species, or breed, or size.
Sometimes your pet will need to take multiple travel legs in order to reach the Destination Country.
Please complete the export quote request form and we will contact you with a quotation.