Is There a Quarantine for Cats Traveling from Japan to Australia?

Name: Lance
Number of Pets: 3
Pet Type: Cats
Pet Breed: Domestic Shorthair
From: Japan
To: Australia

Dear PetRelocation,

Do all the requirements for rabies vaccinations and such still apply if I'm coming from a rabies free area with my pets?

Thanks,

Lance

Hi Lance,

That's a great question. Figuring out the pet import requirements for Australia can definitely be tricky (especially considering that, beginning in February 2014, the quarantine rules are set to be changed).

The best way to go about researching the procedures is to visit the official Australia government website. As you'll see, they actually now provide a handy drop-down chart and timeline based on your move details. The last time we checked, the site says that pet moves taking place after Feb. 3 will fall in line with the new requirements (so pets will have a 10-day quarantine rather than the current 30-day quarantine).

Pets coming from Japan, a Category 2 country, still need to fulfill a quarantine upon arrival. For more information about Australia quarantine, please feel free to explore our blog (here's a great dog and cat quarantine story, for example). Hopefully you'll see it's not such a scary prospect!

If you have further questions and think you'd like some professional assistance with your move, please fill out our free quote form. Good luck with everything, and thanks for the questions!