Shipping a dog or cat from Mongolia to Australia rewards owners who start planning early. Give yourself close to 34-40 weeks, as several stages run on fixed clocks that no agent can shorten. Your pet will spend 10 days in quarantine after …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Mongolia to Australia
typically takes around 34-40 weeks.
Expect 10 days of quarantine on arrival.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The Mongolia to Australia pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Confirm South Korea as the staging country, weighing its existing MIAT and Korean Air routes against Singapore or the UK, both viable but requiring a flight Mongolia doesn't already operate at this frequency.
Responsible: Owner
Before any other preparation begins.
2
GAVS-endorsed export certificate, microchip and rabies vaccination arranged for the initial Mongolia-to-South Korea move.
Responsible: Owner and a GAVS-registered vet
4-6 weeks before that flight.
3
Pet arrives in South Korea; the 180-day residency clock starts, alongside South Korea's own entry rules.
Responsible: Owner
Day one of residency.
4
Microchip identity verified by the competent authority, then RNATT blood drawn at a DAFF-approved laboratory.
Responsible: South Korean vet and an approved laboratory
At least 30 days after vaccination, and as early in the residency period as possible to protect the reduced 10-day quarantine option.
5
DAFF import permit applied for via BICON, and the Mickleham quarantine slot booked.
Responsible: Owner
Once the RNATT result is confirmed.
6
Fly to Melbourne on Korean Air's connecting service or via Qatar Airways through Doha, and complete the mandatory Mickleham stay.
Responsible: Airline and DAFF
After 180 days of both residency and the post-RNATT wait have cleared.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter Australia
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
ISO 11784/11785 microchip required, scanned and identity-verified before the RNATT blood draw.
Rabies vaccination
Administered or confirmed once the pet is South Korea-resident. Australia only recognises a rabies course given in, or revalidated within, an approved country.
Rabies titre test
Required. A Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) at a DAFF-approved laboratory, minimum 0.5 IU/ml, blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination. A 180-day wait then runs from the date the laboratory receives the sample, and this cannot be shortened. It can, however, run alongside the 180-day South Korea residency rather than after it.
Quarantine
Minimum 10 days at Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine Facility, Melbourne, if the microchip identity check happened before the RNATT blood draw and at least 180 days before departure. Miss that window and the default rises to a 30-day minimum stay. Melbourne is the only Australian airport DAFF accepts imported cats and dogs through, whatever the final destination city.
Import permit
DAFF import permit applied for through BICON during the South Korea residency period.
Health certificate
DAFF-format health certificate, issued in South Korea within 5 days of the flight to Australia, not in Mongolia.
Export permit (Mongolia)
No standalone export permit for a personal pet. The General Authority for Veterinary Services (GAVS), Ulaanbaatar, oversees the paperwork instead, and this first certificate only covers the initial Mongolia-to-South Korea leg, not the later Australia-bound flight.
Government endorsement
Certificate processed through GAVS's digital veterinary system, in nationwide use since May 2019.
Costs
What this route typically costs
GAVS certificate and Mongolian vet fees for the initial move: approx. EUR 80-160.
South Korea residency living costs over 180 days: variable, not a fixed transport cost.
RNATT titre test at a DAFF-approved South Korean laboratory: USD 150-300.
DAFF import permit via BICON: AUD 420.
Mickleham quarantine, 10 or 30 days depending on identity-check timing: AUD 1,800-6,000.
Cargo fare, Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, then Seoul to Melbourne: USD 2,000-4,200 across both legs.
Total direct transport and processing costs, excluding South Korea living costs: USD 4,500-9,000.
Critical points to read before you book
Mongolia has no path to a direct Australia import. Every plan starts with 180 consecutive days somewhere on DAFF's Group 1, 2 or 3 list, chosen before anything else is booked.
The microchip identity check has to happen before the RNATT blood draw, and at least 180 days before the flight, to qualify for the shorter 10-day Mickleham stay. Get the sequencing wrong and the default 30-day quarantine applies instead, adding real cost.
MIAT's cargo-hold brachycephalic exclusion list runs to 18 breeds, wider than most carriers', so check a flat-faced dog against the current list before booking the opening Seoul leg.
Melbourne is the only Australian port DAFF will process an imported pet through. A flight that lands anywhere else first, then connects domestically, is not accepted.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
MIAT MONGOLIAN
MIAT Mongolian Airlines
Covers the opening Ulaanbaatar to Seoul Incheon leg that starts the 180-day South Korea residency, 25 times a week, the airline's own busiest international route. An 18-breed brachycephalic exclusion list applies to the cargo hold; affected dogs are limited to the sub-5kg cabin option.
Cabin and Cargo
KOREAN AIR
Korean Air
Alternative first leg, 8 weekly Ulaanbaatar to Incheon flights. Also runs the eventual Australia-bound leg via its own connecting service to Melbourne through Sydney or Brisbane, useful since the pet stays under one airline's handling chain rather than transferring between carriers mid-journey.
Cabin and Cargo
QATAR AIRWAYS
Qatar Airways
A workable alternative for the final South-Korea-to-Australia leg via Doha. Qatar Airways states plainly that animals bound for Australia can only be carried through to Melbourne, matching DAFF's own entry rule regardless of which Australian city an owner is actually relocating to.
Cargo Only
What Australia requires
Entry to Australia is tightly controlled, and officials verify each requirement in turn. Treat it as a sequence where every step gates the next.
Avoiding the common mistakes
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.
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
FAQ
Common questions about Mongolia to Australia pet transport
No. Mongolia is not on any of DAFF’s Group 1, 2 or 3 approved lists, so direct export to Australia isn’t available. The pet must complete 180 consecutive days of residency in an approved country first. Source: DAFF, agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/policy/risk-analysis/animal/dogs_and_cats, checked 2026-07-20.
South Korea is DAFF Group 3 approved, and MIAT already flies Ulaanbaatar to Seoul 25 times a week, with Korean Air adding 8 more. That means the 180-day residency clock can start on a route Mongolian pets already fly in large numbers, without booking a separate long-haul flight to a different continent purely to satisfy the residency rule.
If the pet’s microchip identity is verified by the competent authority before the RNATT blood draw, and this happens at least 180 days before the flight to Australia, Mickleham quarantine falls to a 10-day minimum instead of the default 30 days. Timing the identity check early in the South Korea residency period protects this shorter stay.
Potentially, yes. MIAT’s cargo-hold brachycephalic exclusion list covers 18 breeds, including some not every owner considers flat-faced, such as Cane Corso and Mastiff. An affected dog is limited to the sub-5kg cabin option on MIAT, so check the current list before booking the opening Ulaanbaatar-to-Seoul leg.
No. Every pet entering Australia, from any origin, must land at Melbourne, the only airport with DAFF’s Mickleham quarantine facility attached. Once the mandatory quarantine stay is complete, you can then arrange domestic onward travel to your actual destination city.
Airline guides
MIAT Mongolian Airlines
Korean Air
Qatar Airways
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.