Exporting Non-Commercial Dogs and Cats to Australia

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Please read the following information carefully as it contains important details on pet transport to Australia.

1. Statutory authority

Pursuant to section 60 of the Animal Products Act 1999:

i) I notify the following overseas market access requirements and specifications, entitled dogs and cats to Australia.

ii) Revoke DOMANIEC.AUS OMAR 23.03.08

This notice takes effect from date of signing.

Dated at Wellington this 12th day of February 2009.

Signed: Matthew Stone BVSc MACVSc MVS (Epidemiology)
Group Manager
Animal Imports and Exports Group
Border Standards Directorate
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
(pursuant to delegated authority)

2. Australia Requirements

Dogs and cats exported from New Zealand to Australia must comply with the import requirements of Australia listed in this notice as follows:

2.1 The owner/exporter must make a statutory declaration that:

2.1.1 The animal for export has resided in Australia and/or New Zealand for the 90 days prior to the scheduled date of export or since birth, and has not been under any quarantine restriction during the 60 days immediately prior to the scheduled date of export.

2.1.2 The animal for export is at least 12 weeks old at the time of export.

2.1.3 In the case of a dog, the dog is not one of the following breeds: Pit Bull Terrier or American Pit Bull, Japanese Tosa, Fila Braziliero, Dogo Argentino or Presario Canario.

2.1.4 If the animal is a domestic/non domestic hybrid (e.g. Bengal cat), it is proven to be 5th generation or more away from any pure-bred non-domestic ancestor. In the case of a cat, the cat is not derived from crossbreeding a domestic cat (Felis catus) with a serval cat or with a savannah cat.

2.1.5 In the case of a dog, the dog has never been resident in Africa / has been resident in Africa.

2.1.6 In the case of a female cat or dog, the animal is not more than 3 weeks pregnant, nor is it suckling young at the time of export.

2.1.7 The animal is being transported in accordance with the container requirements specified in the International Air Transport Association Live Animal Regulations.

2.2 A registered veterinarian approved to export live cats and dogs to Australia must certify the following:

2.2.1 I have no reason to doubt the owner/exporter's statutory declaration.

2.2.2 New Zealand is free from rabies.

2.2.3 For dogs only, canine brucellosis (Brucella canis), canine ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis), leptospirosis (Leptospira canicola), and leishmaniosis have not been confirmed in New Zealand during the 12 months immediately preceding the scheduled date of export.

2.2.4 In the case of a dog:

EITHER i) I am satisfied by veterinary or council registration records that the dog has been continuously resident in New Zealand since birth or since it was imported from Australia;

OR ii) the dog was subjected to an immune fluorescent antibody test for Ehrlichia canis and had negative test results (at 1:40). See notes, AND

iii) the dog was tested for Leishmania infantum by an immune fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) or an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with negative test results. Date of sample collection, test used, and result of test to be recorded.

2.2.5 In the case of a dog that has resided in Africa, the dog has been treated for Babesia canis with imidocarb dipropionate subcutaneously:

EITHER i) one treatment at 7.5 mg/kg; bodyweight

OR ii) two treatments at 6.6 mg/kg; bodyweight with an interval of two weeks.

2.2.6 I have examined the animal for export within 72 hours of the scheduled time of shipment and have found it to be fit to travel.

3. Definitions

For the purposes of this document:

Any term or expression that is defined in the Animal Products Act 1999 and used, but not defined in this document, has the same meaning as in this Act.

Explanatory note

This OMAR is based on the requirements provided by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

Additional Information on OMAR Notification: DOMANIEC.AUS 22.01.09

1. A Permit to Import is not required.

2. Under the legislation of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), cats derived from a serval cat (Felis serval) are not eligible for import into Australia in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This includes cats derived from crossbreeding a domestic cat (Felis catus) with a serval cat or with a savannah cat (Felis catus x Felis Serval).

Any other domestic/non-domestic animal hybrids (e.g. Bengal cats or wolf crosses) are not eligible for import unless they are proven to be 5 or more generations removed from their pure-bred non-domestic ancestors. Contact the Wildlife Permits and Enforcement Section, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts on ph: +61 2 6274 1111 for further information.

3. The statutory declaration must be completed before animals are examined and certified by the approved veterinarian.

4. A registered veterinarian approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to certify dogs and cats to Australia must examine the animal. The MAF registration number is the number given to the MAF approved registered veterinarian upon approval to certify cats and dogs to Australia.

5. Dogs that have previously been imported from Australia are required to provide the export certificate (or a biosecurity clearance record) used for this importation.

Exporters can acquire biosecurity clearance records from Nicola Olson on 07 927 5712 or email nicola.olson@maf.govt.nz. Copies of veterinary or council records do not need to be attached to the export certificates but should be kept in the certifying veterinarian's files.

6. Dogs that have been previously imported into New Zealand and tested for Ehrlichia canis with negative results (at a dilution of 1:40) prior to entry into New Zealand, are not required to be retested prior to export to Australia. This is provided that the veterinarian has sighted a copy of the test results.

7. Samples for Ehrlichia canis and Leishmania infantum testing are to be sent to the Investigation and Diagnostic Centre (IDC), Wallaceville. For enquiries, please contact IDC on 04 894 5600.

8. The original laboratory report for Leishmania infantum. testing (or a copy endorsed by a MAF-approved veterinarian) must be attached to the certificate.

9. For dogs that have resided previously in Africa:

Since last in Africa and before entering Australia the dog was treated as in clause 2.2.5(i) or 2.2.5(ii) or where the dog is not treated in New Zealand a copy of the certification of the treatment as in clause 2.2.5(i) or 2.2.5(ii) must be endorsed by a MAF-approved veterinarian and accompany the dog to Australia.

The certifying veterinarians are required to modify the existing export certificates to comply with AQIS's requirements. The acceptable modifications are (in the same order as above):

Delete both treatments and then write "Not applicable as dog has been imported from Australia and not returned to Africa since importation. (See attached copy of certificate)".
Delete both treatments and write "Dog imported directly from Africa and received imidocarb treatment previously".
No modifications required, complete the appropriate treatment administered by the veterinarian.

10. Dogs and cats must be transported to Australia in accordance with the container requirements specified in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations. These specify, among other things that the container must:

be strong enough to prevent the animal escaping;
have a total ventilation area of at least 16% of the total surface area of the four sides but that these shall be of such size that it is impossible for the animal's nose or paws to protrude outside the container; and
allow the animal to have enough space to turn around normally while standing, to stand and sit erect, and lie in a natural position.

For more details regarding IATA regulations contact your airline. The IATA standards have been developed to prevent escape and injury during transportation.

Note: Disability assistance dogs may travel with their handler in the cabin.

11. AQIS must be given at least three days notice of the animal's arrival in Australia. If the dog is a disability assistance dog, please inform AQIS of this. This should be done by faxing the AQIS Veterinary Officers located in the state in which your pet will first arrive in Australia.

12. Documentation must be in order and all import requirements must be met. Any animal arriving in Australia having not met the above requirements may be ordered into quarantine or re-shipped to New Zealand at the importer's expense. The original documentation must accompany the animal.

13. For general enquiries regarding this export certificate, please contact Jenine Connolly on (07) 8502834 or email connollyj@asurequality.com. Copies of export certificates are to be sent to Jenine Connolly, AsureQuality Limited, Private Bag 3080, Hamilton.

14. A list of registered veterinarians approved to export cats and dogs to Australia is available from the Biosecurity New Zealand website at: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/exports/animals/aus-vet-list.htm

We look forward to assisting you with your pet transport to Australia. Our team at Airport Pets are pet transport to Australia experts.