How Much Does It Cost to Bring a Dog to Australia?

The process of importing a dog to Australia is one of the most complex in the world, involving a lot of preparation as well as a stay in quarantine. Due to this, the cost of bringing a dog to Australia is quite expensive. But what are the costs involved and what is the likely total?

I share the costs that I paid to bring my dog to Australia. Note that I brought my dog to Australia in December 2018, so many costs have since increased. Standard government charges were last checked in September 2025 and I explain other changes to costs.

Find out more about my experience bringing my dog to Australia plus more tips on importing a dog to Australia, including the latest rule changes

Cost of Vet Visits and Tests

One of the most variable costs of bringing a dog to Australia is the cost of the various vet visits and tests required to bring your dog to Australia. This is due to two reasons: different pets require different preparation steps and the cost of vet visits vary from country to country.

For a list of the complete preparation steps required for your dog, see the detailed guides on the Department of Agriculture website. Generally, the following will be required to be completed by your vet:

• A rabies titre (RNAT) test between 180 days and 12 months before import (plus a microchip and rabies vaccination beforehand, if not already done)
• RNAT test declaration completed by an official government veterinarian (unless RNAT test done in Australia, like applied in my case)
• Test for Leishmania infantum
• Test for Leptospira canicola, if not vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola
• Test for Brucella canis, if not desexed
• External parasite treatments
• Internal parasite treatments
• Treatment against Babesia canis, if have visited mainland Africa
• Final pre-export clinical examination
• Completion of veterinary health certificate

Our dog required all of the above steps and tests, except the RNAT test declaration, Brucella canis test and Babesia canis treatment. He was also tested for Ehrlichia canis, which is no longer required.

His rabies titre test was done in Australia in early 2017 while all the other tests were done in the USA in late 2018, both expensive countries for veterinary bills. I know someone else who exported their dog from Canada to Australia a few months later who paid just over half what I paid in the USA. As of 2026, these costs in the USA would certainly be even higher.

Cost of rabies titre test incl. vet consultation (Australia): $367 AUD (2017)

Cost of remaining tests and 3 vet consultations (USA): $1537 AUD (2018)

Cost of Import Permit

Once you have a rabies titre test and declaration completed for your dog, the next cost of bringing your dog to Australia is the cost of an import permit. This needs to be done on the Australian Biosecurity Import Conditions website, and is valid for up to 12 months, or until the rabies titre test expires.

There is a discounted rate for multiple animals in the same consignment. The latest fees and further details are listed here. Typically, most permits are assessed within 20-40 business days, but it may take longer.

Cost of import permit (one dog): $603 AUD (as of March 2026)

Cost of Dog Quarantine in Australia

Once you have received the import permit, it’s best to book your dog’s quarantine stay as soon as possible, before making any further preparations. All pet dogs and cats entering Australia require a 10-day or 30-day quarantine stay at the Mickleham post-entry quarantine facility in Melbourne. This is booked at the Post Entry Biosecurity System website.

When making a quarantine booking, there is an application fee charged. Once you confirm the quarantine booking (previously, at least 7 days before your pet’s arrival but generally before finalising your pet’s flight), you need to pay the importation charge and quarantine set fees, based on a standard 10-day or 30-day stay.

You will also be charged at least one additional fee before your dog is released from quarantine, listed as “recovery of airline handling charge”. This is an airport charge paid by the quarantine staff on your behalf when your dog is collected from the airport.

Before your dog is released, you will also be invoiced any additional quarantine costs, for example if your dog requires a longer stay in quarantine (which is thankfully not common, with a charge of $53 per day) or out-of-hours collection fees. The full list of current charges are listed here.

Reservation charge: $269 AUD (as of March 2026)

Quarantine set fees for 10-day stay (Importation Charge + Inspection Fee + Document Assessment + Accommodation): $1768 AUD (as of March 2026)

Quarantine set fees for 30-day stay: $2828 AUD (as of March 2026)

Recovery of airline handling charge: $170-350 AUD (I paid $97 AUD in 2018)

Cost of Flights to Australia

The other largest cost of bringing a dog to Australia is the actual cost of the flight. As dogs have to fly as cargo when flying to Australia on commercial airlines, the flight costs are far more expensive than the typical fees for dogs flying in the cabin or as excess luggage in other countries.

The two main factors in the flight cost are the size of your dog and the flight duration. Just like when posting a package, the measurement of your dog’s crate is used by most airlines to determine an equivalent chargeable weight.

When flying my dog, Schnitzel, back to Australia, we booked him directly with Qantas to fly from Los Angeles to Melbourne on a non-stop 15-hour flight. He’s only a small 5kg, so his crate was quite small, and his flight cost far less than for a large dog.

As of 2025, the fees to transport pets have significantly increased. Initially, it was hoped this was only temporarily due to the Covid disruptions, but the fees did not go back down. In particular, Qantas states on their website that they no longer accept direct bookings, so even this flight would cost more through a pet transport company.

Additionally, if you have a larger dog, expect for the flight cost to be significantly higher.

Flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne for a small dog (PP40 crate): $1314 AUD (2018)

Miscellaneous Costs

There may be some additional costs that apply, depending on your circumstances.

For starters, if you haven’t previously flown with your dog in the hold, you will likely need to purchase a suitable crate. For information on the IATA guidelines and how to calculate the minimum size crate for your dog, see this IATA page. I detail more about selecting a crate on my posts about bringing a dog to Australia.

There is also likely to be a charge for an official government veterinarian to endorse your dog’s veterinary health certificate and additional paperwork. In the USA, this is done by the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services.

Finally, as the only post-entry quarantine facility in Australia is located in Melbourne, if you don’t live in Melbourne there is the cost to transport your dog to their final destination in Australia. In my case, we choose to have our dog picked up and flown to Sydney by a pet transport company, Jetpets.

Note that the cost to transport pets within Australia are now significantly more expensive – at least double what they cost before the Covid disruptions.

Crate (similar to PP40) and water bowl: $82 AUD (2018)

Health certificate endorsement (USDA APHIS VS, 3-6 laborator tests): $206 USD or $295 AUD (as of March 2028)

Delivery from quarantine to Sydney Airport (small dog): $235 AUD (2018)

What If You Use a Pet Transport Company?

Many airlines require you to book via a pet transport company. Not to mention using a pet transport company is far easier than handling the complex process to bring a pet to Australia yourself. (Read my post on the reasons why you might want to use a pet transport company.)

The downside to using a pet transport company is the additional cost involved. However, often the overhead isn’t as high as people realise (although it varies).

Even without using a pet transport company it is very expensive to bring a dog to Australia, with more costs involved than many people realise, and pet transport companies often just list one daunting large number, rather than breaking down the component costs.

Total Cost of Bringing a Dog to Australia

The total cost to bring your dog to Australia varies, depending on where you are currently located, the size of your dog, what specific tests are required, and whether you use a pet transport company.

As an example of a lower end cost, where my dog flew directly from Los Angeles to Melbourne, is a small dog, and we did not use a pet transport company except for the final flight to Sydney, here were my total costs (using the latest March 2026 fees for set government costs, but older vet and flight costs):

Rabies titre test (before leaving Australia): $367
Remaining tests and 3 x vet consultations (USA): $1537
Import permit: $603*
Quarantine initial booking fee: $269*
Quarantine set fees (10-day stay): $1768*
Recovery of airline handling charge: $97
Flight from LA to Melbourne (small dog): $1314
Crate (similar to PP40) and water bowl: $82
Health certificate endorsement (USDA APHIS VS): $295
Delivery from quarantine to Sydney Airport (small dog): $235

Total cost: $6567 AUD (approx. $4600 USD)

Note that the three charges that I’ve marked with an asterisk above are set Australian government charges (as of March 2026), that apply regardless of dog size or location, totalling $2640. If a 30-day stay in quarantine is required, these total $3700. The other charges will vary, including based on location and dog size.

With the higher costs of flights for pets these days, a more accurate estimate of the total costs to transport a pet to Australia is $5000 to $10,000 USD, depending on location and dog size. For dogs flying from the UK, a typical quote these days is usually £4000 to £6000.

Hopefully, the details I’ve provided can give you a starting point to estimate what are the likely costs to bring your own dog to Australia.

You May Also Like

• Travelling to Australia with a Dog
• Bringing a Dog to Australia: My Experience
• Tips for Importing a Dog to Australia
• All You Need to Know About Dog Quarantine in Australia
• Should You Use a Pet Transport Company?

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