Relocating a cat or dog to New Zealand from most countries is a long process — plan for months, not weeks, and expect real cost.
If your country isn't on MPI's approved list, your pet can't fly to New Zealand directly. That includes India, mainland China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and most countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Your pet first has to move to an approved country and meet the rules there. Plan for at least 6 months in that country before the flight. MPI lists the approved countries in Schedule 9 of its Specified Approvals for Animal Import Health Standards.
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.
- Know your country's category. Every pet needs a microchip (MPI recommends an ISO-standard chip) and a vet health certificate. Beyond that:
- Category 1 (Australia): no import permit and no quarantine — see the Australia section.
- Category 2 (rabies-free countries, e.g. Japan, Singapore, Fiji): no rabies vaccination or titre test, but you need an import permit and at least 10 days in an MPI-approved quarantine facility.
- Category 3 (rabies absent or well controlled, e.g. the UK, the US, Canada, most EU countries, South Africa and the UAE): a rabies vaccination and a rabies antibody titre test (RNATT) with a result of at least 0.5 IU/mL, from a sample taken 3–12 months before your pet flies, plus an import permit and at least 10 days in quarantine.
- 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.
Common mistakes
- 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
Related tasks
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.
Useful links
- 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.
- Our first-hand experience moving a dog from Australia to New Zealand — a real example of how this process played out, including working with a specialist pet transport company.
If you're moving from Australia
This task can work differently if you're coming from Australia specifically — here's what applies to you instead of the general guidance above.
Cats and dogs coming directly from Australia get a genuinely simpler path into New Zealand than from almost anywhere else in the world — under MPI's current requirements, no import permit or routine quarantine is required, but compliant pets still need to meet the applicable veterinary and biosecurity requirements and be cleared by MPI on arrival.
How to do it
- Check MPI's current Australia-specific requirements. "No permit, no quarantine" doesn't mean no process — there's still real preparation involved (tests and treatments on MPI's required timeline, a microchip (MPI recommends an ISO-standard chip), and a vet health certificate), and MPI's Import Health Standard is currently transitioning to a new version through 2026-2027, so confirm what currently applies.
- Give MPI advance notice of arrival so a vet inspection can be arranged at the border — your pet can't be cleared if ticks or fleas are found on arrival.
- Book your pet's actual transport early. A specialist pet transport agent typically needs to arrange the flight and journey, and testing/preparation alone can take several weeks — this isn't a last-minute booking even though the biosecurity side is simpler.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the simplified pathway means there's nothing to prepare — the testing and paperwork still take real time
- Leaving pet transport booking until late, assuming "no quarantine" means everything about this task is easy
- Not checking MPI's current requirements fresh, given the Import Health Standard is actively changing
Related tasks
This process is faster than the general one, but "faster" still means weeks of preparation, not days — confirm your pet's specific requirements and start well ahead of moving day.
Useful links
- MPI: step-by-step guide to bringing cats and dogs to NZ — the same guide covers Australia's simplified pathway; confirm what currently applies before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to bring a pet into NZ?
- Expect several thousand dollars all up — the import permit and inspection fees alone run several hundred dollars, and the mandatory minimum 10-day quarantine stay typically adds $1,500-$2,500 per animal on top of flights, crates and vet work in the origin country.
- How far ahead should I start the process?
- Months, not weeks — apply for your MPI import permit at least 20-30 days before arrival (processing itself can take 1-4 weeks), but the realistic planning horizon for the whole process, including origin-country vet requirements, is 6-12 months out.