Moving your pet from India to Australia, handled end to end.
Australia is one of the most carefully guarded borders in the world for pets — and the rules are unlike any other route. We plan it, sequence it, and run every step.
Pets can’t fly straight from India to Australia — the journey goes through an approved country first. One team handles both legs, so the timeline never resets at a border.
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There’s no direct route — and that’s the first thing to know.
Most pet-mover pages bury this. We lead with it, because getting the plan right from day one is the whole game.
You can’t fly direct from India
Australia classifies India as a non-approved country. No airline can carry your pet straight there — under any circumstances.
It runs through an approved country
Your pet stays around six months in a country Australia recognises, where all of Australia’s prep is completed before the final flight.
Plan around a year or more
Start to finish, this is the longest move we run. There are no shortcuts on the clock — so earlier is always better.
Every pet clears quarantine in Melbourne
A short, mandatory stay at the government’s Mickleham facility. Home quarantine isn’t allowed — it applies to every pet.
This is exactly the move we exist for.
One team coordinates both countries — your pet’s departure from India, the staging-country stay, and the final flight into Australia — so nothing slips between borders and the clock never resets.
How the journey works
One move, two stages, three steps.
India out, the approved-country stay, then Australia in. Here’s the whole sequence — and why the order matters so much.
- ISO microchip + India vaccinations — the foundation every later document is checked against.
- AQCS export health certificate + NOC — cleared for export through one of the seven AQCS-equipped airports.
- IATA-compliant crate + first flight — your pet travels to the staging country to begin the approved-country stay.
- Official identity verification — done correctly and at the right time, this is what keeps quarantine at 10 days instead of 30.
- Rabies blood test (RNATT) + the 180-day wait — required if you stage through a rabies-controlled hub. The clock runs from the day the lab receives the sample.
- Parasite treatments + the DAFF import permit — applied for via BICON; allow up to four months for it to be issued.
- Final certificates + flight to Melbourne — your pet travels as manifest cargo in a climate-controlled hold.
- Mickleham quarantine — DAFF collects your pet at Melbourne airport and transfers them directly to the facility (10–30 days).
- Released and delivered — once cleared, your pet is brought to your door in Australia.
Choosing your staging country
The single decision that shapes your whole timeline. It comes down to one thing — does the hub need a rabies blood test, or not?
Skip the blood test and its 180-day wait
These countries are rabies-free, so there’s no RNATT — the six-month residency becomes your main clock, and you get the cleaner 10-day quarantine path.
Adds the blood test + a 180-day wait
Common when you already have family there. You’ll do the rabies blood test and the wait — and the identity step has to be timed right to keep quarantine at 10 days, not 30.
Dogs & cats
Where the rules differ — and where they don’t.
On the easier routes, cats travel light. Not here. Stage through a rabies-controlled hub and your cat faces the same rabies blood test and 180-day wait as a dog. Only a couple of dog-specific tests separate them.
Dogs
- ISO microchip before any rabies vaccine
- Rabies vaccine + RNATT (via a rabies-controlled hub)
- Extra vaccines incl. leptospirosis
- Disease tests (e.g. Brucella, Leishmania) where required
- Two rounds of internal + external parasite treatment
Cats
- ISO microchip before any rabies vaccine
- Rabies vaccine + RNATT + 180-day wait via a Group-3 hub
- Via a rabies-free hub (e.g. Singapore): no titer, but residency + quarantine still apply
- Core feline vaccinations
- Internal + external parasite treatment
How your pet actually travels
Two flights, one rule that surprises people.
The journey is two legs with a long stay between them — and on the way to Australia, how your pet flies isn’t a choice.
The first flight
We export your pet from India in an IATA-compliant crate to the approved country, where the six-month stay and all of Australia’s prep take place.
The second flight
Once the permit, blood test and waiting period are satisfied, your pet flies to Australia — arriving, by law, at Melbourne.
Every pet flies as manifest cargo — by Australian law
Cabin, checked baggage and excess baggage are all prohibited. Your pet travels in a climate-controlled, pressurised hold. This isn’t a FidoJet limitation — it’s the rule for every pet entering Australia, and we book it on both legs.
Arrival is handled for you
If the aircraft changes en route, it can only happen airside at approved hubs such as Dubai, Hong Kong or London. On landing in Melbourne, DAFF officers collect your pet at the airport and transfer them directly to Mickleham — you don’t collect at the terminal.
The timeline
Plan around a year or more.
No route we run asks for more patience. Here’s how the months stack up — and where the time really goes.
Plan & depart India
Microchip, vaccines, AQCS export, first flight.
Settle in the hub
Arrive, begin Australia prep with an approved vet.
Test, permit, ID
Rabies blood test, identity check, DAFF permit.
The 180-day wait
The long pole. Your pet stays settled while the clock runs.
Fly to Melbourne
Final certs, manifest cargo into MEL.
Quarantine & home
Mickleham, then delivered to your door.
What FidoJet handles
One team. Two countries. Every step.
The reason this route is survivable: you never hand off between agents at a border. We hold the whole sequence across both legs.
India export — crate, AQCS cert, NOC, flight
Staging-country partner network
The six-month stay — boarding + vet coordination
Rabies blood test + lab scheduling
Identity verification done right — the 10-day path
DAFF import permit (BICON)
Export health certificates
Manifest-cargo booking — both legs
Mickleham quarantine booking + coordination
Final delivery to your door in Australia
One team, two countries, one point of contact.
You don’t restart with a new agent on the other side of a border. We hold the whole sequence — so a missed window in the hub can’t quietly cost you another six months.
What shapes the cost
There’s no flat price — and here’s why.
This is the most variable move we do. We’d rather show you the real drivers than quote a number that can’t hold.
The staging-country stay
Usually the largest single cost — around six months of boarding and care in the hub.
Two flight legs
India → hub, then hub → Melbourne, both as manifest cargo.
Vet & lab work
Vaccines, the rabies blood test and any required disease tests in the hub.
DAFF permit + quarantine
The import permit plus Mickleham quarantine fees, set by the government.
Your pet’s size & breed
Crate size drives airfreight cost on both legs.
Departure city & timing
Your Indian city, the hub, and seasonal heat embargoes that move dates.
Get a clear, itemised quote
Tell us your pet and your situation — we’ll break the journey down line by line, with no surprises.
Departure cities & the route
We move pets to Australia from every major Indian city.
Wherever you’re starting, the journey ends the same way — at Melbourne, for clearance at Mickleham.
Singapore shown as the example hub — your staging country is chosen with you. Every route ends at Melbourne (Mickleham).
Pet parents
Trusted by 2,000+ families.
“Simba is finally out of quarantine and home in Melbourne — a year-long journey. Because India isn’t an approved country, you routed him through Singapore for six months to qualify. I worried about him being away so long, but the updates never stopped. Manjeet held it together across three countries when I was falling apart.”
“Rocky reached Melbourne and cleared quarantine. Moving him via Singapore because of the Australia rules was such a complicated route on paper, but you managed every handover between the countries so smoothly that from my side it felt like one clean process. Thank you, Sahil and the team.”
“Pepper is home in Melbourne, back to demanding dinner at 6pm like nothing happened. I had no idea a cat from India couldn’t fly to Australia directly — she had to route through the UK first for the approved-country rule. I nearly gave up, but you laid it out step by step, and every deadline Akash gave landed exactly.”
India to Australia
Common questions.
The questions every family asks us about this route — answered straight.
Can I fly my pet directly from India to Australia?
What is an “approved country” or staging country?
Why do you usually recommend Singapore?
How long is the stay in the staging country?
When does the rabies blood test (RNATT) apply?
How long is quarantine in Australia?
How early should we start?
Can my pet travel in the cabin?
Are any breeds banned from Australia?
Do cats really need the blood test too?
Australia is a year-long journey. Let’s map yours.
Tell us where you’re starting and where your pet’s headed. We’ll lay out the whole path — hub, timeline, costs — and run every step.