Q&A: Moving Pets to Australia

Name: Ebony
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Puppy
Pet Breed: Scottish Terrier
From: Kansas, The United States
To: Perth, Australia

Hello,

Roughly how much does it cost to ship a puppy (>8kgs) from Kansas to Perth, Australia? What specific vaccinations does the puppy need to have?

Thanks,

Ebony

Hi Ebony,

Thank you for your question. To be honest, Australia can be one of the more expensive places to transport a pet due to freight costs, pre-export vaccines, and quarantine costs (among other things). The process to prepare a pet to move to Australia takes at least 190 days (that includes a mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival), and it all starts with your dog being implanted with a microchip and then given a rabies vaccine.

We suggest looking over the Australia pet import requirements via the official government website. There is a tool here that lets you build a timeline for your move and more information about quarantine facilities, etc. The ultimate cost will vary depending on a few details, but you can expect to spend several hundred dollars or even a few thousand to bring your dog from Kansas to Perth.

Handling the move on your own will be more cost effective, but if you think you'd like some assistance you're welcome to fill out our online consultation form. Due to the complex nature of the process, many people end up deciding to enlist expert help with their moves to Australia in order to avoid delays and problems.

Either way, we hope this helps to get you started! Please let us know if we can be of further assistance, and good luck with everything.