How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Pet from the USA to New Zealand?
All-inclusive, door to door, for one pet: a move from the United States to New Zealand runs about $7,000 to $12,000. New Zealand requires an import permit, a rabies titer test and a minimum ten days in quarantine, and the range takes in all three. Crate size, which is what the airline charges on, sets where a move lands in the range, and a second pet costs extra.
MPI publishes its fees to the cent. Quarantine facilities are private operators that set their own rates, so that line is confirmed when the reservation is made.
Airline freight, and why the crate decides it
Airlines price live animals on chargeable weight: whichever is greater, the actual weight or a volume figure worked out from the crate. For pets the volume figure almost always wins, which is why crate size drives the flight cost more than the animal does.
The divisor is published by Air Canada Cargo at 166 cubic inches per pound. The rates come from the American Airlines Cargo public tariff, the tariff these estimates are calculated against. 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 | $715 |
| 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 | $2,033 |
| Giant (size 700) | 48 x 32 x 35 in | 147 kg | $2,940 |
These are our own calculation from the published rate and divisor, for a direct booking. A connecting routing or a carrier that quotes rather than publishes will differ.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MPI import permit | NZD $268.24 including GST | New Zealand MPI |
| Border clearance, first pet | NZD $374.05 including GST | New Zealand MPI |
| Border clearance, each additional pet | NZD $124.68 including GST | New Zealand MPI |
| Quarantine, minimum 10 days | Set by the facility. MPI does not publish this. | Private facility |
| USDA export endorsement (titer required) | $160 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 |
MPI publishes its fees both excluding and including GST, so the figures above are the ones you actually pay.
Quarantine is the gap. MPI’s fees page tells importers to ask each quarantine facility what it charges, so get the figure from the one you choose, in writing, before you commit to dates.
One rule sits outside the money and can stop a move outright: five dog types cannot enter New Zealand at all, the Brazilian Fila, the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, the Perro de Presa Canario and the American Pit Bull Terrier type. That is a prohibition rather than a permit question, and no paperwork changes it.
What the tables leave out
Your vet sets their own fees. The examination, the certificate paperwork and any blood draw are priced by your clinic and vary between practices. Every laboratory we checked states plainly that the draw is the clinic’s charge, not theirs.
Ground transport at either end depends on the distance. 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 identification check and the rabies steps set the calendar, and the requirements page linked below gives their order. Book the first vet visit far earlier than feels necessary.
Quarantine is a minimum of ten days, not a fixed ten days. Paperwork gaps extend it, and you pay for the extra time.
Pets arriving from Australia are treated differently and do not need a permit. That only helps if your pet is genuinely coming from there.
Crate size drives the flight cost, as everywhere.
Figures and sources
Figures verified July 2026, and MPI’s fees again on September 25, 2026. Government fees change, so each links to the authority that publishes it. If you are reading this long after that date, check the source first.
- New Zealand MPI fees and charges (last reviewed August 7, 2026)
- APHIS export requirements, United States to new zealand
- USDA APHIS endorsement fees
- American Airlines Cargo live animal tariff
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Want this priced for your 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 New Zealand.
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