What you pay the Australian government
This is the most predictable part: the rates are published by the Australian Department of Agriculture, they are the same for everyone and do not depend on the transport company. Figures as of 21 April 2026, reviewed annually.
| Item | AUD |
|---|---|
| Import permit, first animal (lodgement 130 + assessment 473) | 603 |
| Each additional animal in the same consignment | 288 |
| Quarantine booking fee | 269 |
| Entry fee | 1078 |
| Quarantine, 10 days (53 per day) | 530 |
| Quarantine, 30 days | 1590 |
| Airport terminal fee (charged by the airline) | 170–350 |
With the minimum 10-day quarantine, the mandatory Australian charges for one animal add up to roughly 2,480 AUD plus the terminal fee. If the microchip identity was not verified in advance, quarantine runs 30 days instead of 10 — another 1,060 AUD on top. The takeaway is simple: verifying the animal's identity before the RNAT blood draw saves about a thousand dollars.
Charged separately: document inspection and processing — 80 AUD per 30 minutes, release outside business hours — 170 AUD on weekdays and 180 on weekends, boarding beyond the booked period — 53 AUD per day. Veterinary care during quarantine is billed separately as incurred.
What you pay in Poland
There are no fixed figures here — they depend on the clinic, the animal's weight and the season. But the line items are always the same:
- Microchipping and rabies vaccination — one-off costs if the animal is not yet chipped.
- RNAT test — the blood draw plus the work of a laboratory approved by Australia. The report must be in English, on the laboratory's letterhead.
- Additional tests. For dogs — leptospirosis and leishmaniasis, plus brucellosis for entire (non-neutered) males. For cats there are no mandatory tests besides RNAT.
- Parasite treatments. External — at least 30 days before departure for dogs and 21 days for cats; internal — twice within 45 days, the second no later than 5 days before departure.
- Official government veterinarian. The RNAT declaration and the final health certificate are signed and stamped by an official government vet, not the treating one.
Crate and flight
The crate must meet IATA requirements: rigid shell, metal bolts, ventilation on three or four sides, and the animal must be able to stand at full height and turn around. The size is fitted to the animal, so a large dog immediately means both an expensive crate and expensive air freight.
The flight is booked as manifested cargo — not as carry-on and not as checked baggage. The cost is calculated by volumetric weight, that is, by the crate's dimensions, not just the animal's weight. This is usually the single largest item in the whole estimate, and the one that swings most with the season.
Why no one can quote a single figure
A four-kilogram cat and a German Shepherd differ in the final total by a factor of several — with exactly the same paperwork. The price is driven by weight and dimensions, departure city, route and connections, season, the number of animals in one consignment, and how many steps you handle yourself.
We build the estimate for your specific animal and show it line by line: government charges, veterinary work, the flight and our own fee — each separately. You can see exactly where the money goes.