Arrange MPI biosecurity clearance for your pet

Start your pet's biosecurity clearance now -- for most countries this genuinely takes months, not weeks.

Bringing a pet to New Zealand from most countries is a genuinely long process -- plan for months, not weeks, and expect real cost.

How to do it

Check MPI's country-specific requirements first. Your pet's import requirements depend heavily on which country it's coming from -- specifically its rabies-risk classification and category -- so the exact steps vary, and MPI's Import Health Standard is currently transitioning to a new version through 2026-2027. Start at MPI's bringing-pets-to-NZ pages for your specific country's current requirements.
Expect to need: an import permit (for most countries), ISO-compliant microchipping, rabies vaccination on a specific timeline, a vet health certificate, and for most countries a mandatory minimum 10-day stay in an MPI-approved quarantine facility on arrival.
Budget realistically -- costs vary by country and by what your pet needs, and can add up across vet prep, airfreight, permits, and quarantine where required. Get a current estimate for your specific situation rather than assuming a fixed figure.
Start early. Between vaccination timelines, permit processing, and quarantine bookings, this is one of the longest lead-time tasks in the whole move.

Assuming your pet's existing vaccinations meet NZ's specific timeline requirements -- the rabies vaccination window matters, not just having had one
Booking quarantine late -- space is limited and this can become your critical-path bottleneck
Not checking country-specific requirements early enough to still meet vaccination timing windows if something's missing

Book this as early as any task in your whole move -- it has some of the longest, least flexible lead times of anything on this list.

MPI: step-by-step guide to bringing cats and dogs to NZ — check the exact, current requirements for your pet's specific country of origin.