New Zealand
Taking your pet to New Zealand
New Zealand - a land of breath-taking natural beauty, pristine landscapes, and a unique blend of Maori and European cultures. For those considering bringing their beloved pets to this remarkable country, there are important regulations and guidelines in place to ensure the health and safety of both animals and the local environment.
New Zealand is renowned for its strict biosecurity measures, and these standards extend to the shipping of pets.
Planning your pets move here takes at least 3 months as this is the mandatory period from the first blood test before being allowed to travel.
General Information, Entry Procedure and Requirements
For entry into New Zealand you will need to begin by having your pet vaccinated against Rabies. Around 1 month later, or straight away if already vaccinated, you require the first blood test - the RNATT - which is a Rabies antibody test to ensure the vaccine is working. At this point the mandatory three month period starts to the first opportunity your pet can fly.
Once the result comes back it must be endorsed by an official veterinarian (OVD), before you can then apply to the Ministry for Primary Industries for the import permit, which takes around 20 days to be processed. At this stage you would also need to have confirmed which quarantine station your pet will be going too for the mandatory 10 day post arrival stay - don't worry we have a full list and can advise depending on whether you are flying into Auckland or Christchurch.
Once the import permit is returned, and quarantine dates confirmed we know the target date for departure.
Pre Flight Tests
Once an estimated departure date is set, you can then work backwards to meet the required blood tests and treatments which must be undertaken at specific stages prior to departure, with a slightly different process for Dogs and Cats.
Dogs
Starting around 30 days before the flight, various tests and vaccinations must be undertaken within specific timescales before the flight. These include testing for Leptospira, Heartworn , Brucella Canis and Gibsoni, and finally Babesia. There are several courses of internal and external parasite treatments to be administered at specific timings. Finally, the Export Health Certificate, Part A and B (EHC) are completed within 5 days of export.
Cats
For Cats, the process is more straightforward, with only Internal and External Parasite treatments required within 30 days of the flight. However, depending on which quarantine station you use, there may be further vaccines that they require which might include calicivirus, panleukopenia (enteritis) and rhinotracheitis. Again, Part and B, of the Export Health Certificate will be completed within 5 days of departure.
Entry into New Zealand and Quarantine
Pets will either arrive into Auckland or Christchurch where they will be required to undertake the mandatory 10 day quarantine.
There are several facilities to choose from and we can advise on which might be most suitable depending on your location if you intend to collect yourself.
We can also arrange the onward transport of your pet to another destination, via another IPATA agent based locally, if you are unable to collect your pet yourself.
Next steps?
We're sure you have lots of questions about organising travel for your pet. but please don't hesitate to contact us if you have something specific you would like to ask. Or to get a quote, use or quick online quote form.
