Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Australia → the United States
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
2 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 “Dog rabies-free or low-risk” in the United States’s published list.See every group
Headlines for the United States
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Designated entry point for some trips
What your dog needs
Dogs
Paperwork
CDC Dog Import Form
Fill in the free CDC Dog Import Form online (one per dog) and keep the emailed receipt to show on arrival. You can submit it up to the day of travel; the receipt is valid for 6 months unless your dog visits another country in that time.
Details and the official words
The receipt stops being valid if your dog visits a high-risk country, or a different low-risk country, during those 6 months — then you need a new form.
If your travel date or port of entry changes, submit a new form.
“the receipt is valid for 6 months from when it's issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time”
Age rule
Dog at least 6 months old
Dogs must be at least 6 months old when they enter or return to the U.S.
Details and the official words
“Dogs must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S.”
Identification
Microchip
Your dog must have a microchip that a universal scanner can detect. If it has been in a high-risk country, the chip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccine.
Details and the official words
“Dogs must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner to identify them.”
“The microchip must be implanted before getting the rabies vaccine, or else the vaccine will be invalid.”
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.”
Official stamp
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.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: DAFF issues the permit and certificate only when satisfied the animal was prepared in line with the importing country's requirements.
“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:”
Good to know
- Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.
- If your dog comes from a region affected by screwworm, USDA requires a certificate from a full-time salaried government vet confirming a screwworm inspection within 5 days before shipment. Check USDA's list of affected regions.
- 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
On arrival
Cat appears healthy on arrival
Cats must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected. No federal proof of rabies vaccination is required, but CDC recommends it and your destination state may require it.
Details and the official words
“Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States.”
“APHIS Veterinary Services does not have any animal health requirements related to bringing (importing) a pet cat”
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.”
Official stamp
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.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: DAFF issues the permit and certificate only when satisfied the animal was prepared in line with the importing country's requirements.
“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:”
Good to know
- Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.
- 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 the United States?
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 the United States?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog be quarantined in the United States?
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 dog must have a microchip that a universal scanner can detect.