Returning to Australia with a Dog

Name: Mrs. Swanson
Number of Pets: One
Pet Type: Dog
Pet Breed: Maltese Shih tzu
From: Tanzania
To: Perth, Australia

Dear PetRelocation,

We live south of Perth, Australia. We have an opportunity to live and work in Tanzania for 3-4 years. We want to take our dog with us and when the job is over we want to return to Perth and bring our dog back with us.

Can we bring him back to Australia from Tanzania, and if so, what are the quarantine periods?

What are the requirements regarding shots, microchipping, vet checks etc. that would apply to us going from Australia to Tanzania?

Thank you,
Mrs. Swanson

 

Hi Mrs. Swanson,

Thanks for the question. As you probably know, Australia has pretty strict import requirements due to the fact that it is a rabies free country. You would be able to bring your dog to Tanzania by following these import rules, but according to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Tanzania is not on the list of countries from which it is permissible to bring pets directly into Australia.

People who hope to bring pets to Australia from non-approved countries are not completely out of luck, but in order to complete the process must transfer their pet to a "Category 3" country for a period of time before they can then be allowed entry into Australia. You can find more information about that here.

Sorry you're not facing an easy process; please let us know if you have more questions. Good luck with everything -- hope it all works out for your family!