Qantas pet travel. How it works and what to know

Travelling abroad with just you or your family can take some planning. But what happens when you want to take your pet with you?

If you decide to travel with your pet, especially to and from Australia, There's a whole range of rules and processes that are required to get your pet ready for travel. This article will cover all the key details on international pet travel and explore how your pet can fly on Qantas.

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Is Qantas pet-friendly for international travel

Qantas airlines is a pet-friendly airline for those seeking to take their furry friends abroad with them or bring them back from overseas.¹ However it’s not as easy as just bringing them on the plane with you. Pet travel requires a lot of research and planning, many of the requirements which will be covered below.

How does international pet travel work with Qantas

International pet travel predominantly works in two ways. You are either going to export your pet - aka move them overseas with you, or are looking to import your pet back to Australia. You may also be looking at importing a certain breed of dog that may be rare to own in Australia.

Nonetheless, when you require international pet travel with Qantas, you must book through a Pet Travel Specialist.¹ Despite it being mandatory to book through a pet travel specialist, it's good to get an idea of the processes involved with exporting or importing a pet.

Exporting your pet abroad

To export a pet from Australia, you will need to meet the requirements of your destination country. This can involve²:

• Pet health checks
• Required vaccinations
• Pet import permits

You are also obligated to organise a Pet Export Permit with the Australian authorities that involves²:

• Submitting a Notice of Intention to Export
• Arranging a pre-export interview
• Getting a Declaration of pre-export health signed by a registered vet
• Providing other any other requested supported documents

On top of this, you will have to organise a IATA approved crate that meets the requirements as per the aircraft carrier or carriers your pet will be transported on.

Importing your pet

When it comes to bringing a pet back to Australia, the process can be incredibly complex. Generally, which process and how long you'll need to prepare your pet for travel will vary depending on which country your pet is coming from.

Countries are categorised by the Australian Government into three groups.³

Group 1 countries	Group 2 countries⁴	Group 3 countries⁵
Do not require a permit, nor does your pet have to stay in a quarantine facility.	Require at least 6 months to finalise all health checks and paperwork for travel and pets will require 10 days minimum at quarantine facility on arrival	Require anywhere from 6 to 18 months depending on your pets rabies vaccine status and pets will require anywhere from 10 to 30 days in a quarantine facility on arrival.

Any country that does not appear in these groups, you will have to move your pet to a country in group 2 or 3 to start the import process or you will not be able to bring your pet back.³

Read more: Virgin Australia pet travel

Travelling with pets in the cabin vs in the cargo hold

All pets travelling either domestically or internationally on a Qantas aircraft are required to be in a crate as freight in the cargo hold of the aircraft.¹ The only exception to this is if you have a service dog that meets the criteria for carriage minimum requirements. These criteria can be found on the Qantas website.⁶

Types of pets you can travel with on Qantas

Qantas is available to carry many types of pets including⁷:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Rabbits
• Guinea pigs
• Domestic fish
• Domestic birds

As cats and dogs are the most common domestic pets, the subsequent information will narrow in on them. When it comes to the basic rules for the eligibility to travel, your cat or dog must be:

• Older than 12 weeks old
• Have a clean bill of health that is checked off by a vet
• Hold a valid health clearance certificate if over 12 years old

For brachycephalic breeds or dogs with flat noses, it is required to book their travel with a Qantas approved Pet Travel Specialists for both domestic travel and international travel. This is because these breeds are known to have higher risk of health complications or respiratory issues when in the aircraft cargo environment.

If you are looking to bring a certain dog breed back to Australia, there are a few breeds which are currently restricted by law from being imported into Australia. These breeds include¹:

• Pit Bulls
• American Pit Bull Terriers
• Dogo Argentino
• Japanese Tosa
• Brazilian Fila
• Mastiff
• Presa Canario

Certain breeds like American Staffordshire terriers or working dogs require specific cages or crates to fly. Qantas also can cater to those wanting to transport other animals outside of what is considered pets where organised.

What are the fees or costs

As it is mandatory to use a pet travel specialist for all international pet travel on Qantas, no specific fees are mentioned. You will however need to take into account fees related with⁷:

• Vet checks and health certificates
• Vaccinations
• Travel crate
• Import or export permits
• Flights and flight transfers
• Any required quarantine stays
• Any other logistics costs involved
• Any breed/animal type specific costs

When using a Pet Travel Specialist, they generally include any fees related with the required process included, but it's always good to cross-check what is included.

What are the requirements for pet travel on Qantas

Here are the requirements for pet travel on Qantas in a nutshell.

1. All pets must meet the age and weight limits
2. All pets must be certified by a vet to travel
3. For international travel, all bookings must be made through a Pet Travel Specialist
4. All crates must be IATA approved and purchased yourself
5. Pets must be booked on a direct flight to melbourne when flying on Qantas from abroad

It is also crucial that your pet is ok being confined in a small space for a long amount of time.

Using pet travel specialists

Booking through a Pet Travel Specialist will ensure you will meet compliance at every step of the process, which in turn means your pets travel plans can go ahead without a hitch. Particularly, they will take care of¹:

• Any origin specific processes
• Transit point logistics
• Destination quarantine requirements
• Booking vet checks
• Attaining the relevant licences or permits
• Coordinate the correct crate
• Help with required documentation

They will be with you each step of the way, making sure your pet will arrive safely to you within their control. Qantas provides a list of country recommended Pet Travel Specialists here.

Keep in mind

Generally with or without using a pet specialist, if you do want to take your pet abroad from Australia, the first question you’ll need to ask yourself is whether you intend to bring your pet back in the future. This is important as there are some countries where importing your pet back to Australia is not permitted under any circumstance or it can be a lengthy process that may take more time than your anticipated travel timeline.²

Read more: Jetstar pet travel

FAQs

Does my pet still fly if the flight is delayed, cancelled or experiences a missed connection?

Yes, your pet will still fly when their original travel plan does not go to plan. If the flight is delayed, staff will monitor your pets' well being regularly unless 5 hours or more of a delay has passed, then Qantas will organise an expert animal care company to look after your pet until travel can commence. When the flight is cancelled, Qantas will take care of re-booking your pet on the next available flight. If a connection is missed, your pet will be kept with an expert animal care company until the new flight is available.⁷

Should you sedate your pet before they fly?

Absolutely not. One of the criteria to meet to fly is that your pet appears healthy on arrival at the freight terminal.⁷

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Sources:

1. Qantas international pet travel
2. DAFF exporting animals
3. DAFF Pet imports
4. DAFF import group 2
5. DAFF import steps from group 3
6. Qantas Service dogs
7. Qantas pet FAQs
8. Qantas checklist

Sources checked on: 01 March 2024