Pet travel route
Dog or cat from New Zealand to Vietnam: the rules
Possible. There is no official waiting period, but you still need: quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country.
Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 3 official pages
In short
- No rabies blood test, import permit or quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving New Zealand publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. MPI's own pages and its export requirements for each destination answer automated requests with a bot check, so these steps come from New Zealand Customs' page on moving pets overseas. It says what is needed in general: the exact contents of the export certificate depend on the destination, so ask MPI or a registered pet exporter before you book.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Vietnam publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Viet Nam's 2026 circular on animal quarantine sets out what happens at the border for a pet carried by a traveller, but it doesn't list what the exporting country's quarantine certificate must state (for example a rabies vaccination or its timing), and we found no official English page for pet owners. Ask the animal quarantine office at your arrival airport and your airline what the certificate must show before you travel.
At a glance
The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.
How early to start
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route
- No rabies blood test
- No import permit
- No quarantine
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New Zealand → Vietnam
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether New Zealand (leaving) or Vietnam (entering) asks for it.
In the days before you travel
PaperworkNew Zealand and Vietnam
Quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country
Your pet travels with the quarantine certificate issued by the exporting country's authority. The border quarantine office in Viet Nam checks it. The circular doesn't say how recent it must be or what it must state: ask the quarantine office at your arrival airport.
Details and the official words
Export certificate signed by an MPI Official Veterinarian: The destination's export certificate is completed, signed off by an official veterinarian and travels with your pet. If you don't use a registered pet exporter, an MPI Official Veterinarian signs the export certificate before your pet leaves.
“Cơ quan kiểm dịch động vật cửa khẩu thực hiện: Kiểm tra Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch của nước xuất khẩu; kiểm tra lâm sàng động vật;”
“Certificates are forms that need to be completed, signed off by an official veterinarian, and travel with your pet.”
“If you are not using a pet exporter, you will need an MPI Official Veterinarian to sign the export certificate and AWEC prior to export.”
Travel day and arrival
On arrivalEntering Vietnam
Declare your pet at the border animal quarantine office
For up to 2 animals you bring as pets or on a trip (not on the banned list), declare them for import quarantine directly at the animal quarantine office at the border. It checks the certificate and examines your pet, and issues Viet Nam's import quarantine certificate within 1 working day if everything is in order.
Details and the official words
“Kiểm dịch đối với trường hợp mang theo người không quá 02 con động vật với mục đích để nuôi làm cảnh, sinh hoạt trong gia đình hoặc mang theo đi du lịch, công tác, quá cảnh và không thuộc Danh mục động vật cấm xuất khẩu, nhập khẩu theo quy định”
“Chủ hàng khai báo kiểm dịch nhập khẩu trực tiếp tại Cơ quan kiểm dịch động vật cửa khẩu;”
“Trong thời hạn 01 ngày làm việc kể từ ngày thực hiện kiểm dịch, Cơ quan kiểm dịch động vật cửa khẩu cấp Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch động vật nhập khẩu”
Only in some cases
Official stamp · only in some casesLeaving New Zealand
Animal Welfare Export Certificate (AWEC), if needed
Pets leaving New Zealand may also need an Animal Welfare Export Certificate from MPI, which ensures animals travel and arrive in good health. Without a pet exporter, an MPI Official Veterinarian signs it before export.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
The Customs page doesn't say which trips need an AWEC. Ask MPI or a registered pet exporter for your destination.
Cats and dogs exported to Australia are exempt (New Zealand Gazette notice No. 1195, 2001), so this step isn't shown for Australia.
“Pets being taken out of New Zealand may also need an Animal Welfare Export Certificate (AWEC) from MPI.”
“AWECs ensure that animals travel and arrive in good health.”
“Cats and dogs exported to Australia.”
Good to know
- The circular doesn't list the vaccinations a pet must have. At the border, the quarantine office vaccinates an animal that hasn't been vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases, and takes samples from an animal suspected of an infectious disease (the certificate then comes within 1 working day of the test result).
- An animal with a dangerous infectious disease is destroyed near the border crossing, and an animal whose foreign quarantine certificate isn't valid is held.
- Every pet leaving New Zealand must meet the destination country's requirements. MPI has agreed export requirements and certificates with most countries; the requirements set what the export certificate must say.
- Customs advises contacting a registered pet exporter to organise the export. Some airlines only take animal bookings through a pet exporter, not from the public.
Money
What it costs
Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in New Zealand publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
No government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
We have no published vet or lab prices for New Zealand yet.
Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices
Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.
Round trip
Coming back to New Zealand
New Zealand only accepts cats and dogs from countries MPI has approved (Categories 1, 2 and 3), and this country is not on those lists. Your pet would have to live in an approved country first, or the exporting country's veterinary authority would have to ask MPI to approve it.
New Zealand only accepts cats and dogs from countries MPI has approved (Categories 1, 2 and 3), and this country is not on those lists. Your pet would have to live in an approved country first, or the exporting country's veterinary authority would have to ask MPI to approve it.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Thông tư 01/2026/TT-BNNMT quy định về kiểm dịch động vật, sản phẩm động vật trên cạn, consolidated text 67/VBHN-BNNMT (2026)
- Move your pets overseas (New Zealand Customs Service)
- Additional Exemptions From the Requirements for Animal Welfare Export Certificates Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, Notice No. 1195 (New Zealand Gazette, 10 May 2001)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-12.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from New Zealand to Vietnam?
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 Vietnam?
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 Vietnam?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
How early should I start preparing my pet for New Zealand to Vietnam?
There is no official waiting period, but you still need: quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country.
Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake
Read next
Turn this into dates for your pet
Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.