Taking your dog or cat from Hong Kong to Australia comes down to good timing and the right paperwork. Budget around 28-36 weeks and start early, because the mandatory waits on this route stack up …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Hong Kong to Australia
typically takes around 28-36 weeks.
Expect 30 days of quarantine on arrival.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Verification date not recorded. Confirm current requirements with the destination authority.
Prepared by Marcus Webb, Senior Pet Relocation Consultant
Step by step
The Hong Kong to Australia import process
01
First. The vet who takes the rabies blood sample scans it, and every document carries its number. DAFF does not accept microchips starting with 999 for dogs.
Check or implant an ISO compatible microchip
Responsible: Your vet
02
At 84 days of age or older. It must stay valid, without a single day's gap, from the blood test until export.
Rabies vaccination
Responsible: Your vet
03
Before the rabies blood test, at a separate visit. Without it, quarantine in Australia is at least 30 days instead of 10.
Official identity check by a government veterinarian
Responsible: Official government vet
04
3 to 4 weeks after the vaccination, FAVN or RFFIT, result 0.5 IU/ml or more. The 180-day wait starts the day the sample arrives at the laboratory, not the day it is taken.
Rabies blood test (RNATT)
Responsible: Government approved vet and laboratory
05
DAFF says most permits are issued in 20 to 40 business days, and some take up to 123.
Apply for the DAFF import permit through BICON
Responsible: You or your pet transport agent
06
After the import permit is issued.
Book the Mickleham quarantine place
Responsible: You or your pet transport agent
07
Within 45 days of export: a Leishmania infantum test for dogs, a Brucella canis test for dogs that are not desexed, and Leptospira Canicola vaccination or a negative test. Two internal parasite treatments at least 14 days apart, the second within 5 days of export. External parasite treatment from at least 30 days (dogs) or 21 days (cats) before export.
Pre-export tests and treatments
Responsible: Government approved vet
08
Within 5 days before export, after the final health check and the second internal parasite treatment, with every page signed and stamped.
DAFF health certificate signed by an official government veterinarian
Responsible: Official government vet
09
No earlier than 180 days after the blood sample reached the laboratory. Pets cannot travel in the cabin, and there are no domestic transfers.
Fly as manifested cargo directly into Melbourne
Responsible: Airline cargo
10
At least 10 days if the identity check was done before the blood test, otherwise at least 30 days.
Quarantine at Mickleham, Melbourne
Responsible: DAFF
Requirements
Australia entry requirements
Every item below must be in place before your pet can enter. We verify and track each one.
Microchip
An ISO compatible microchip, readable by an ISO compatible reader. DAFF does not accept microchips starting with 999 for dogs.
Rabies vaccination
Given at 84 days of age or older, and kept valid without a single day's gap from the blood test until export.
Rabies titre test
Required. Blood taken 3 to 4 weeks after the rabies vaccination, tested by FAVN or RFFIT, result 0.5 IU/ml or more. Export is allowed no earlier than 180 days after the sample arrives at the laboratory. The result is valid for 12 months from the sample date.
Quarantine
At least 30 days at the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility in Melbourne, reduced to at least 10 days if an official government veterinarian verified your pet's identity before the rabies blood test. Book the place after the import permit is issued.
Import permit
Required, from DAFF through its BICON system. DAFF says most permits are issued in 20 to 40 business days, and some take up to 123.
Health certificate
DAFF's veterinary health certificate, completed, signed and stamped on every page by an official government veterinarian within 5 days before export.
Leaving Hong Kong
Export requirements
Export permit
An AFCD export health certificate serves as the export authorisation document. No separate export permit is required, but AFCD identity verification (microchip scan) must be completed before the certificate is issued.
Health certificate
Required. AFCD (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department) issues the export health certificate for pets leaving Hong Kong. The certificate is prepared by an AFCD-authorised veterinarian in the DAFF-approved format for Australian import. AFCD verifies the microchip by identity scan before the export certificate is issued. Source: AFCD, afcd.gov.hk.
Costs
What this route typically costs
Australian government charges for one pet (DAFF import permit and Mickleham quarantine): about AUD 3,000 to 3,300 with a 10-day stay, or about AUD 4,100 to 4,400 with a 30-day stay (DAFF fees, checked October 2026).
Veterinary work, tests and the health certificate in the export country: quoted per move.
Flight as manifested cargo to Melbourne: depends on crate size, routing and season, quoted per move.
Prices change with your pet's size and crate, the airline and routing, the season, fuel surcharges and exchange rates. Your quote may differ.
Critical points
Hong Kong is in DAFF's Group 3, so the 180-day wait applies. It runs from the day the blood sample arrives at the laboratory, so time in the post is added to it.
Quarantine is at least 30 days unless an official government veterinarian verified your pet's identity before the blood test, in which case it is at least 10.
Pets enter Australia only through Melbourne International Airport, as manifested cargo.
Australia bans these dog breeds outright: dogo Argentino, fila Brasileiro, Japanese tosa, American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier, and Perro de Presa Canario, plus the wolf hybrids Czechoslovakian wolfdog, Saarloos wolfdog, Lupo Italiano and Kunming wolfdog. Non-domestic cat hybrids (Savannah, Safari, Chausie and Bengal, and their crossbred offspring) are banned, and Bengal cats have not been allowed into Australia since 1 March 2026 (DAFF).
Airlines
Approved carriers on this route
Airline
Notes
Type
Cathay Pacific
Cargo only from Hong Kong (HKG) to Melbourne (MEL), Sydney (SYD) and other Australian cities via Cathay Pacific Cargo. The primary and most direct carrier for this route. Strong live animal handling capability at Hong Kong International Airport. No cabin pets on any Cathay Pacific international route. Brachycephalic breeds restricted during summer months.
Cargo Only
Qantas
Cargo from Hong Kong to Australian cities via Qantas Freight. No cabin pets. Brachycephalic breeds restricted year-round on Qantas cargo. Temperature embargoes during Australian summer (December to February).
Cargo Only
Emirates
Cargo routing via Dubai (DXB) hub. Connects Hong Kong to Melbourne. Additional stop adds journey time but can offer alternative scheduling. Pets travel as manifested cargo in temperature-controlled hold.
Cargo Only
Singapore Airlines
Cargo routing via Singapore (SIN) hub. Connects Hong Kong to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Pets travel in pressurised, temperature-controlled hold via Singapore Airlines Cargo. The SIN connection is a well-established alternative to Cathay direct.
Cargo Only
British Airways
Cargo via London Heathrow (LHR) hub. A longer routing but useful if Cathay direct is fully booked. Relevant also for BNO visa holders spending time in the UK before Australia. No cabin pets on any BA route.
Cargo Only
Meeting Australia's entry requirements
Entry to Australia is tightly controlled, and officials verify each requirement in turn. Treat it as a sequence where every step gates the next.
Advice worth following
Confirm live animal acceptance on every flight segment before booking. Not all aircraft or connections take pets, and cargo terms can differ leg to leg.
Keep every original document together and take copies. Border officials want originals, and a missing signature or date can hold up clearance.
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
FAQ
Common questions about this route
DAFF says to allow at least 6 months for a Group 3 move. The fixed part is the 180 days from the day the blood sample reaches the laboratory, plus the time before it for vaccination and the blood test, and quarantine after arrival.
Yes. Every pet goes to the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility in Melbourne for at least 30 days, or at least 10 if an official government veterinarian verified its identity before the rabies blood test.
Yes. Hong Kong is in DAFF’s Group 3. The blood is taken 3 to 4 weeks after the rabies vaccination and must show 0.5 IU/ml or more, and export is allowed no earlier than 180 days after the sample arrives at the laboratory.
Yes. Apply to DAFF through BICON before you book. DAFF says most permits are issued in 20 to 40 business days, and some take up to 123.
DAFF’s own veterinary health certificate, completed, signed and stamped on every page by an official government veterinarian within 5 days before export.
Airline guides
Cathay Pacific
Qantas
Emirates
Singapore Airlines
British Airways
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm
current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
DAFF· Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
IATA· International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations