USA to New Zealand
Pet Shipping from the USA to New Zealand
We provide international pet transport from the USA to New Zealand, planned around its import rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export paperwork and the New Zealand import permit
- Check-in at your US airport
- Collection from quarantine with delivery to your new address
New Zealand at a glance
Full requirementsMPI requires every cat and dog from the United States to complete a minimum 10-day stay in an MPI-approved quarantine facility, and wants proof of the booking with the import permit application. For a pet arriving from April 1, 2027, MPI’s new import standard asks for an official identification check no less than six months before it leaves, required from October 1, 2026.
- Microchip
- Scanned at every vet step. MPI recommends a chip to ISO 11784 or Annex A of ISO 11785
- Rabies vaccination
- Given at 12 weeks of age or older and valid until shipment; a first shot at least 6 months before it
- Rabies titer
- At least 0.5 IU/mL, on a sample drawn 3 to 12 months before shipment
- Identification check
- For a US pet, APHIS sets three parts: a chip scan by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, a second by another at a different clinic, then a USDA declaration within 2 months of the second scan. The scans come at least 6 months before shipment and before the titer sample; a sample drawn under 6 months before shipment means doing the whole check twice
- Import permit
- Applied for online at least 30 working days before it is needed, MPI’s 2026 standard says, and at least 20 business days, APHIS says, with the vaccination records, titer result, Rabies Certification Form and quarantine booking
Pet Shipping from the USA to New Zealand
Two versions of New Zealand’s import health standard for cats and dogs are in force at once. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) issued a new one on May 12, 2026, which every pet arriving from April 1, 2027 has to meet, and until then the 2021 version can still be followed. MPI suggests asking the government authority in the pet’s home country, here APHIS, or a pet transport company which one applies. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to international pet shipping destinations. Bringing a pet the other way, into the United States? See our US import guide.
Which route does a pet take into New Zealand?
By air, as manifested cargo, into Auckland or Christchurch, the only two airports where MPI lets a cat or dog arrive. From the plane, staff of the quarantine facility named on the import permit take the pet straight there, in transport an MPI inspector has approved. The flight and the check-in at the departure airport are services you can book on their own.
Route details: USA to New Zealand
- Route
- USA to New Zealand
- Import permit
- Issued by MPI, applied for online; APHIS says to submit it at least 20 business days before the date you need the permit
- Health certificate
- Arrival before April 1, 2027: Category 3 Certificates A and B, vet exam in the 2 days before shipment, ink-signed and embossed by USDA
- Quarantine on arrival
- At least 10 days in quarantine on arrival in New Zealand, APHIS says
- Rabies titer
- Arrival from April 1, 2027: sample 6 to 12 months before shipment after the ID check, or 3 to 6 months with the ID check done twice
- From April 1, 2027
- ID check by two USDA-accredited vets at different clinics, then a USDA declaration. APHIS: new health certificates not yet posted
- Time to get ready
- At least 6 months: for arrival from April 1, 2027, APHIS says the ID check (Parts 1 and 2) comes at least 6 months before export
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: USDA APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to New Zealand; USDA APHIS, Category 3: Model Veterinary Certificate A and B, cats and dogs from the United States to New Zealand.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to New Zealand?
The short answer
MPI requires a permit to import each cat or dog from the United States, applied for with the quarantine booking confirmation attached, and the model veterinary certificate for the pet’s country sets the tests and treatments it needs before it flies.
Which pets can enter New Zealand?
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. MPI’s 2026 standard puts the approximate minimum age at nine months on the day a pet leaves the United States, because of how the rabies steps are timed, and a cat or dog must not be more than 42 days pregnant on that day. APHIS’s New Zealand page, read October 29, 2026, lists hybrids of any type among the dogs and cats New Zealand prohibits, except a Bengal cat with papers showing five generations of domestic ancestry. Any other hybrid is likely to count as a new organism, which needs the Environmental Protection Authority’s approval before it comes in, MPI says. Each of these decides whether a move can go ahead, so they are settled first.
An MPI veterinarian inspects the pet at the facility within 72 hours of its arrival and again at the end of the stay. The stay runs longer when the paperwork falls short, when ticks or fleas turn up, or when the pet is unwell. A dog carrying ticks also goes through more Babesia gibsoni testing, and the importer pays for the extra time and treatment. Ready to start? Request a quote.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for New Zealand?
Under MPI’s 2026 standard the vet work runs on two clocks: the rabies steps, which begin months ahead with an identification check, and the parasite treatments and a dog’s blood tests of the final weeks. Those tests include Babesia gibsoni and heartworm, and because MPI lists the United States as a canine influenza risk, a dog also needs a vaccination against it between 12 months and 14 days before shipment. A negative test on a sample from the last 10 days is the alternative.
| Requirement | New Zealand, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Scanned at every vet step. MPI recommends a chip to ISO 11784 or Annex A of ISO 11785 |
| Rabies vaccination | Given at 12 weeks of age or older and valid until shipment; a first shot at least 6 months before it |
| Rabies titer | At least 0.5 IU/mL, on a sample drawn 3 to 12 months before shipment |
| Identification check | For a US pet, APHIS sets three parts: a chip scan by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, a second by another at a different clinic, then a USDA declaration within 2 months of the second scan. The scans come at least 6 months before shipment and before the titer sample; a sample drawn under 6 months before shipment means doing the whole check twice |
| Import permit | Applied for online at least 30 working days before it is needed, MPI’s 2026 standard says, and at least 20 business days, APHIS says, with the vaccination records, titer result, Rabies Certification Form and quarantine booking |
| Parasite treatment | Internal twice, the first no more than 30 days out and the second in the last 5 before shipment. External once for a cat and twice for a dog, the last in the 16 days before |
| Health certificate | For arrival before April 1, 2027, the existing category 3 Certificates A and B, certified by an official veterinarian and endorsed by APHIS in original ink. For arrival from that date, APHIS says updated certificates will be posted once they are negotiated |
| Quarantine | At least 10 days in an MPI-approved facility, booked before the permit application |
Read on September 25, 2026: MPI’s page on bringing cats and dogs to New Zealand, which explains which version applies, and its 2026 import health standard for cats and dogs, dated May 12, 2026. APHIS’s New Zealand page, last modified October 5, 2026 and read October 29, 2026, sets out the US steps of the identification check and links the existing Veterinary Certificate A and B, the pair the 2021 standard uses.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to New Zealand
Plan on at least six months under MPI’s 2026 standard, since the official identification check has to come that long before the flight. The order runs: that check, then the rabies vaccination where one is due, then the titer sample, then the quarantine booking and the import permit, and last the parasite treatments, a dog’s blood tests and the vet’s inspection in the 2 days before departure. A pet whose rabies vaccination is already valid can have its titer sample drawn from the day after the second scan, APHIS says.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to New Zealand costs, fee by fee.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and New Zealand’s entry requirements all affect each other, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use New Zealand's official MPI import health standard as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to New Zealand
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to New Zealand?
A dog or cat moving on this route runs about $7,000 to $12,000, all-inclusive and door to door for one pet. Crate size, which is what the airline charges on, and the season set where a move lands in that range, and a second pet costs extra.
Costs depend on your pet’s size and crate, the route and airline, the quarantine facility, vet and titer test fees, and whether the move is door to door. The fastest way to get a real number is a quote based on your origin city and travel date. Request a quote here.
For the itemized breakdown, with every government fee linked to the authority that publishes it, see our full cost breakdown for this route.
How does Pet Travel Advisors help with a move to New Zealand?
Choose what to hand over: booking the flight, a crate fit for it, the permit application and vet certificates prepared and reviewed, your pet checked in for departure, and collection from quarantine in New Zealand with delivery to your new home. Together they make one door-to-door move.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.