Moving Overseas with Your Pet

Hawthorn East Vet

If you’re relocating overseas and need to get your pet ready for the big trip, come and chat to us – we love travel!

Dr Andrew Collins and Dr Mark Matthews are AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) accredited vets and can help perform all the treatment and tests required to prepare your pet for travel. Before making your appointment, we recommend that you visit the Department of Agriculture website to find out the requirements/paperwork necessary for the country you are travelling to.

Once you have firmed up your plans, call and make an appointment. Click here to download our export information sheet that needs to be returned to us so we can make your appointment.
And when you get to your new home, don’t forget to send us a postcard!

Booking Info
  • All Owners should receive an Export Info handout, prior to any export consultation.
  • No export consult should be booked without receipt of the requested information.
  • Export consultations should always be at least 30 minutes, for two animals 45mins is usually fine. See country specific notes for more info
  • Export appointments should ideally be booked at the end of any consulting block. Make sure ARC is rostered on that shift.
  • All bookings should be advised to arrive 5-10mins prior to scheduled time to ensure paperwork can be completed.
  • Animals should be classified as CANINE/FELINE – Export
  • Once an appointment is booked, please make up a paper folder with Animal’s name + Destination to hold appropriate paperwork.
  • An export vet should be informed when an export consult is booked.
  • Please ask Client for requested paperwork at time of consult, hand to export vet
  • All export animals require a microchip, we can provide this if required.
  • We recommend all export animals should be up to date with preventative vaccinations.
  • All animals should be over 12 weeks of age. Dispensation can be given to younger animals but this can be more complex.
  • We recommend the use of a pet transport company, and have most experience with JetPets.
Common Exports

European Union (incl UK)

  • Needs microchip
  • Needs rabies vacc AT LEAST 21 days and NOT MORE than 12 months from date of departure.
  • Pets must travel within 5 days of their owners or import is classed as COMMERCIAL – different paperwork + increased costs. (Current April 2015)

USA/Canada

  • Rabies requirement differs by state, optional but RECOMMENDED
    Microchip, may require re-implantation with AVID chip in North America.

China (NOT HONGKONG or TAIWAN)

  • Vaccination for distemper/hepatitis/parvovirus at least 14d before export or up to 12 months
  • Rabies vaccination(dogs aged 3 months and over)
  • Microchip
  • All vaccination certificates must identify:
    • the name and address of the practice
    • the name of the attending veterinarian
    • the name of the owner of the animal
      description of the animal including age and microchip number
    • the date of vaccination
    • the vaccine used including serial and batch number, and
      in the case of vaccination against rabies,
      • Use by date of the vaccine.
  • If up to date with routine vacc, O needs to get appropriate certificate from clinic where vacc has been performed or can be re-vaccinated here.

New Zealand

Dogs

  • Requires microchip
  • No import permit required, no quarantine from Australia.
  • Can only arrive at recognized airports + MPI NZ must be informed 5d prior to arrival date.
  • Ideally needs appointment EXACTLY 16 DAYS BEFORE date of travel.
  • MUST BE FASTED for appointment – Requires blood collection for submission to VETPATH
  • Needs topical flea control – Frontline+ spot-on. THIS NEEDS TO BE ORDERED, 3mth supply, so need to check weight of dog.
  • Worming tablet

Cats

  • Requires microchip
  • No requirement for blood testing.
  • Needs to be treated with FRONTLINE SPRAY 30 -16 days prior to departure
  • Need to order prior to consult, cost to client.
  • Worming

Any Other Country

  • Provide general info as above and inform Export Vet
  • ‘Difficult’ exports are Taiwan (Cats), Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa & Fiji. As much warning as possible is appreciated.

Contact Us

Hawthorn East Vet

Our team of professionals are here to help make pet care easy. If you have any questions or concerns about your pet's health, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We love talking about animals and we’re more than happy to help! If you would like to make an appointment you can book online or give us a call to arrange a suitable time.

Call Our Team

(03) 9882 0007

Opening Hours

Monday - Friday: 8am - 7pm
Saturday: 9am - 3pm
Sunday: Closed

Address

1 Victoria Road, Hawthorn East, VIC 3123

Hawthorn East Vet

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