Australia is the most expensive and most tightly regulated destination from Canada. The Australian government charges are the bulk of it: an import permit, then a minimum ten days at the Mickleham quarantine facility.
The Canadian side is cheap. CFIA certification is CAD $24.64. Almost everything else on this page is money paid to Australia.
| Cost | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| DAFF import permit, first pet | AUD $603 | Australian government |
| DAFF import permit, each additional pet | AUD $288 | Australian government |
| Quarantine reservation | AUD $269 per animal | Australian government |
| Quarantine importation charge | AUD $1,078 per animal | Australian government |
| Quarantine accommodation, minimum 10 days | AUD $530 (at $53 per day) | Australian government |
| Minimum quarantine total | AUD $1,877 per animal | Australian government |
| Inspection and document assessment | AUD $80 per 30 minutes, per animal | Australian government |
| Airline terminal service fee on release | AUD $170 to $350 | Recovered by the facility |
| CFIA export certification | CAD $24.64 per certificate, plus GST/HST | CFIA |
| Rabies titer test, lab fee only | USD $79 to $90 lab fee. No Canadian lab runs this test, so the sample travels by courier to an approved US lab, usually Kansas State. We build that step into the schedule | US laboratory |
| Airline freight | Quoted per route | Airline |
| IATA crate | USD $65 to $378 at retail depending on size. We size the crate at your pet’s fitting and confirm the cost before anything is booked | Retailer |
| Vet exam, health certificate, blood draw | Set by your clinic | Your vet |
The AUD $1,877 figure is our arithmetic from three charges DAFF publishes separately, not a total DAFF states itself. It is a floor: inspection time, extra parasite treatment, grooming, private vet attendance or an extended stay all add to it.
Canada has no domestic rabies titer laboratory. CFIA states outright that Canadian exporters send samples to the United States, most often Kansas State. The lab fee is therefore in US dollars, with cross-border courier on top. This catches most people out.
The CFIA fee is charged per certificate rather than per animal, so two pets on one certificate costs the same CAD $24.64 as one. The equivalent US endorsement runs from USD $101 to $275. Exporting from Canada is dramatically cheaper on the government side.
You cannot visit your pet during quarantine. DAFF does not permit it.
Live animal freight from Canada is priced per booking, not from a rate card. Air Canada Cargo, WestJet, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Emirates and Qatar all quote each shipment individually, based on crate size, route, and dates.
For scale, transborder freight starts at a CAD $455 minimum on American Airlines Cargo, and long-haul lanes price well above that. The exact figure for this route is set once the crate size and dates are known, which is why we price it per booking instead of printing a number that will not match your itinerary.
What we can tell you is what drives it. Airlines charge on chargeable weight, which is whichever is greater: actual weight, or a volume figure from the crate dimensions. For pets the volume figure almost always wins. Air Canada publishes the divisor at 166 cubic inches per pound. A size 400 crate works out to roughly 66 kg of chargeable weight no matter what is inside it, which is why crate size moves the price more than the dog does.
Your vet sets their own fees. The examination, the certificate paperwork and any blood draw are priced by your clinic and vary between practices. Ask for a quote when you book the visit; we handle the timing so every piece lands inside its validity window. The lab fee covers the test itself, and the draw is always the clinic’s charge.
Ground transport at either end is quoted per route. Our coordination fee is included in the total we quote you and itemised on your invoice.
The titer test drives the calendar. There is a waiting period after a passing result measured in months, and with no Canadian lab the courier time to the US is part of that planning.
Quarantine is a minimum of ten days, not a fixed ten. Paperwork gaps extend it at $53 per day.
Everything routes through Melbourne, because Mickleham is the only facility. A domestic leg after release is common.
Exchange rate. Most of this bill is in Australian dollars.
Figures verified July 2026. CFIA fees are re-indexed for inflation every 31 March, so check the source if you are reading this later.
One caution. DAFF proposed an increase to companion animal charges from 1 July 2026 and has not yet published updated rates, so the figures above are what DAFF currently shows. Check the DAFF links before budgeting, and see our Australian quarantine guide for the full process.
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Send us the route, the breed and roughly when you want to travel. Request a quote and we will reply with an itemised plan, a timeline and clear next steps, usually within two business hours.
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