Bringing your dog or cat from Australia to Italy

Good news first: getting a pet into Italy is far easier than getting one back into Australia. Plan the return trip before you leave.

The short version

Italy follows the EU rules for pets from outside the EU: an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip, a 21-day wait and an EU animal health certificate [1].
Australia is one of the countries exempt from the EU's rabies blood test, so you don't need a titre test to enter Italy [1]. You'll want one anyway if your pet might ever come home.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) must endorse the export paperwork, and the final vet check happens within 72 hours of departure [2].
Pets usually fly as cargo via a hub such as Doha, Dubai or Singapore, landing at Rome Fiumicino.
Once you're in Rome, register your dog at the anagrafe canina at your ASL. In ASL Roma 3, microchip registration costs €28 [5].

Why Australian pets start from scratch

Australia is rabies-free, so most Australian dogs and cats have never had a rabies shot. The EU treats rabies vaccination as non-negotiable, so that's your first job.

The order matters. The microchip must go in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination doesn't count [1]. Most Australian pets are already chipped, but check it's an ISO-compatible chip. DAFF won't accept chips starting with "999" [2]. If yours does, your vet can implant a second, compliant chip before the rabies shot.

The timeline

Work backwards from your flight date.

When	What happens	Rule
4–6 months out	Check the microchip; decide whether to do the rabies blood test for a future return	ISO chip, not "999" [2]
At least 21 days before arrival	Rabies vaccination, pet at least 12 weeks old	21-day wait after the first shot [1]
Before you leave (optional)	Rabies blood test (RNATT) for coming home later	Result of 0.5 IU/ml or more [3]
At least 14 days before export	Last other vaccines (C3, F3 etc.)	DAFF timing rule [2]
Within 72 hours of departure	Final health exam by your vet	Pre-export inspection [2]
No more than 10 days before arrival	EU health certificate issued and endorsed	Signed off by a government vet [1]

The Australian side: DAFF and your vet

Exporting a pet is a regulated export in Australia. Your vet does the clinical work, and a DAFF veterinary officer endorses the paperwork. The department's guidance for vets sets out the order [2].

Get Italy's requirements in writing. DAFF expects you to confirm the importing country's rules from an official source. For Italy that's the EU rules plus the Italian health ministry's guidance [2].
Check eligibility. Airlines restrict some breeds, especially snub-nosed dogs and cats. Pets must be at least 8 weeks old to travel, and the EU needs them to be at least 12 weeks old for the rabies shot, so in practice puppies and kittens wait about 15 weeks [1][2].
Vaccinate against rabies using DAFF's rabies vaccination certificate form, with the original kept [2].
Book the final check within 72 hours of the flight [2].
Get the EU certificate. DAFF publishes the current EU certificate, including an Italian–English version, on its MICOR system. A new model came in during 2026, so download the latest one rather than reusing a friend's [4].
Lodge everything with your state's DAFF regional office for endorsement [2].
Keep copies of all records for at least two years [2].

Non-commercial rules

Most families move under the EU's "non-commercial" rules. You can bring up to five pets, and the pet must travel with you or with someone you authorise within five days of your own trip [1][4]. If your pet flies more than five days before or after you, it can be treated as a commercial movement, which means more paperwork.

DAFF charges fees for the export certificate and inspection. Pet transport companies quote the full door-to-door job, including crates, cargo space and DAFF fees. Prices vary a lot by size and route, so get several quotes and ask what's included.

The flight to Rome

Most airlines that fly Australia to Europe carry pets only as manifest cargo, not in the cabin and not as checked baggage. In practice, Rome-bound pets fly with a Gulf or Asian carrier via a hub such as Doha, Dubai or Singapore. Ask the airline's cargo team, not the passenger desk.

Things to sort out early:

Transit rules. Some hubs have their own paperwork for animals changing planes. A direct connection on one airline is simpler.
The crate. It must meet IATA standards and be new or disinfected [2]. Your pet should be able to stand, turn and lie down. Get your pet used to it weeks ahead.
Summer embargoes. Airlines often restrict pets in hot months, and the Gulf hubs get very hot. Northern spring and autumn are easier.
The entry point. Pets must enter the EU through a designated travellers' point of entry [1]. Rome Fiumicino is the obvious one for Rome. Confirm it with your airline when booking, especially if you're routing through another EU airport.

On arrival, your pet's documents are checked against the microchip. Have the original certificate, the rabies certificate and your passport ready.

In Rome: the anagrafe canina and daily rules

Registering your dog

Every dog in Italy must be in the regional dog registry, the anagrafe canina. In Rome it's run by the ASL (local health authority) that covers your address: ASL Roma 1, 2 or 3, depending on your municipio.

ASL Roma 3's rules are a good guide to what to expect [5]:

Register a dog within 30 days of acquiring it. Treat your arrival date the same way.
Bring your ID and your codice fiscale. The owner must be an adult [5].
Microchip, registration and certificate cost €28. Changes, such as a new address, cost €8 [5].
If you move house, tell the ASL within 15 days [5].
Accredited private vets can also register your dog, but you pay their fee on top [5].

Bring the EU health certificate and your Australian microchip paperwork. Ask whether the ASL can record your existing chip. Usually a compliant ISO chip can be registered as it is, without a new one.

Cats are treated more loosely. Ask your vet whether to register your cat voluntarily, which helps if it gets lost.

Once your pet is resident in Italy, your Roman vet can issue an EU pet passport. That makes travel within the EU much simpler than the certificate you arrived with.

Dogs on ATAC buses and the metro

Rome is a dog-friendly city. You'll see dogs in cafés, shops and on public transport. ATAC's rules, as reported in 2023 [6]:

Small and medium dogs can travel, with a maximum of two per vehicle.
They need a lead and a basket muzzle, and must be clean.
Board through the back doors on buses and trams, and use the first or last carriage on the metro.
Cats and small pets in carriers up to 25 x 45 x 80 cm can travel if you pay the normal fare.
Guide dogs travel free.

Across Italy, the national dog ordinance requires a lead no longer than 1.5 metres in public places, and you must carry a muzzle to use if asked or if there's a risk [6]. Rome's big parks, like Villa Pamphili and Villa Borghese, are favourite dog walks. Check the signs for where dogs may go off the lead.

Plan the trip home before you leave

This is the part Australians forget. Bringing a pet back to Australia is strict, slow and expensive, and it's much easier if you prepared before you left.

DAFF recommends that pets leaving Australia get a rabies vaccination and a rabies blood test (RNATT) through the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness before departure [3]. Then keep the rabies vaccinations up to date without a single day's gap. If the vaccination lapses, your pet has to be revaccinated, retested and spend 180 days in an approved country before it can come home [3]. The RNATT itself is valid for 12 months from the blood draw, so you'll redo it closer to your return [3].

Check Italy's group on the DAFF website before you go. For Group 3 countries, returning pets may be eligible for a 10-day post-entry quarantine period [3], served at the government facility at Mickleham in Victoria. If you might come back within six months, DAFF suggests getting the import permit before you leave [3].

Our guide to bringing your pet home to Australia covers the return trip step by step.

Want to know which Roman vet speaks English, or which park your dog will love? Join Cooee Italy, our Facebook group for Australians in Italy, and ask the other pet owners. Join the community.

Bringing your dog or cat from Australia to Italy: the paperwork, the flight and Rome