Edit route

BRINGING A CAT FROMAustralia to United States

Cat · Moving

Bringing a dog instead?
Download PDF
Prep time about 0 weeks

No quarantine. Needs arrival inspection.

Always confirm with the destination's official authority and your airline before travelling.

Entry requirements

Tap the seal to stamp a step done.0 OF 1 STAMPED
Source:U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (opens official site: Bringing an Animal into the U.S. (section "Cats"))· checked 04 Oct 2026

No federal documents for pet cats: they only have to look healthy on arrival. No rabies proof, no CDC form, any airport, seaport or land border. The destination state (Hawaii: see us-hi-* rules) and the airline may require more.

01
Arrival inspection
before travel

Cats must appear healthy; they are inspected at the port and may be refused or sent for a veterinary examination at the owner's expense if they show signs of a disease transmissible to people.

DETAILS +

Cats must appear healthy; they are inspected at the port and may be refused or sent for a veterinary examination at the owner's expense if they show signs of a disease transmissible to people.

  • No rabies vaccination proof is required federally (recommended; states may require it). — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • USDA APHIS has no animal-health requirements for pet cats. — USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  • Any U.S. airport, land port or seaport (see the entry points).
  • Cats arriving in Hawaii or Guam face local quarantine rules even from the mainland. — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

No quarantine

Source:HHS / CDC, Federal Register (opens official site: Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: Importation of Dogs and Cats — final rule (89 FR 41726))· checked 04 Oct 2026

Timeline

Working out your dates…

Documents

The published steps for this route produce no paper we can name.

Official fees

The official pages we researched for this route name no fee. Vet, lab and airline charges are not covered here.

Entry points

Where a pet may enter the United States, per the rules.

Airlines

Airline rules are separate from entry rules and change without notice — confirm in writing when you book. Only what the carriers' own pages say, read 25 Sep 2026. All airlines

  • Lufthansa LH
    CabinYes
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • Emirates EK
    CabinNo
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedCargo: only Nov – Apr
  • ANA (All Nippon Airways) NHhold: cargo only on this route
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 45 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: not 1 May – 31 Oct
  • Qantas QF
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedNot stated
  • Delta Air Lines DLcabin: not on this routecabin: not on this route
    CabinYes
    HoldNo
    Snub-nosedHold, cargo: no
  • KLM KL
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no
  • Air France AF
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • British Airways BA
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedCargo: restricted
  • Qatar Airways QRhold: cargo only on this route
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: restricted

Announced changes

Return trip to Australia

Hard for a returning pet (no separate returning-resident rule; standard import rules apply), about 30 weeks of preparation. Quarantine: at least 30 days at a government quarantine station.

  • Rabies antibody (titer) test — the blood draw must happen before you leave, so plan it into the outbound trip: RNATT by FAVN or RFFIT, ≥0.5 IU/ml, sample taken by a government approved vet in an approved country between 12 months and 180 days before export; export at least 180 days after the sample arrives at the lab; valid 12 months from sampling.
  • Waiting period — 180+ days after the lab receives the sample: Export no earlier than 180 days after the RNATT blood sample arrives at the laboratory — no exceptions (a residency period, not quarantine). Counted from the lab's receipt date, not the sampling date.
  • Residence period — 180+ days before departure: Continuously resident in approved countries for at least 180 days immediately before export.
  • Import permit: BICON permit applied for after the RNATT declaration, with the lab report and declaration; 20–40 business days typical, up to 123; valid until the RNATT expires.
  • Quarantine booking: Book Mickleham PEQ after the permit is granted; airline "OK to Forward" approval before departure.
Source:Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) (opens official site: How to bring your cat to Australia from a Group 3 country)· checked 25 Sep 2026
+2 more
Also:U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)

Full checklist for a cat from United States to Australia

Leaving United States with the pet

  • Taking a U.S.-vaccinated dog to a CDC high-risk country and back: have a USDA-accredited vet complete the CDC Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination and get it endorsed by USDA BEFORE leaving; it cannot be issued afterwards.
  • Pets living in Hawaii must finish the rabies vaccines and pass the FAVN test before leaving the state to avoid quarantine on return.
  • Taking a dog to Mexico (or any other screwworm-affected country) and back: on return it needs the screwworm certificate (inspection within 5 days before shipment). From Mexico a SENASICA-trained and approved clinical vet may sign it (SENASICA's MVRA directory).
  • Export papers for the destination country (USDA APHIS endorsement of the health certificate) were not researched.
Source:USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) (opens official site: Dog Imports: Check Country Disease Status (page and its data file dog-imports-country-disease-status.csv))· checked 25 Sep 2026
+2 more
Also:Hawaii Department of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Biosecurity), Animal Quarantine Station,USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services

What they actually checked at the border

Reports from people who made this trip, read by a person before publishing.

No traveller reports here yet. If you have made this trip, tell the next person what was actually checked at the border.

Share your trip

Sources

Every requirement above comes from one of these pages. Last researched 25 Sep 2026. Seen a change? Tell us.

Keep this checklist

Download PDF

More routes

Checklists for nearby trips — same rules engine, same official sources.