Of course your beloved pet has grown to become part
of the family, and the thought of having to part with
them is enough to put you off migrating. But there
is no reason why your pet can't come with you, it
is just something that requires a little bit of forward
planning.
Generally you can ship any species of animal but
different quarantine restrictions will apply. There
are some species of dogs that are not eligible for
importation to Australia, New Zealand or the Province
of Ontario in Canada due to their aggressive nature.
There are many specialist pet removal companies that
will handle all the paperwork for you and take the
hassle out of organising the shipping of your pet.
Australia
Australia is particularly strict, and will require
your pet to be housed in quarintine for a period of
time after it arrives. This is not done to put people
off bringing their pets with them, but rather to insure
that no exotic diseases are introduced into Australia.
If you want to import a cat or dog into Australia,
you need to apply with the Australian Quarantine and
Inspection Service (AQIS) at least five months prior
to departure. AQIS officers will assess your application
and – provided your pet meets the conditions
–grant you an import permit. With this import
permit you can book your pet into an AQIS-approved
post-arrival animal quarantine station, quarantine
stations are located in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
For other animals you should check the Australian
Quarantine and Inspection Service website to see what
quarantine restrictions apply.
New Zealand
New Zealand is not quite as strict when it come it
importing pets but there are still restrictions and
health criteria that must be met.
Cats and dogs coming from Australia, United Kingdom,
Sweden, Norway, Hawaii and Singapore do not require
quarantine, but do require certification and will
be inspected for ticks on arrival.
You should check the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry Biosecurity website for more information.
Canada
Canada does not have any quarantine restrictions
for cats or dogs being imported, but it may require
certificates if the pet is under a certain age (generally
3 months) and if the country you are coming from is
certified as rabies free or not.
Other pets may have quarantine or other restrictions
placed on them, you can check the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency website for more information.
