International Pet Transport to New Zealand
At Jetpets, we provide superior door-to-door pet transport throughout Australia and all around the world, setting the highest standards of care and prioritising your pet’s welfare above all else.
We’re proud to be the only CEIV Accredited pet transport company offering an exclusive door-to-door service to New Zealand. Pets clear the border at Auckland or Christchurch, and from there our New Zealand team can arrange deliveries right to your door, including destinations throughout Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and beyond!
Working hand-in-hand with our Australian & New Zealand teams, we make sure your family pet receives exceptional care every step of the way.
If you’re travelling within New Zealand, get in touch with our NZ team at jetpets.co.nz.
Is Your Pet Eligible to Travel to New Zealand?
Australia and New Zealand each treat the other as a low-risk country for pet travel. That means most furbabies making the trip from Australia to New Zealand skip the mandatory quarantine period required for pets coming from other overseas locations, and generally don’t need an import permit either. It’s one of the simplest, most reassuring routes we help pets travel to from Australia.
Quarantine
- Dogs and cats travelling from Australia or Norfolk Island – no quarantine required
- Pets arriving from all other countries require a minimum of 10 days in an MPI-approved facility
Import permit
- Pets travelling from Australia are generally not required
- Pets from all other countries are required, with MPI recommending applications at least 30 working days ahead of travel
Why the easier path?
New Zealand is a rabies-free country, and Australia is one of the small number of countries it recognises the same way, which is exactly why the paperwork and wait times are so much lighter on this route than most.
Moving the other way?
The same low-risk relationship works in reverse. If you’re bringing a pet from New Zealand into Australia, they generally benefit from the same straightforward treatment, no quarantine and no import permit for pets meeting standard conditions.
Our New Zealand team has a full guide to that journey here: Moving Your Pet from New Zealand to Australia.
Breed restrictions
A small number of breeds and types can’t be imported into New Zealand:
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- Brazilian Fila
- Dogo Argentino
- Japanese Tosa
- Perro de Presa Canario
Hybrid pets generally aren’t eligible for import, with a limited exception for Bengal cats where documented ancestry can be provided.
Age and health eligibility
As part of the Pet Transport process from Australia to NZ pets must:-
- Be healthy and fit to travel
- Meet the veterinary certification requirements applicable to Australia
- Be free from signs of infectious respiratory disease for the required period
- Meet MPI’s parasite and health requirements
- Be free from ticks and fleas on arrival. MPI states that a pet with ticks or fleas detected on arrival cannot be cleared into New Zealand
- Meet the required identification/microchip and documentation requirements
- Not be a prohibited dog breed/type. MPI lists Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario and American Pit Bull Terrier among the prohibited type
A quick note on changing rules
New Zealand updated its import health standard for cats and dogs on 1 July 2026, with a nine-month settling-in period of its own where either the old or new rules apply. From 1 October 2026, new pre-export identification checks come into effect, and from 1 April 2027 all pets need to meet the new standard in full. Our team stays on top of these changes so you don’t have to.
When to Start Preparing Your Pet’s Move
The earlier you start, the smoother the ride for you and your pet. Just like a dedicated travel agent, our Pet Travel Consultants organise your pet’s flight to New Zealand and plan around your own travel plans, right down to a special delivery service to your new home.
To get things moving, we’ll just need a few details about your furbaby including any health conditions, microchip details, and vaccination history.
Suggested planning timeline
As a general guide, we recommend starting around three months out, it gives your furbaby plenty of time to settle into their travel crate, and gives us time to line everything up properly on our end.
- 6-8 weeks before travel: get in touch with our team to confirm your pet’s eligibility and lock in your consultation
- In the following weeks: complete the vet checks and tests your pet needs (more on this below), and confirm your flight booking
- In the final couple of weeks: your pet’s health certificate is finalised and we take care of crate preparation and last-minute logistics together
What to have ready
- Microchip details
- Vaccination history
- Proof of ownership / registration
- Any existing health records or conditions
Vet Checks, Vaccinations & Export Paperwork
The good news for the Australia-to-New Zealand route is that the list is refreshingly short. Because Australia is recognised as rabies-free, your pet skips the rabies vaccinations, and some of the longer waiting periods that pets from most other countries have to comply with.
There are strict rules around blood tests that have to be carried out for pets to be eligible for entry. This current process takes up to 8 weeks to ensure compliance with authorities.
Please note dogs required time sensitive blood tests for regulated infectious diseases. It is important to note that these rules and regulations are always subject to change and our pet travel consultants will be to advise you on the most current regulations in place.
Here’s what’s actually involved:
Microchip
Your pet needs an ISO-compliant microchip (the standard type used across Australia). It’s how your pet is identified at every step, so our vets will scan and confirm it, and make sure the number matches across all the paperwork.
Parasite treatment
New Zealand takes biosecurity seriously, and parasite control is the big one on this route. Your pet will need documented treatments for both internal and external parasites in the lead-up to travel. Internal treatments effective against roundworm and tapeworm, and external treatments that protect against fleas and ticks.
These are timed to specific windows before departure, and our vets take care of the scheduling so nothing slips.
Final health check and export certificate
Within five days of travel, your pet has a final veterinary examination confirming they’re healthy, fit to fly and free of external parasites. This is where the export health certificate is completed, the key document that travels with your pet and clears them for entry into New Zealand.
No import permit needed
For pets travelling from Australia, no import permit is required.
- Documentation checklist
- Export health certificate
- Parasite treatment records
- Microchip registration
- Any medication prescriptions and declarations (if your pet is on medication)
Travel Day: What to Expect
Our Pet Handlers take it from here
We can collect your pet from your own home and transport them into our transit lounge for a stretch, a toilet stop and a drink of water before their flight.
Once your pet’s cleared for flying, they’re safely transported to the airport and checked in for their flight. Depending on your itinerary, our Pet Handlers will send you a travel update before your pet boards, when travelling through one of our Transit Lounges.
What happens at the airport?
- The captain knows your loved one is on board
- The cabin is climate controlled and pressurised to mirror the human passenger experience.
- The cabin lighting is kept low so your pet can still see what’s going on around them
- What we feel and hear in the cabin is the same as what animals experience, except they’ve got a lot more legroom than us in their travel crate!
Follow the journey with PetTrakr
We’ve partnered with PetTrakr to give you a front-row seat to your pet’s adventure to New Zealand. Once the PetTrakr device is securely mounted to your Jetpets travel crate, you’ll get photos and GPS location updates sent straight to your phone or desktop every 10 minutes, the next best thing to being there yourself.
Available on flights from Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne with Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Due to airline regulations, GPS and photo updates can’t be sent mid-flight.
Arrival in New Zealand
The moment the plane touches down, your pet is always the first off and straight into a secure, comfortable waiting area. Every airport does things a little differently, so your Pet Travel Consultant will walk you through exactly what to expect in your pet’s own personalised travel itinerary.
Where your pet arrives
Pets arriving in New Zealand transit through Auckland or Christchurch.
A note on quarantine
If your pet isn’t travelling from Australia or Norfolk Island, they’ll need a minimum 10-day stay in quarantine on arrival (see Eligibility above). Pets from Australia generally go straight through to collection, no extra wait needed.
If something doesn’t go quite to plan
If the inspecting vet finds fleas or ticks on your pet at the border, they won’t be turned away; they’ll simply be directed to an MPI-approved facility for treatment, at the owner’s expense before being cleared.
The same applies if your pet isn’t given clearance on arrival for any other reason: they’re held at an approved facility (not sent home) while things are sorted out, with the owner covering the inspection and any treatment costs involved.
This is uncommon when the paperwork’s in order, which is exactly why our in-house Vets are thorough on the way out, but we’d rather you know what the process looks like than have it come as a surprise.
After Arrival: Settling Your Pet In
Once your pet has cleared arrival, our New Zealand are able to then re-unite your furbaby with you , transporting them safely from the airport and all the way to your new front door.
Moving to a new country is a big adjustment, even for the furriest members of the family. For some gentle guidance on helping your pet feel at home, take a look at our guide on Settling Into A New Home.
“Ernie has settled wonderfully in the last 24 hours and I was so pleasantly surprised to see how relaxed he was when I got him from his crate in Auckland! Everyone in both Melbourne and Auckland were wonderful with him and myself – so thank you!” — Ernie, Melbourne to Auckland
And if any questions pop up once your pet’s settled in, we’re only ever a phone call away on 1300 452 115.
Trusted By The International Industry’s Best
Jetpets Australia & New Zealand has become the first pet transport company in the Asia Pacific Region to be awarded The Centre of Excellence for Live Animals Logistics (CEIV) Certification.
This globally recognised certification reflects the unwavering commitment to exceptional animal welfare, industry-leading practices and the highest standards in pet transportation across Australia, New Zealand and the world. The Jetpets team is proud to have its expertise, care and dedication recognised globally by IATA (The International Air Transport Association).
As highlighted by Brendan Sullivan, “Congratulations to Jetpets on achieving CEIV Live Animals certification in New Zealand. Jetpets has led the way by implementing standards and best practices to protect the welfare of animals travelling by air. Customers can be confident that their pets’ journeys are safe and comfortable.”
For Jetpets customers, this achievement represents far more than an industry first. It demonstrates that Jetpets has been independently assessed and verified against leading global standards for pet welfare, animal handling and professional pet transportation services.
Hear More From Pet Owners
Frequently Asked Questions About International Pet Transport to New Zealand
Q: How much does it cost to take your pet to New Zealand?
Every quote is different, because every pet’s journey is. The main things that shape the cost are your pet’s size and crate requirements, the vet work and paperwork involved, your specific route, and the level of service you choose. Get in touch and we’ll walk you through exactly what goes into your pet’s quote.
Q: Can I visit my cat or dog in quarantine?
For pets travelling from Australia there’s no quarantine to visit, they skip it entirely and go straight through to collection. Quarantine only applies to pets arriving from other countries, where visiting rules are set by the MPI-approved facility. If your pet’s coming from somewhere other than Australia, get in touch and we’ll walk you through it.
Q: What size crate does my pet need?
Your pet needs a crate they can comfortably stand up, turn around and lie down in, so the right size depends on their breed and measurements, following IATA airline standards. When you travel with Jetpets, we help size and sort the correct IATA-compliant crate for you, so there’s no guesswork.
Q: Can my pets share the same crate?
In most cases each pet travels in their own crate, as it’s the safest way to fly. There are limited exceptions, such as two young pets of similar size from the same litter. But this is subject to airline and IATA rules. Let our team know your pets’ sizes and ages and we’ll tell you what’s possible.
Q: Do you transport puppies and kittens?
Yes, we help puppies and kittens make the move too, though there’s a minimum age they may need to reach before they can travel. They’ll need the same microchip, parasite treatment and health checks as adult pets. Speak to our team for more information as regulations can often change.
For more information on our International Pet Travel services please refer to our FAQ page or fill out our price estimate form for more details.
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