Pet Transport from Malta to Australia

If you are relocating a pet from Malta to Australia, the process is manageable once you know the sequence. Plan for approximately 26-32 weeks. This is a rigorous route with little room to compress the …

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26-32

Weeks lead time needed

Start this early minimum

30 days

Quarantine on arrival

Very High

Route complexity

Airlines on this route

Lead time needed

26-32 weeks

Quarantine

30 days

Route complexity

Very High

Airlines

8 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from Malta to Australia typically takes around 26-32 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 Malta to Australia import process

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

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

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

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

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

After the import permit is issued.

Book the Mickleham quarantine place

Responsible: You or your pet transport agent

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

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

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

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 Malta

Export requirements

Export permit

Not required

Health certificate

EU Pet Passport or AHC. Issued by Veterinary Regulation Directorate-authorised vet.

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

Malta 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
British Airways	Cargo: Pets transported via British Airways World Cargo in temperature-controlled hold. Book through approved cargo agent. No cabin pets on any route.	Cargo Only
Qantas	Cargo: QantasFreighter network for pet transport. Brachycephalic breeds restricted year-round. Temperature embargoes: seasonal restrictions during Australian summer (Dec-Feb)	Cargo Only
Emirates	Cargo: Emirates SkyCargo handles all pet transport as manifested cargo. Brachycephalic breeds accepted with additional requirements and seasonal restrictions. Temperature embargoes during extreme heat (summer months in Gulf region)	Cargo Only
Lufthansa	Pets travel as manifest cargo only on this route; Australia does not accept arrivals in the cabin or as accompanied baggage. Cargo: larger pets via Lufthansa Cargo in pressurised, temperature-controlled hold. Brachycephalic breeds restricted from cargo year-round	Cargo
Singapore Airlines	Cargo: Pets travel in temperature-controlled hold. Brachycephalic breeds subject to restrictions. Temperature embargoes apply on certain routes/seasons	Cargo Only
Cathay Pacific	Cargo: Pets travel as manifested cargo in temperature-controlled hold. Brachycephalic breeds restricted during summer months. Hong Kong AFCD import regulations must be met	Cargo Only
Air France	Pets travel as manifest cargo only on this route; Australia does not accept arrivals in the cabin or as accompanied baggage. Cargo transport available for larger pets. Brachycephalic breeds subject to restrictions/seasonal embargoes	Cargo
KLM	Pets travel as manifest cargo only on this route; Australia does not accept arrivals in the cabin or as accompanied baggage. Cargo: pets transported via KLM Cargo. Temperature restrictions apply. Brachycephalic breeds restricted from cargo	Cargo

Australia import rules, explained

Australia takes biosecurity seriously, and the requirements reflect that. The paperwork is exacting, so accuracy matters as much as timing.

Practical tips for this move

Get your pet used to the travel crate weeks in advance. A calm, crate-familiar animal travels far better than one meeting the crate for the first time at the airport.

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.

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. Malta 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

British Airways
Qantas
Emirates
Lufthansa
Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Air France
KLM

Breed guides

Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.

Browse all breed guides →

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Sources

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