Moving a pet from Canada to New Zealand takes careful planning, and every step is shaped by where in Canada you start and what New Zealand requires on arrival. From the CFIA export paperwork to the right airline, crate, and travel window, the details have to line up, and that is the part we take off your hands.
At Pet Travel Advisors, one coordinator manages the whole journey from your Canadian home to New Zealand: the routing through a major Canadian gateway such as Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, or Montréal-Trudeau, the timing around Canadian winters and New Zealand’s rules, and the documents that have to be exact. Tell us your city and your timing, and we will build the plan around your pet.
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.
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.
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Moving a pet to New Zealand is a carefully staged process, and the steps depend on your pet and on the current import health standard set by the Ministry for Primary Industries. The titre test and quarantine booking drive the calendar, so starting early matters. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start here. Bringing a pet the other way, into Canada? See our US import guide.
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For the US export side, we follow the CFIA guidance for US to New Zealand travel. For the New Zealand entry rules, we follow the Ministry for Primary Industries step-by-step guide.
Routing to New Zealand is limited and seasonal, and pets travel as manifest cargo to an approved airport before transferring to an MPI-approved quarantine facility. We confirm the best practical route and book the facility before any travel is locked in.
New Zealand requires every pet arriving from a Category 3 country like Canada to spend a minimum of ten days in an MPI-approved quarantine facility, so we reserve a place early as part of the plan. Pets are checked on arrival against their paperwork and microchip, and the import permit conditions have to be met in full, so we keep the documentation tight from the start.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect travel. Most moves are dogs and cats, though we handle other pets too, and the requirements can differ by species. Eligibility can come down to your pet’s type and health, airline rules for certain breeds or conditions, the documentation and timing, and which routes are available. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Your pet will need an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination, and a rabies antibody titre test with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or higher, taken at an approved laboratory at least three weeks after the vaccination. After the blood draw there is a stand-down of at least three months before your pet can enter, and entry must happen within the permit window. New Zealand also requires specific internal and external parasite treatments close to travel, plus a veterinary health certificate. We line these steps up in the right order and check that microchip numbers, dates, names, and signatures all match across the paperwork.
New Zealand is one of the longer moves to plan, because the titre stand-down and the import permit both take time. A typical timeline runs like this: a consultation and an eligibility check, then the microchip and rabies vaccination, then the titre blood draw and its three-month-plus stand-down, the import permit (allow MPI around thirty working days), the quarantine facility booking, and finally the pre-export treatments, document review, and travel.
Most pets heading to New Zealand depart from one of Canada’s major international gateways, Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), or Montréal-Trudeau (YUL), with Calgary (YYC) and Halifax (YHZ) serving some routes. We choose the routing with the fewest connections from your city and the best conditions for your pet.
On the Canadian side, your pet needs an export health certificate endorsed by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), prepared by a licensed veterinarian and submitted on New Zealand’s timeline. We handle the CFIA steps alongside New Zealand’s own import requirements so the two line up.
New Zealand has strict biosecurity. Pets need an import permit, a microchip, rabies vaccination, a rabies titer (RNATT) blood test, and a stay in government quarantine on arrival. The process runs over several months and must start early, and we manage the permit, titer timing, and quarantine booking from Canada.
Canadian winters are the main scheduling factor: airlines apply cold-weather limits, so we plan around the season and the forecast at both ends, choosing departure windows that keep your pet safe. For New Zealand, the bigger driver is lead time, since the required steps take months to complete.
Every move is priced individually, because the route from Canada, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and New Zealand’s requirements all change the total. Tell us your city and timing and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote.
One coordinator manages the whole move from your Canadian home: routing, airline booking, the crate, the CFIA export paperwork, New Zealand’s import requirements, and arrival. You get a single plan and a single point of contact from start to finish.
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