Canada to Australia
Pet Shipping from Canada to Australia
We provide international pet transport from Canada to Australia, planned around its import rules, the Canadian winter and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The CFIA export paperwork and the Australian import permit
- Check-in at your Canadian airport
- Collection from quarantine with delivery to your new address
Australia at a glance
Full requirementsThe CFIA says a dog going from Canada to Australia has to be vaccinated against canine influenza H3N2 or meet extra conditions, and a cat needs an import permit variation from the Australian officials, because the external parasite treatments on the approved list are no longer available in Canada.
- Microchip
- ISO compatible, working before the preparations begin, and scanned at each visit and before any blood sample
- Rabies vaccination
- Given at 84 days of age or older, and current without a break from the titre test to export
- Rabies titre (RNATT)
- Required. Result must reach 0.5 IU/ml or higher
- Waiting period
- 180 days from the date the approved laboratory receives the sample
- Import permit
- Applied for in BICON once the titre declaration is endorsed. For a cat, the CFIA says to apply for a permit variation, because the listed external parasite treatments are no longer available in Canada
Pet Shipping from Canada to Australia
Moving a pet to Australia is a regulated process. The steps depend on your pet’s type and Australia’s current rules, so planning early matters. If you’d like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to pet air transport.
Bringing a pet the other way, into Canada? See our guide to bringing a pet to Canada.
Which route does a pet take into Australia?
Straight to Melbourne International, flown as manifested cargo in the hold. The Australian department’s guide for dogs requires a dog to land there directly and rules out a domestic connection. Any airline willing to take the booking may fly it, and a connection on the way has to be in a country on the department’s approved list, with the pet kept airside and supervised by the local animal health authority. At Melbourne a biosecurity officer takes it on to the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility.
For official overview see Australia’s cats and dogs import information.
Biosecurity Inspections and Quarantine Requirements
Which pets can enter Australia?
Cats and dogs prepared in a country on the Australian department’s approved list, with Canada in its Group 3, and resident there for at least 180 days before export, counted from the day the titre sample reached the laboratory. Five dog breeds and four wolfdog hybrids are barred under Australia’s customs and environment laws rather than its biosecurity law, among them the pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa and the Czechoslovakian wolfdog, and the CFIA’s certificates rule out a female past day 30 of pregnancy, or suckling young. Official import guidance is available here.
Common reasons for delays:
missed timing windows
microchip details that don’t match across documents
incomplete certificates or mismatched dates
routing that doesn’t align with required handling steps
Read more in our comprehensive guide Australian quarantine explained
On arrival every cat and dog goes to Mickleham for a minimum of 30 days, shortened to 10 if a CFIA official verified its microchip on the optional Identification Declaration before the titre blood sample was drawn. The declaration is booked at a local CFIA Animal Health Office. If Australian officials find the documents unsatisfactory, the CFIA warns of extra testing, a longer stay, refused entry or destruction of the animal, all at the owner’s expense.
Eligibility can depend on:
pet type and health profile
airline rules (including certain breeds or conditions)
documentation and timing requirements
routing availability
Ready to start? request a quote
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Australia?
An ISO compatible microchip, a rabies vaccination, the optional Identification Declaration, the titre test with its CFIA-endorsed result, and the Australian import permit. The last weeks hold the examinations and treatments set by that permit, all recorded on the certificate for the species, which your licensed veterinarian completes and a CFIA official endorses on every page.
Common documents
Microchip confirmation
Health certificate(s)
Supporting vaccination and treatment records
Vet preparation steps
Vet visits scheduled in the correct order
Any required testing/treatments completed on time
Final document check
We verify key details match across all paperwork (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures)
For the Canadian export side, we reference the CFIA guidance here.
| Requirement | Australia, from Canada |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO compatible, working before the preparations begin, and scanned at each visit and before any blood sample |
| Rabies vaccination | Given at 84 days of age or older, and current without a break from the titre test to export |
| Rabies titre (RNATT) | Required. Result must reach 0.5 IU/ml or higher |
| Waiting period | 180 days from the date the approved laboratory receives the sample |
| Import permit | Applied for in BICON once the titre declaration is endorsed. For a cat, the CFIA says to apply for a permit variation, because the listed external parasite treatments are no longer available in Canada |
| Parasite treatment | Internal and external treatments on the schedule set by the permit |
| Health certificate | HA3199 for a cat or HA3200 for a dog, not the form printed in the permit, with the final examination within 5 days of export |
| Canine influenza | H3N2 vaccine for a dog, or else isolation for the 10 days before departure, a negative PCR swab within a week and an exam in the final 48 hours |
| Quarantine | At Mickleham, a minimum of 30 days, reduced to 10 by the Identification Declaration |
| Realistic lead time | At least 6 months, in the Australian department’s words |
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Australia
Six months at the least, the Australian department says, because nothing shortens the 180 days that follow the titre sample’s arrival at the laboratory. Three steps along the way are appointments at a local CFIA Animal Health Office: the Identification Declaration, the paperwork on the titre result, and the endorsement of the certificate. Australia’s official import hub is a good reference point as you plan.
A practical planning flow:
start with a consultation and pathway check
build your vet schedule and complete steps in order
confirm routing and crate readiness
complete final document review
travel and arrival processing
Read more about Australia import timeline in our article.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from Canada to Australia costs, fee by fee.
Every Pet Travels Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and Australia’s requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use Australia’s official import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Australia
Request a QuoteWhich Canadian airports will my pet fly from to Australia?
Whichever one serves the airline that takes the booking. The Australian department’s dog guide lets any airline carry a dog at its own discretion, provided the flight lands directly at Melbourne International and any change of aircraft is in a country on its approved list. A dog driven to a US airport instead is exported from the United States, and the CFIA says it then needs a canine influenza vaccination and a health certificate completed there. The drive from home to the airport can be booked by itself.
What does Canada require to send my pet to Australia?
On the Canadian side, your pet needs an export health certificate endorsed by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), prepared by a licensed veterinarian and submitted on Australia’s timeline. We handle the CFIA steps alongside Australia’s own import requirements so the two line up.
When is the best time to fly a pet from Canada to Australia?
The Australian summer matters more than the Canadian winter on this route. Air Canada Cargo’s restrictions, as its before-you-book page stood on 15 September 2026, bar warm-blooded animals from flights to Melbourne between 20 December and 15 February, for the heat there. Its holiday window, 15 December to 12 January, also shuts cats and dogs out of international routings with a Canadian connection. Other airlines publish their own limits. The calendar is set first by the paperwork, though: at least 6 months, the Australian department says.
How much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to Australia?
Every move is priced individually, because the route from Canada, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and Australia’s requirements all change the total. Tell us your city and timing and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada-to-Australia move?
Pick the pieces you need: the airline booking into Melbourne, a travel crate, the CFIA paperwork prepared and checked before each appointment, your pet’s check-in for the Canadian departure, and collection on its release from Mickleham, delivered on to your new address. Book all five for a door-to-door move.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.