CollarPassDocuments to check
- Customs clearance with NZCS 231 and supporting documents
- Apply early and obtain the MPI import permit
- Complete the witnessed owner/exporter declaration
🇳🇿Country requirements
New Zealand pet travel requirements
New Zealand accepts cats and dogs only from MPI-approved category 1, 2 or 3 countries or regions. The 2026 standard has applied since 1 July 2026, but a complete 2021-standard route remains available for arrivals before 1 April 2027; choose the whole applicable route with the exporting authority. From 1 April 2027 all arrivals must meet the 2026 standard. Ordinary category-1 air arrivals can clear at the border; categories 2 and 3 need an import permit and normally at least 10 days in approved quarantine. Category 3 also requires rabies vaccination and a passing antibody test. Identification, test and treatment windows differ between the two standards. Rabbits are accepted only from Australia; ferrets cannot be imported.
This free guide includes the checked information and official links we have for this pet. Personal travel reports are available for dogs and cats only.
Pet travel at a glance — free
Start with the destination's requirements for this pet. Documents and preparation vary by origin and other conditions; read the full guidance and any unverified details below.
Preparation lead times
- Official advice: MPI guide overview: recommended application at least six weeks before departure
- Veterinary Certificate clauses 4.1, 4.3 and 4.4: within 48 hours before export
- Amended Veterinary Certificate clause 4.2 remains within the 48-hour pre-export examination block
Which pets can enter
- Dog: Some requirements need confirmation
- Cat: Some requirements need confirmation
- Rabbit: Depends on the conditions below
- Ferret: Not permitted as a pet
Vaccination requirements
Check whether vaccinations are required for your pet in the official guidance.
Read the official guidanceEntering New Zealand
Reference requirements for this pet. Read each item's conditions: different origins, histories and entry options can require different steps. Each item links to its official source and check date.
Before you travel
Customs clearance with NZCS 231 and supporting documents
For a private pet import, complete NZCS 231 and send it with supporting documents to New Zealand Customs or the agent handling clearance, before arrival if possible. Include photo identification, ownership or purchase evidence if available, the Air Waybill or other shipping documents and the veterinary certificates required by MPI. The June 2026 form also asks people moving to New Zealand for the passport bio-page and visa or visa confirmation. Customs clearance and MPI biosecurity clearance are separate; the animal can be collected only when both are completed.
Dogs / Cats / Rabbits
Animals imported for sale, breeding, showing or on behalf of a business require a customs broker rather than this private-owner process. Customs assesses any applicable taxes and levies for the individual circumstances.
NZCS 231: Bring a pet or other animal into New Zealand
Source: New Zealand Customs Service · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Customs Service · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Prove captive origin and Australian residence
This rabbit route is available only from Australia. The owner/exporter must declare that the rabbit was born and reared in captivity and has lived in Australia for the six months before export, or since birth. The 'since birth' alternative allows a younger eligible rabbit; this is not a minimum age of six months. Keep the origin and residence evidence needed for the official certificate.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
The current guide offers document 1982 as the rabbit IHS. Its 20 October 2016 CTO direction modifies the older printed clauses; apply those amendments. No numerical minimum rabbit age is stated in these sources.
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Apply early and obtain the MPI import permit
Obtain an MPI import permit through APIPS before export and send its conditions to the certifying authority. Supply importer and intended keeping-premises details, exporter and origin-premises details, and the number, sex and description of the rabbits. The current guide overview says to apply at least six weeks before departure. Its detailed permit section separately says at least 20 working days before the permit is needed. Allow both planning lead times rather than treating 20 working days as a calendar-day departure deadline. The permit should state CTO 2016 065 [B] [G].
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
The 20-working-day instruction is anchored to when the permit is needed, a date this itinerary does not collect. It is retained as official processing advice in the text rather than converted into a hard departure cutoff. Working days are not calendar days.
MPI animal and plant import permit application (APIPS)
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Identify the rabbit with a readable tattoo or microchip
Use an easily readable tattoo or microchip. Record its number and anatomical site on the certificate, together with breed, sex and age. The final pre-export examination must check and record all identification. The IHS permits either tattoo or microchip; these sources do not specify an ISO-chip-only rule.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Complete the witnessed owner/exporter declaration
Complete the declaration in the Zoo Sanitary Certificate. Declare captive birth/rearing and Australian residence for six months before export or since birth. Declare that the colony where the rabbits were raised has been free of evidence of myxomatosis, Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Tyzzer's disease during the previous six months. The owner/exporter signs and dates it, and a person authorised to take statutory or official declarations also signs and dates it.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
AU rabbit Zoo Sanitary Certificate, IHS pages 4-7 (apply 2016 CTO direction)
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Complete the final examination within 48 hours before export
Within 48 hours before export to New Zealand, have the travelling rabbits examined and found healthy, with no clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease, external parasites or skin disease. All other rabbits on the origin premises must also be inspected and found healthy with no clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease. Check every travelling rabbit's identification and record it on the certificate. The certificate's disease footnote is a clinical reference list, not an instruction to run a laboratory test for every listed disease.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
AU rabbit Zoo Sanitary Certificate, IHS pages 4-7 (apply 2016 CTO direction)
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Treat fleas with a rabbit-safe product within 48 hours before export
Within the same 48-hour pre-export window, treat the rabbits for fleas using a product suitable for use in rabbits, and record the active ingredient and dose rate in the certificate. The 2016 CTO direction replaces the old printed flea-and-tick insecticide wording. Pre-export and arrival inspections address ticks; do not add a mandatory tick product or post-arrival insecticidal dusting from the superseded wording.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
AU rabbit Zoo Sanitary Certificate, IHS pages 4-7 (apply 2016 CTO direction)
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Obtain the government veterinary certificate and original documents
Have the Zoo Sanitary Certificate completed through the government veterinary authority, with the official signature, stamp and date. The certifier must have no reason after due enquiry to doubt the owner's declaration. The origin colony must have had no diagnoses in the previous six months of viral haemorrhagic disease, myxomatosis, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, sylvatic plague, treponematosis or Tyzzer's disease. Use the 2016 amended country statement: no reported Australian cases of European brown hare syndrome, and of tularemia in domestic animals. Carry the permit and all required certification with the consignment; all documents must be in English, with original signed and stamped veterinary certificates and supporting documents.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
The certificate body specifies a Government Veterinary Officer; the final signature block reads Government Veterinary Officer / Local Veterinary Inspector. Do not assume an ordinary private-vet signature alone is sufficient. The 48-hour rule applies to the specified examination, treatment and identity checks, not to an independently stated general certificate-validity period.
AU rabbit Zoo Sanitary Certificate, IHS pages 4-7 (apply 2016 CTO direction)
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Prepare the IATA crate, bedding and flight arrangements
Use an IATA Live Animal Regulations-compliant cage, securely fastened; the IHS says sealing is not required. Do not use hay, straw, peat or wood shavings as bedding; paper is advised. No animals other than those destined for New Zealand may be carried on the aircraft. MPI recommends a professional pet exporter, and some airlines require one for booking. Declare any medication for the rabbit and follow the individual permit and carrier instructions.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
The supplied rabbit guide and IHS do not specify a numeric pre-arrival notification deadline or a designated entry port. Obtain operational arrival instructions from the issued permit/MPI rather than borrowing dog/cat booking deadlines.
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
On arrival
Complete MPI arrival inspection and biosecurity clearance
An MPI inspector examines the consignment on arrival. Healthy rabbits free of external parasites can be released when documentation is in order. A noncompliant, sick or dead consignment is held securely pending a decision. The 2016 CTO direction removes post-arrival insecticidal dusting and expressly removes the old clause 6.3 requirement to keep the rabbits on the permit premises for 30 days. Immediately report sickness or death to the MPI hotline 0800 80 99 66; do not infer a new fixed reporting period from the superseded 30-day clause.
Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU
These sources do not establish mandatory post-arrival quarantine for a compliant rabbit. The individual import permit may contain further conditions, and Customs clearance remains separate from MPI biosecurity clearance.
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Restrictions
Species, origin, age and other restrictions. Each item applies under its listed conditions.
New Zealand only accepts pet rabbits from Australia; a rabbit from any other country can't be imported.
Rabbits · Except when all of these apply: (Departure countries/regions: AU)
Source: Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), New Zealand · Checked Oct 26, 2026
How many pets can you bring?
Caps recorded for New Zealand can depend on the species, origin and entry conditions. Your airline can set a lower limit.
No pet cap recorded
We have not recorded a per-person or per-entry pet cap for New Zealand. Check the official sources before booking.
Official forms and documents
Links go to the issuing authority. We do not sell, fill in or issue official documents.
NZCS 231: Bring a pet or other animal into New ZealandOfficial page · Checked Nov 12, 2026MPI animal and plant import permit application (APIPS)Online form · Checked Nov 12, 2026AU rabbit Zoo Sanitary Certificate, IHS pages 4-7 (apply 2016 CTO direction)Official page · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Open the official page to download or complete the form. Requirements can change; confirm with the authority before you travel.
Official sources
Every rule above is checked against these pages. Dates show our last check, not the page's own update.
Recent rule changes
Sourced entries that affect this country.
Second data batch: entry rules for Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the six EU countries Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands (the EU six extend the shared EU base); US and China exit coverage for these routes; new airlines Condor, Aer Lingus, ITA Airways, Iberia, TAP, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand; and new/updated transit files for Munich, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.
All rule updatesExpanded destination-specific pet requirements, including origin-country branches, young-animal exemptions, official documents and entry options. Known unverified details remain clearly marked; free country summaries and personal trip reports use the same rules.
All rule updatesChecked current Australian group-specific and returning-pet guides, the live New Zealand rabbit-to-Australia case, and New Zealand 2021/2026 transition and certificate models. Added species-specific preparation, reciprocal rabbit procedures and explicit entry options; corrected calendar-month and laboratory-receipt waits and CDC domestic-journey handling. Known source conflicts and history-dependent checks remain marked. Also checked Australian dog/cat export procedures for New Zealand and the Canadian US-bound cat/ferret endorsement exemption; unverified export species remain explicit gaps.
All rule updatesPersonal reports now focus on dogs and cats; other pets keep free checked summaries and official links. Updated current China and Korea source branches, European country lists and Italian guidance; represented Japan's Kyrgyzstan suspension without incorrectly keeping Uzbekistan suspended. Vaccination expiry uses the actual certificate where required, with documented continuous-booster exemptions and explicit remaining evidence gaps.
All rule updates