8 months out and earlier — eligibility check
Start with three questions, any of which can close the topic entirely. Is the breed banned from import? Does the animal have an ISO-standard microchip, and was it implanted before the rabies vaccination? Has the animal spent the last 180 days in an approved country — for Poland this is satisfied automatically, but if the animal recently arrived from elsewhere, the clock restarts.
Health status belongs here too: pregnancy past 30 days and nursing females are not accepted for export.
7 months out — chip, identity verification, vaccination
If there is no chip — we implant one. Then an official government vet verifies the animal's identity: this step cuts quarantine from 30 days to 10 and saves about a thousand Australian dollars. It must be done strictly before the blood draw.
Next, rabies vaccination with an approved vaccine. The animal must be at least 84 days old.
6.5 months out — blood for RNAT
We wait 3–4 weeks after the vaccination and draw blood. The date the sample reaches the laboratory becomes the reference point: departure is possible no earlier than 180 days after it. The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher, and it stays valid for 365 days from the draw date.
From this moment we have a departure window — roughly from month seven to month twelve.
5–4 months out — import permit
The application goes into Australia's BICON system once the RNAT declaration is ready. Standard processing time is 20–40 business days, up to 123 business days in complex cases. Payment is made with the application: 603 AUD for the first animal and 288 for each additional one in the same consignment.
The permit is valid until the RNAT expires and must be valid on the day of arrival.
3 months out — quarantine booking and crate
A place at Mickleham can only be booked after the permit is granted — the system will not accept it earlier. Places are limited, and in high season they go fast.
At the same time we select an IATA-compliant crate and start crate-training the animal. Three months of calm acclimatisation change the flight for the animal more than any other detail.
45 days out — tests and treatments
Now comes a dense stretch with rigid time windows. For dogs — leptospirosis (vaccination no later than 14 days before departure, or a negative test within 45 days), leishmaniasis within 45 days, and brucellosis for entire males. External parasites — treatment at least 30 days before departure for dogs and 21 days for cats, then per the product's instructions. Internal — two treatments within 45 days, at least 14 days apart.
The last 5 days
Final examination and the veterinary health certificate, endorsed by an official government vet. The second internal-parasite treatment must fall within these same 5 days. Every document is checked: chip numbers, dates, stamps, no correction-fluid fixes.
Departure day and after
The animal is handed over at the cargo terminal, the crate empty — no bedding, toys or food bowls inside. In Melbourne a biosecurity officer takes charge and drives it to Mickleham. Within a day an arrival email comes through, then 10 or 30 days of quarantine — and the reunion.
All told, from the first step to a home in Australia — six to eight months when things run normally. Plan for eight if the permit takes long to process or if it is high season.