Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Australia → Norway
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 “Australia and Malaysia — listed, plus extra certificate requirements (Hendra / Nipah virus)” in Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into Norway’s published list.See every group
Headlines for Norway
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Tapeworm treatment for some pets
- Designated entry point for some trips
- Extra disease test for some origins
What your dog needs
Dogs
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination. If the chip isn't ISO-standard, bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be identified before the rabies vaccination.”
“The microchip has to comply with the ISO 11784 standard and it has to utilize HDX or FDX-B technology.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated by an authorised vet. The vaccination is valid from 21 days after the primary vaccination; a booster given before the old one expires has no waiting period.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be at least 12 weeks old when the vaccine is administered.”
“The period of validity starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol required by the manufacturer for a primary vaccination.”
“No anti-rabies vaccination is required for animals travelling only between Norway and Sweden.”
Treatment
Tapeworm treatment (dogs)
A vet must treat your dog (puppies too) against Echinococcus with praziquantel (or epsiprantel) 24 to 120 hours before you enter Norway, and record it in the certificate or pet passport. You can't do it yourself.
Details and the official words
Dogs that cross often between Norway and the EU (or the listed European countries) can instead follow the '28-day rule': treated twice at most 28 days apart before travelling, then every 28 days for as long as they keep travelling, with a final treatment in Norway.
Not needed when coming directly from Finland, Ireland, Malta or Northern Ireland.
“An anti-echinococcus treatment is required for dogs, including puppies.”
“The treatment must be administered 24 – 120 hours prior to entering Norway.”
“No anti-echinococcus treatment is required for dogs travelling to Norway directly from Finland, Malta, Ireland or Northern Ireland.”
“The owners of the dogs may not treat the animals themselves.”
Paperwork
EU pet health certificate
Your pet needs an animal health certificate (EU model) from an official vet in the country you're travelling from, valid for 10 days from issue until the check on entry. A pet returning to Norway can instead use its EEA pet passport if it was vaccinated (and titer-tested, if needed) before it left the EEA.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
Mattilsynet links a certificate model under the older EU rules (Regulation (EU) No 577/2013). The EU switched to a new model (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705) for certificates issued from 1 October 2026. Ask your official vet or Mattilsynet which model Norway accepts.
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.
“As the main rule, the identification document must be in the format of an animal health certificate”
“may be accompanied by a pet passport complying with the model laid down in Part 3 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 577/2013”
“animals returning to Norway (or another EEA-country), may be accompanied by their pet passport as long as the animal received the anti-rabies vaccination and underwent the rabies antibody titration test (if necessary) before the pet left the EEA”
“This certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks”
“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:”
Route
Enter through Oslo Airport or Storskog
Your pet must enter Norway through Oslo Airport (Gardermoen) or Storskog (Kirkenes), where you contact Mattilsynet and show the pet and its documents. Pets from Svalbard can also use Tromsø (airport and port) or the port of Bodø.
Details and the official words
At Storskog, pets must arrive between 09:00 and 14:00.
If you travel via another EU/EEA country, your pet can be checked at an EU travellers' point of entry there; after that you can use other Norwegian border crossings (take the red channel).
“Animals from other third countries or territories must be brought into Norway only through Oslo Airport or Storskog.”
“Once the pet has been checked at a travellers' point of entry, you can use other border crossings besides Oslo Airport and Storskog.”
“Travelers with pets must arrive at Storskog between 09:00 and 14:00.”
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.”
Only if the destination asks for it
Notice · only if the destination asks
Tell Mattilsynet you're coming (recommended)
Notify Mattilsynet at your entry point at least 48 hours before you arrive, so you don't wait long for the check. Oslo Airport: +47 22 77 79 00, bipg@mattilsynet.no.
Details and the official words
“The Norwegian Food Safety Authority should be notified at least 48 hours before arrival in order to avoid a long waiting time before the check can be carried out.”
Good to know
- Six dog breeds are banned in Norway, including crossbreeds with any proportion of them: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino and Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. Wolf-dog hybrids are also considered dangerous.
- Former stray dogs and cats (from shelters, ownerless, or of unknown background) can in practice only come to Norway if you've owned and kept the animal for at least 6 months before entering — be ready to prove it.
- Before you travel, check with Mattilsynet whether any safeguard measures apply to the country you're travelling from.
- 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.
What your cat needs
Cats
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination. If the chip isn't ISO-standard, bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be identified before the rabies vaccination.”
“The microchip has to comply with the ISO 11784 standard and it has to utilize HDX or FDX-B technology.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated by an authorised vet. The vaccination is valid from 21 days after the primary vaccination; a booster given before the old one expires has no waiting period.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be at least 12 weeks old when the vaccine is administered.”
“The period of validity starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol required by the manufacturer for a primary vaccination.”
“No anti-rabies vaccination is required for animals travelling only between Norway and Sweden.”
Paperwork
EU pet health certificate
Your pet needs an animal health certificate (EU model) from an official vet in the country you're travelling from, valid for 10 days from issue until the check on entry. A pet returning to Norway can instead use its EEA pet passport if it was vaccinated (and titer-tested, if needed) before it left the EEA.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
Mattilsynet links a certificate model under the older EU rules (Regulation (EU) No 577/2013). The EU switched to a new model (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705) for certificates issued from 1 October 2026. Ask your official vet or Mattilsynet which model Norway accepts.
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.
“As the main rule, the identification document must be in the format of an animal health certificate”
“may be accompanied by a pet passport complying with the model laid down in Part 3 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 577/2013”
“animals returning to Norway (or another EEA-country), may be accompanied by their pet passport as long as the animal received the anti-rabies vaccination and underwent the rabies antibody titration test (if necessary) before the pet left the EEA”
“This certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks”
“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
Hendra virus statement (cats from Australia)
The original health certificate from an official Australian vet must confirm your cat hasn't been in an animal holding facility where Hendra virus was detected in the 60 days before departure.
Details and the official words
“The certificate must confirm that the cat has not been in an animal holding facility where Hendra virus has been detected in the last 60 days before departure.”
Route
Enter through Oslo Airport or Storskog
Your pet must enter Norway through Oslo Airport (Gardermoen) or Storskog (Kirkenes), where you contact Mattilsynet and show the pet and its documents. Pets from Svalbard can also use Tromsø (airport and port) or the port of Bodø.
Details and the official words
At Storskog, pets must arrive between 09:00 and 14:00.
If you travel via another EU/EEA country, your pet can be checked at an EU travellers' point of entry there; after that you can use other Norwegian border crossings (take the red channel).
“Animals from other third countries or territories must be brought into Norway only through Oslo Airport or Storskog.”
“Once the pet has been checked at a travellers' point of entry, you can use other border crossings besides Oslo Airport and Storskog.”
“Travelers with pets must arrive at Storskog between 09:00 and 14:00.”
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.”
Only if the destination asks for it
Notice · only if the destination asks
Tell Mattilsynet you're coming (recommended)
Notify Mattilsynet at your entry point at least 48 hours before you arrive, so you don't wait long for the check. Oslo Airport: +47 22 77 79 00, bipg@mattilsynet.no.
Details and the official words
“The Norwegian Food Safety Authority should be notified at least 48 hours before arrival in order to avoid a long waiting time before the check can be carried out.”
Good to know
- Former stray dogs and cats (from shelters, ownerless, or of unknown background) can in practice only come to Norway if you've owned and kept the animal for at least 6 months before entering — be ready to prove it.
- Before you travel, check with Mattilsynet whether any safeguard measures apply to the country you're travelling from.
- 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 need a rabies blood test to go from Australia to Norway?
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 into Norway?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog be quarantined in Norway?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination.