Taking a dog or cat from India to Australia

Australia's rules for a pet that starts in India

Why is there no direct route from India to Australia?

Australia's rabies rules recognise only approved countries, and India is not one, so your pet has to live in one of them first.

Which approved country should your pet live in before Australia?

Any approved country with a health certificate agreed with DAFF works, the Bahamas and the Seychelles, for example, have none, and these are the four Petym covers from India. Every vaccine and test is done there, and a pet quarantined on arrival starts its 180 days only when it is released.

• Group 3

  The UAE

  No extra Australian test. DAFF says its rules for pets in Middle Eastern countries have not changed; if the conflict affects you, call 1800 900 090 or email [email protected]. 1Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• Group 3

  The UK

  No extra Australian test. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• Group 3, not Guam or Hawaii

  The USA

  Dogs also need full canine influenza (CIV) vaccination, with the first course finished at least 14 days before export. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• Group 3

  Canada

  Dogs need CIV vaccination, or 10 days isolated from other dogs, a negative PCR swab within 7 days of export and an exam within 48 hours of export. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• Two countries

  Starting in one, leaving from another

  Possible if the exporting country's official vet agrees: for example the rabies vaccine, identity check and blood test in one approved country, and export from another. 2Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

What do RNATT, BICON and Australia's other import terms mean?

DAFF's guides use their own words for each step; these are the ones an owner moving a pet from India meets first.

AApproved country

A country Australia accepts cats and dogs from. India is not one: “If your country is not in this list, it means it is not approved.” 1Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

GGroup 3 country

DAFF's group for approved countries that includes the UAE, the UK, Canada and the USA (not Guam or Hawaii). 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

RRNATT

The rabies blood test: FAVN or RFFIT, passing at 0.5 IU/ml or more, sampled between 12 months and 180 days before export. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

IIdentity check

A separate check of your pet's identity by an official vet employed by the approved country's government, before the RNATT sample. It earns the 10-day quarantine. 2Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

BBICON

DAFF's import system, where you apply for the permit as soon as the RNATT declaration is signed. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

OOK to Forward

The request your airline sends DAFF; DAFF must approve it before your pet's departure. 7DAFF

MMickleham

The post entry quarantine facility near Melbourne where every imported cat and dog stays at least 10 or 30 days. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

When does each step for Australia fall, counted back from the day your pet leaves?

Count back from the export date (DAFF counts the day of a treatment as day 0). These are the Group 3 dog rules, with cat differences in brackets.

1. 7 months or more before export

   Start preparing in the approved country: DAFF's recommendation for Group 3 countries. 2Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

2. At least 180 days before export

   Check the ISO microchip and, for the 10-day quarantine, have an official government vet verify your pet's identity, before, and not at the same visit as, the RNATT blood sample. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

3. 3 to 4 weeks after the rabies vaccine

   The RNATT blood sample is taken (sooner for a dog vaccinated regularly). 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

4. 12 months to 180 days before export

   The RNATT sample must fall in this window. Export comes no sooner than 180 days after the sample reaches the laboratory; the test is valid 12 months from the blood draw. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

5. Right after the RNATT declaration

   Apply for the import permit in BICON. Most are issued in 20 to 40 business days; some take up to 123. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

6. Once the permit is issued

   Book Mickleham, then the flight. Your airline sends DAFF an “OK to Forward” request, which DAFF must approve before departure. 7DAFF

7. 12 months to 14 days before export

   The last leptospirosis (Canicola) vaccine or booster, or a negative test within 45 days of export instead. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

8. Within 45 days of export

   The Leishmania infantum test, a Brucella canis test if the dog is not desexed, and the first of two worming treatments at least 14 days apart. (Cats: the worming only.) 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

9. At least 30 days before export (cats: 21)

   Start the flea and tick treatment and keep it going. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

10. Within 5 days of export

    The second worming treatment, the final vet check and the official vet's endorsement of the health certificate. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

11. Arrival day

    Straight into Melbourne. Mickleham accepts arrivals 05:00 to 14:30 on Monday, Tuesday to Saturday and Sunday and 05:00 to 21:00 Wednesday to Friday, and emails you within 24 hours. 7DAFF

12. Day 10 or day 30 of quarantine

    Collect your pet and its crate between 10:00 and 12:00 on the release date. 7DAFF

How much do the permit and Mickleham quarantine cost from 1 July 2026?

DAFF estimates AUD 3,114 for one pet with a 10-day stay and AUD 4,234 with 30 days; the line items are below, per animal.

Does every pet get the 10-day stay at Mickleham?

No: the standard stay is at least 30 days, cut to 10 only after an official government vet's identity check, which DAFF says it is still negotiating with some approved countries.

• You may have read

  Every pet does 10 days.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  The standard stay is at least 30 days. It is cut to at least 10 only if an official government vet verified the pet's identity before the RNATT blood sample. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• You may have read

  The vet scanning the chip at the blood test counts as the identity check.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  No. The check is a separate procedure by an official vet employed by that government. A pet passport, vaccination card or microchip certificate does not count either. 2Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• You may have read

  The 180 days are spent in quarantine.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  No. Your pet lives at home, with you or someone else, in the approved country. 3Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

• You may have read

  You can visit your pet at Mickleham.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  No visits are allowed during the 10 or 30 days; DAFF keeps in touch by email. 7DAFF

• You may have read

  A NexGard or Bravecto tablet covers the flea and tick step.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  No. Oral products and tick collars are not accepted: the product must kill fleas and ticks on contact. 2Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)

What gets a pet held, sent back or refused at Melbourne?

A broken permit condition, a microchip that does not match, a lapsed vaccine or a banned breed, and you pay for whatever follows.