Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Panama to New Zealand: official requirements
Not possible. 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.
Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 4 official pages
In short
- New Zealand puts Panama in the group “Country New Zealand has not approved”, which decides part of the rules.
- Pets from Panama can still go elsewhere: the Panama exit page lists every destination and how long each takes.
- The New Zealand page shows which countries it accepts pets from.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Panama publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. MIDA's pages describe only the basic steps for the export licence. They don't say how far ahead to apply, how long the licence is valid or whether any other office must sign. A 2026 Ministry of Health decree has a section on export certificates for dogs and cats, but the official gazette blocks automated readers and we couldn't check it there: ask MIDA (560-5890) and the Ministry of Health before you travel.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering New Zealand publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. This follows the 2026 Import Health Standard (in force from 1 July 2026). It sends many details to MPI's separate list of approved vaccines, tests and treatments, which we don't reproduce: your vet needs it. Pets coming from Australia are not covered yet. Until 1 April 2027 the 2021 standard can still be used instead, which we have not read.
At a glance
Not possible for dogs
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.
Who can bring a pet into New ZealandWhere pets from Panama can go
Not possible for cats
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.
Who can bring a pet into New ZealandWhere pets from Panama can go
Which rules apply to you
New Zealand puts Panama in the group “Country New Zealand has not approved”. See every group
Official name: Not on MPI's lists: cats and dogs cannot be imported from this country
Rule-change alertsChecked daily
Know the moment the rules change from Panama to New Zealand
We check the official sources every day. If a rule changes, you get a notification on this device.
- Free
- No email or account
- Turn off any time
- 1Tap Share in Safari
- 2Choose Add to Home Screen
- 3Open Pawhopper from your Home Screen, then tap Turn on alerts here
Alerts are on
We’ll notify this device when a rule changes from Panama to New Zealand.
New pet travel guides are on for this browser.
Pawhopper · now
Rule change for pets travelling from Panama to New Zealand
Leaving rules: Costa Rica, Panama and Viet Nam. Tap to see what changed.
Prefer a feed reader? Panama rule changes · New Zealand rule changes
We keep only this browser’s push address and the countries, until you turn alerts off. Privacy
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Import Health Standard: Cats and Dogs 2026, CATSDOGS.GEN, issued 12 May 2026 (MPI)
- Specified Approvals for Animal Import Health Standards, MPI-STD-SAA, 13 May 2026 (MPI)
- Exportación de animales menores: caninos y felinos (MIDA, DECA, modified 1 August 2023)
- MIDA recuerda requisitos para entrada y salida de mascotas en el territorio nacional (MIDA, 14 November 2025)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.
Questions owners ask
Can I take my dog or cat from Panama to New Zealand?
Not possible. 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.
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.