Moving with pets
There’s one member of the family who isn’t mentioned in the employment contract. The dog. Or the cat. And for a great many families, leaving them behind isn’t an option.
Absolutely possible. Not remotely last-minute.
Moving pets to Australia works from many countries, but it requires considerably more planning than booking an extra seat on the flight.
Australia operates strict biosecurity requirements designed to protect their unique environments and animal health. That means your pet’s move needs to be planned alongside your own, not a few weeks before departure.
For most owners, a pet isn’t cargo to be transported after the move. They’re part of who’s moving.
Start planning early
The process your pet follows depends on the country you are moving from.
Requirements can include microchipping, vaccinations, rabies testing, parasite treatments, veterinary examinations, official documentation, import permits and quarantine. And the order matters: where a test or treatment has to happen within a specified window, getting the sequence wrong can delay the whole move.
As soon as Australia becomes a serious possibility, not when the removal boxes are packed. You don’t need a signed contract to start researching your pet’s requirements, and starting early is the cheapest thing you can do.
What Australia requires
Requirements follow the biosecurity risk of your country of export, so the same breed can face different processes from different countries.
Among the strictest in the world
Requirements depend on the country your pet is travelling from and the type of animal. Dogs and cats from approved countries may need to complete a series of veterinary and biosecurity steps before departure.
- Identification by microchip
- Rabies vaccination and testing
- Parasite treatments
- Veterinary certification
- An import permit
Some animals will also need to spend time in post-entry quarantine after arriving. There are additional restrictions affecting certain breeds and circumstances, so don’t assume that because somebody else’s dog moved successfully, yours follows the same route.
The regulator is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It sorts countries of export into groups by rabies risk and publishes a separate step-by-step guide for each group, so the first thing to establish is which group your country sits in. That guide is then your checklist: agriculture.gov.au — step-by-step guides.
Regulations change. A checklist somebody used a few years ago, or even relatively recently, should never replace current government guidance. Check the source, not the forum post.
Will my pet have to quarantine?
Possibly. It depends on the animal and the country it is travelling from — Australia sorts countries into groups by rabies risk, and that determines the process.
If quarantine is required, availability becomes part of your relocation timeline. Facilities book up, and that’s one of the clearest reasons pet travel shouldn’t be left until the end of the process.
Your employment start date, your family’s flights and your pet’s travel date may not be the same. Plan them as three linked decisions rather than assuming everyone arrives together.
Your pet doesn’t necessarily have to travel with you
A clinician might travel first, begin work, move out of temporary accommodation and secure a pet-friendly long-term rental before their partner, children and pets follow. Other families move together and arrange for the pet to arrive separately.
There isn’t one correct way. Think about what makes the transition easiest for both your family and your animal, and remember that arriving into a settled home is a much gentler landing for a dog than arriving into a serviced apartment and a house-hunt.
Finding a pet-friendly rental
Getting your pet into the country is only half the problem. You also need somewhere to live that will have them.
Check the rules around pets before assuming a property is suitable, and pay particular attention to temporary accommodation. A serviced apartment or short-term let that works perfectly for a family may not accept a dog or cat. If your pet is arriving after you, use that window to find suitable long-term accommodation.
Then think beyond whether the landlord permits pets:
- Is there enough space?
- Is there a secure garden, if you have a dog?
- Are there good places nearby for walking?
- How long will your pet be alone while you’re working?
The right home for your family needs to work for them too.
How much does it cost?
The total depends on where you’re travelling from, the size and type of animal, veterinary requirements, transport and whether quarantine is required.
Potential expenses include veterinary appointments, vaccinations, blood tests, official certification, permits, airline transport, travel crates, pet relocation companies and quarantine. For a large dog or multiple animals, the total can become a significant part of the family’s relocation budget.
It is far easier to plan for this six months out than to discover it once you’ve committed most of your savings to flights, accommodation and setting up the new home. Our relocation cost guide shows where this sits against everything else you’ll be paying for.
What is the flight like for them?
Ask for it stage by stage
Depending on the route and airline arrangements, your pet may travel in a specially designed crate in an appropriate part of the aircraft rather than alongside you in the cabin. There may also be stopovers or transfers.
A reputable pet transport specialist or airline should be able to explain the journey clearly, including where your animal will be during each stage. If your pet is elderly or has a medical condition, discuss the proposed route with your vet well in advance.
Not your decision to make alone
If you’re worried about how your pet will cope, speak to your vet and the company responsible for transporting them.
Sedation can create additional risks during air travel and may not be permitted or recommended in some circumstances. The right approach depends on the individual animal and the requirements of the carrier, so ask both, and follow the advice.
You don’t have to manage all of this alone. Specialists can coordinate veterinary timelines, documentation, travel crates, flights and quarantine arrangements. At a cost. Some families value having someone run a complicated process while they’re simultaneously dealing with visas, registration, jobs, schools and their own move; others prefer to manage it themselves. If you do use one, establish exactly what the quote includes and what you’ll still need to arrange separately.
Older pets, restricted breeds & other animals
Three situations where the answer needs checking before you spend any money on the process.
A different conversation
Moving a healthy three-year-old dog and moving a fourteen-year-old dog are very different decisions. For an older animal, the length of the journey, underlying conditions and ability to cope with transport all need careful thought.
That doesn’t automatically mean an older pet can’t relocate. It means the decision belongs with your vet, rather than resting on whether the paperwork permits it.
Some animals can’t come
Australia restricts the importation of certain dog breeds or types, and there can be restrictions affecting hybrid animals. If there’s any possibility your dog falls within a restricted category, check the official rules first, don’t rely on appearance, breeder descriptions or informal advice.
For pets other than dogs and cats, birds, rabbits, reptiles, don’t assume the dog-and-cat process applies. Check whether your animal can legally be imported before making any plans. For some species and countries of origin, it may not be possible at all.
The first few weeks after arrival
The journey is only one part of your pet’s transition.
Establish a predictable routine as quickly as you can. Find a local vet, update identification details where required, and learn the local rules for registration, microchipping and dog control.
Then do the enjoyable part. Find the walks. Find the parks. Find the beach.
For a lot of families, exploring the new neighbourhood with the dog is the first thing that makes the place feel like home.
Could your employer help?
Pet relocation isn’t normally a standard employment benefit, but that isn’t quite the end of the question.
If your employer is providing a general relocation allowance rather than paying only specified expenses, you may have some flexibility over how that money is used. Never assume pet transport is covered. Ask what the relocation contribution can and cannot be used for before making any bookings.
Our offer guide covers how to raise this well, and relocation support is often more negotiable than the salary itself.
Specialists & quarantine facilities
Specialist relocation companies can coordinate veterinary requirements, documentation, flights, travel crates and quarantine. For candidates relocating from the UK, established providers include:
PetAir UK
A vet-led international pet relocation company providing services to Australia and New Zealand.
Airpets International
Heathrow-based international pet transport specialist with veterinary and animal-handling facilities.
PBS Pet Travel
UK pet relocation company arranging international transport for dogs, cats and other animals.
One government facility
Cats and dogs requiring post-entry quarantine in Australia are accommodated at the Australian Government’s Post Entry Quarantine Facility at Mickleham, near Melbourne.
Requirements for importing animals depend on the country your pet is travelling from, and they change without notice — always check the current Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry guidance before making arrangements. Ethicare does not receive commission from any of the providers listed here. We’d recommend obtaining several quotes and confirming current government requirements directly before you book anything.
I should declare an interest: we are all completely soft about animals here, and there are two dogs in the Ethicare office on any given day. So when someone tells me they won’t move without their dog, I don’t treat that as a complication to be worked around. It’s just one of the things that has to work. What I’d say is that this is the part of a relocation people leave latest and regret most, because the timings are fixed by regulation and no amount of goodwill speeds them up. Raise it with us in the first conversation, not the last. It’s far easier to build the whole move around your pet’s timeline than to discover six weeks before departure that the sequence doesn’t work.
SophieFounder, Ethicare Resourcing
The questions we’re asked about moving with pets
How far in advance should I start?
As soon as the move becomes a serious possibility. Several of the veterinary steps have to happen in a particular order and within specified windows, and quarantine facilities have finite availability, so the timeline is set by regulation rather than by how organised you are. Starting early costs nothing and prevents the most common delays.
Will my dog definitely have to go into quarantine?
Not necessarily, it depends on the destination, the animal and your country of origin, since Australia categorises countries by biosecurity risk. Where quarantine does apply, treat facility availability as part of your relocation timeline rather than an afterthought.
Can my pet travel on the same flight as me?
Sometimes, but don’t assume it. Depending on the route and airline, your pet may travel in a specially designed crate in an appropriate part of the aircraft rather than in the cabin, and there may be stopovers or transfers. A reputable specialist or the airline should walk you through where your animal will be at each stage.
Should my pet be sedated for the journey?
That’s a decision for your vet and the transport company, not something to arrange yourself. Sedation can carry additional risks in air travel and may not be permitted or recommended depending on the animal and the carrier’s requirements.
My dog is a restricted breed, is that the end of it?
Check the official rules before assuming either way, and before spending anything. Australia restricts certain breeds or types, and there can be restrictions on hybrid animals. Don’t rely on appearance, breeder descriptions or informal advice. This is one to confirm at the source.
What about a rabbit, bird or reptile?
Considerably more complicated, and for some species and countries of origin importing isn’t possible. The dog-and-cat process doesn’t transfer. Confirm whether your animal can legally be imported before making any relocation plans around it.
Will an employer pay for pet relocation?
It isn’t a standard benefit, so never assume it. But if the employer offers a general relocation allowance rather than reimbursing only specified expenses, you may have flexibility over how it’s used. Ask what the contribution can and can’t cover before you book.
Tell us about them in the first conversation
Where you’ll live, where the children will go to school, when the family should travel, and how and when your pets make the journey. These aren’t small details to sort out once the job is secured. They’re part of whether the relocation works for everybody.
Ethicare Resourcing, healthcare careers across Australia & New Zealand.