Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Australia → Croatia
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
2 weeks
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Australia is in the group “Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 — no titer test” in Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into an EU country’s published list.See every group
Headlines for Croatia
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Tapeworm treatment for some pets
- Designated entry point for some trips
What your dog or cat needs
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with a microchip, implanted (or read) no later than the day of its rabies vaccination.
Details and the official words
Travelling between EU countries, a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted instead of a microchip.
“must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“The date of administration of the vaccine does not precede the date of identification or reading of the microchip.”
“The pet animal (dog, cat or ferret) must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. The vaccination becomes valid 21 days after the primary course is completed; boosters must be given before the previous vaccination expires.
Details and the official words
“The pet animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination”
“The animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination, and any subsequent vaccination was carried out within the period of validity of the preceding vaccination.”
Paperwork
EU animal health certificate
An official (or authorised) veterinarian completes the EU animal health certificate and the competent authority endorses it. It is valid for entry for 10 days from issue (longer by the length of a sea journey), then for onward EU travel for up to 6 months.
Details and the official words
DAFF pre-export appointment: export permit and health certificate: At your pre-export appointment with DAFF's certifying veterinary officer (a pet transport company can go for you; some countries need DAFF to see your pet, in which case you bring it), DAFF checks all your documents and issues the export permit and health certificate. You pay at or before the appointment. Your pet must then leave Australia within 72 hours of the permit being issued.
“valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks at the travellers' points of entry”
“remain valid for bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU if issued before 1 October 2026”
“This appointment must be before your appointment with our certifying veterinary officer.”
“Your animal must be exported from Australia within 72 hours after the permit is issued. This is a condition of the export permit.”
“Your export permit and health certificate will be issued when we are satisfied the:”
Paperwork
Non-commercial declaration
You (or the person you authorise) sign a written declaration that the movement is not commercial. If someone else travels with the pet, you must travel within 5 days before or after it.
Details and the official words
“a written declaration completed by the owner or an authorised person”
Route
Enter through a travellers' point of entry
Arrive through a travellers' point of entry designated by the EU country, and contact the authority there for the document and identity check.
Details and the official words
“must pass through a travellers' point of entry designated by each EU country”
Notice
Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export
Complete the NOI to Export Live Animals (other than Livestock) form with your supporting documents and email it to DAFF's regional office in your state or territory, at least 10 working days before departure (or before any pre-export isolation starts). Use the same form to book your pre-export appointment, and book the final vet exam at the same time. If the destination needs an import permit, send it with the NOI.
Details and the official words
If your destination requires pre-export isolation, the 10 working days run to the start of isolation, not to departure. Check the importing country's requirements for the isolation dates.
NOI approval doesn't guarantee DAFF will issue the export permit and health certificate.
“Email the NOI and documents to the regional office in the state or territory of departure. Do this at least 10 working days before the departure date or start of isolation.”
Vet exam
Final health and welfare exam with your registered vet
Your registered vet examines your pet and you both sign the pre-export veterinary health and welfare declaration. It must be within 72 hours of departure (or the period the importing country sets), and before your DAFF appointment.
Details and the official words
If the importing country sets a shorter or longer period, that period applies instead; check its requirements.
“This must be within 72 hours of departure, or a period set by the importing country.”
Good to know
- Young pets that are not yet fully protected against rabies cannot enter the EU from a non-EU country — in practice your pet must be at least about 15 weeks old (12 weeks at vaccination + 21 days).
- Some EU countries have their own rules on certain dog breeds. Check the destination country's national pet travel page.
- DAFF says each country has its own health requirements, which can be complex and can change without notice. Get the importing country's requirements in writing (and an import permit if it needs one) and give them to your registered vet.
- Planning to bring your pet back to Australia? Contact DAFF's imports team before you export. Within 6 months of export, extra pre-export requirements may apply, and some animals can't be imported or returned under any circumstances.
- Your pet's crate must meet IATA standards, and your registered vet must inspect it before it is used. Some countries (including Fiji and Singapore) require the crate to be sealed; DAFF provides the seal.
- DAFF charges a fee to assess the Notice of Intention, a time-based fee to prepare the health certificate and a fee for the export permit. We don't show these amounts yet; see DAFF's charging guidelines.
Common questions
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Australia to Croatia?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Croatia?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Croatia?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog or cat need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be identified with a microchip, implanted (or read) no later than the day of its rabies vaccination.