How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Pet from the USA to Australia?
All-inclusive, door to door, for one pet, with the quarantine stay included: a move from the United States to Australia runs about $7,500 to $12,000, and the timeline runs to months rather than weeks. Crate size, which is what the airline charges on, and the length of the Mickleham stay set where a move lands in the range, and a second pet costs extra.
Beside the flight, the bill holds the import permit, the stay at Mickleham, whose minimum is 30 days or 10 with the identity check, and the rabies titer test, done early enough to clear a 180 day wait. Here is where the money goes.
Airline freight, and why the crate decides it
Airlines price live animals on chargeable weight, which is whichever is greater: the actual weight, or a volume figure worked out from the crate. For pets the crate almost always wins, which is why a slim 60 lb dog in a large crate costs more to fly than a stocky 70 lb dog in the same one.
The divisor is published by Air Canada Cargo at 166 cubic inches per pound. The rates below come from the American Airlines Cargo public tariff, the tariff these estimates are calculated against. Other carriers price each booking individually. Current version checked July 2026.
| Crate size | Approx. dimensions | Chargeable weight | Freight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (cat or toy dog) (size 100) | 21 x 16 x 15 in | 14 kg | $720 |
| Medium (size 200) | 28 x 20.5 x 21.5 in | 34 kg | $1,122 |
| Large (size 400) | 36 x 25 x 27 in | 66 kg | $2,178 |
| Giant (size 700) | 48 x 32 x 35 in | 147 kg | $4,851 |
These freight figures are our own calculation from the published rate and the published divisor. American publishes a minimum and a 1 kg rate for Australia but no volume break rates, so for a large or giant crate the figures above are an upper bound and the real quote is usually lower. Treat them as a ceiling, not a price.
Whichever carrier takes the booking sets its own hold conditions, crate rules and pet charges, and those vary more between airlines than the fares do. Our list of the airlines that carry pets internationally covers which carriers accept live animals out of the US, and our comparison of US airline pet policies puts the big carriers side by side. The freight mechanics on this page come from American Airlines Cargo, whose conditions are set out in full in our guide to the American Airlines pet policy.
The rest of the bill
| Cost | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| DAFF import permit, first pet | AUD $603 | Australian government |
| DAFF import permit, each additional pet | AUD $288 | Australian government |
| Quarantine reservation | AUD $269 per animal | Australian government |
| Quarantine importation charge | AUD $1,078 per animal | Australian government |
| Quarantine accommodation for 10 days, the minimum with the identity check, which is 30 without it | AUD $530 (at $53 per day) | Australian government |
| Quarantine total for a 10 day stay | AUD $1,877 per animal | Australian government |
| Inspection and document assessment | AUD $80 per 30 minutes, per animal | Australian government |
| Airline terminal service fee on release | AUD $170 to $350 | Recovered by the facility |
| Out of hours collection | AUD $170 weekday, $180 weekend or public holiday | Australian government |
| Endorsement of the three identity declarations, if you choose the check | A user fee for each | USDA APHIS |
| Export endorsement of the health certificate (RNATT and Leishmania for every dog, then Brucella canis if it is not desexed and leptospirosis if it is not vaccinated: two tests fall in the $160 band, three or four in the $206) | $160 to $206 per certificate | USDA APHIS |
| Rabies titer test, lab fee only | $79 to $90 | Laboratory |
| IATA crate | $65 to $378 depending on size | Retailer |
| Airline live animal processing | $150 per air waybill | Airline |
The quarantine total is our arithmetic on three separate charges DAFF publishes, not a figure the department states itself. It is a floor: inspection time, any extra parasite treatment, grooming, private vet attendance or an extended stay all add to it.
Note the endorsement band. Because Australia requires a rabies titer test, the USDA fee moves from the $101 no-test band into the $160 band. That is the test count driving it, not the destination.
You cannot visit your pet during quarantine. DAFF does not permit it, on the grounds that the stay is short.
Two things to confirm before you book anything, because neither is a cost and both can stop a move outright. Australia bars five dog breeds and four wolfdog hybrids under its customs and environment laws, and the rabies vaccination has to be given at 84 days old or older before the 180 day wait can even begin. Check your dog against the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s guide before you commit to dates or pay a deposit. APHIS’s Australia page and the department’s guide both warn that the requirements can change without notice.
What the tables leave out
Two costs are real and we deliberately do not put a number on them, because no honest source exists for either.
Your vet sets their own fees. The examination, the health certificate paperwork, and the blood draw for a titer test where one is needed are all priced by your clinic, and they vary widely between practices and cities. Labs price only the test itself; the draw and the paperwork are always the clinic’s charge.
Ground transport at either end depends on distance and access. Both are inside the all-inclusive, door to door range at the top of this page, and the quote for your pet prices each one.
What moves the price
The titer test drives the calendar more than the budget. The 180 day wait runs from the day the laboratory receives the blood sample, so book the test far too early rather than slightly too late. Our titer test guide covers the sequence.
Quarantine is 30 days at the minimum unless the identity check was done before the titer test, which lowers it to 10, and every day of the stay is charged. A pet whose papers fall short of its permit can be held longer.
Everything lands in Melbourne, the only arrival airport the department’s dog guide allows. If your final destination is Perth or Brisbane, there is a domestic leg after release.
Exchange rate. Australia’s charges are set in its own currency, so their cost in US dollars moves with the rate.
Figures and sources
Figures verified July 2026. Government fees change, sometimes without much notice, so each one below links to the authority that publishes it. If you are reading this well after July 2026, check the source before relying on the number.
- DAFF quarantine fees (page last updated August 2025)
- DAFF import permit fees (page last updated August 2025)
- USDA APHIS endorsement fees
- American Airlines Cargo live animal tariff
One caution specific to Australia. DAFF proposed an increase to companion animal charges from 1 July 2026 and has not yet published updated rates, so the figures above are what DAFF currently shows on its own pages. Check the DAFF links before you budget, and see our Australian quarantine guide for the full process.
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Want this priced for your actual pet and dates?
Send us the route, the breed and roughly when you want to travel. Request a quote and we will reply with an itemized plan, a timeline and clear next steps.
For entry rules and the full paperwork timeline, see our guide to pet shipping requirements for Australia.
Last updated