Formalities to bring your pet in Fiji

Hello Julien...
I am pretty familiar with the whole process. Take a deep breath though - because it is going to cost you make no mistake!
Where are you bringing in the Dog/Cat from? This makes a lot of difference. If not from Australia/NZ/Hawaii you will have to import the animal via one of these countries, satisfy all of that countries import requirements and then import from there to Fiji. All vaccinations have to be up to date the dog needs to be vaccinated and tested (RNATT blood test) for rabies. You need to wait 6 months after a successful RNATT test before importing or keep the Dog in quarantine somewhere during this 6 months provided that your Dog is coming from a rabies free country. The Dog will also need to be tested for Lepto and Brucellosis which need to be completed within 30 days prior to travel.
The Dog will have to spend time in quarantine. The minimum here in Fiji is 7 days. Quarantine facilities are surprisingly good.

Here is the kicker. If your Dog is not coming from one of the 3 countries above - this is Fiji and processes and paperwork change constantly and this whole process can be really frustrating. There is a clause in the import permit for Fiji which states :-

7.1. RESIDENCY:
The dog must have been continuously resident in Australia since birth or for at least six
months prior to export and must not have been in quarantine or under quarantine
restriction during the thirty days immediately preceding export.

If you have imported from Europe say, the dog will of been in quarantine in Australia prior to arriving in Fiji. You need to apply for an exception to the above rule. I managed it, but not without a fight.

I can only comment on Dogs - and I am glad I did it, although I am changing his name to 'life savings'.. He is the happiest Dog on the planet in Fiji.

If you decide to go forward with this - I can arrange everything for you including shipping/quarantine/customs clearance etc from wherever your animal is for a minimal fee.
Let me know how it goes...

Thanks for these tips DiveFiji!

Harmonie.

Thank you! What were the costs of all the above? Curious. How did you get an exemption? What was the total amount of time your dog spent in transit and quarantine? Any information would be great!

Costs are difficult to explain. I shipped him all the way from the UAE via Australia - if you ship your pet just from Australia or NZ then the costs will be significantly less.
Quarantine costs here were just under $600FJD for 8 days (I left him in there 1 extra day). Customs clearance was a surprise as the dog had to spend the night in quarantine in the airport because the flight was delayed so that was another $500FJD when it should of been no more than $100FJD.
Australian quarantine costs you can get off their website and flight costs and transit depend on the size of your Dog.

My Dog spent 30 days in quarantine in Australia after flying in from the UAE then flew here to NADI the day after his release (he boarded for one night in Sydney). Once here he had to fly domestic to Nausori as the quarantine station is close to there (again, if your Dog is too big you have to arrange road transportation). 7 days in quarantine there and then I picked him up. So - a very well traveled dog all in all.

The exemption was the hardest part - but it is possible as long as you are extremely well informed on the shipping requirements and make a good case.

Quite frankly - the first time I did this, it was the most stressful thing I had ever done! Forget buying houses or having kids! Feeling your way around all this stuff is a full time job. If you have the cash - pay someone else to do it!

But - it is all worth it now

Hi Julien

I did move a container for a client of mine and including his pet dog from Hawaii...It took him 30 days in Australia before landing in Fiji and spending a couple of days with Quarantine Fiji...You just need to get the right guys to move this for you.Imagine i moved 2 x 20 ft container with owners and their pet dog right to Northen vanualevu...it was really a test but i got them through with their pets...You need someone with good connections with Fiji Quarantine.

Hi, Just wondering if any of you now have the shipping container you used for shipping still located in Fiji and would be interested in selling it ? I need something big enough for 2 cats.

cheers !

do you mean shipping containers...or you need cat crates?

A container appropriate for shipping them by air back to Australia.  A size of around 26 x 18x 15 inches would be appropriate if we are allowed to ship them together.

You mentioned there may be a way we can bring our small dog (5kg) from Australia to Fiji without her having to stay in Quarantine if we pay a fee. She has lived here all her life. We want to travel over every year and take her with us (we want to stay in Fiji during Australian winter - up to 6 months). Have looked into Australia quarantine and know she will have to stay here for 30 days when we get back. Please advise cost involved to fly her over and back and any costs associated with quarantine over there. I do not think I feel comfortable leaving her with strangers in quarantine in another country. She is used to being with us inside all the time and has never been to a kennel environment. Any help would be appreciated.

Unfortunately one person's experience when dealing with govt departments in Fiji, is never the same as another's.You will get different answers from different government staff within the same department.. And different answers from the same person at different times. This is a regular experience for anyone living here.

You will need to tread your own path, start by contacting fiji quarantine to ask for their current requirements for dogs coming from Australia. FIji SPCA in Suva, Animals Fiji in Nadi or the private vet in Suva may also be able to offer advice

I have heard many differing experiences. And my feeling is that this is going to be a very difficult,  expensive and possibly unworkable situation to go back and forth every 6 months. 6 years ago, It cost a friend around US$3500 to import their dog permanently from the US. According to them, the quarantine facilities for their dog near Suva were terrible. I am currently trying to take my two cats back to Sydney with me. It will be around AU$2000 per cat.  The process seemed initially simple, but it has been a nightmare. Just the simple things like getting them vaccinated has been difficult. It is going to be very stressful for the cats too, with many long drives to get to veterinary care. Currently there are 3 vets available in Fiji to treat pets but there have been numerous times in the past 5 years when I have had no access to a vet when they needed it. What happens if your VISA is running out and you can't organise the shipping of your dog back to Sydney in time frame because of hold-ups with pathology or the government vet is not available to do the final sign-off within the 4 days before departure? It is so so difficult to organise anything with efficiency here, even with the best preparation.

Regarding the airlines, they will not allow live animals in the cabin on international flights. Your dog would have to go via cargo.

We met a tourist a couple of years ago who had  somehow managed to bring her lap dog with her in the plane  cabin from the USA for a 10 day holiday without quarantine. She had some sort of mental health issue which had allowed her to do this. I have not idea how she got around quarantine.

Although, we too will be moving between Sydney and Fiji, we have decided to base our cats back in Sydney because at least there they have easy access to veterinary care and there are options available for boarding or staying with family when we are away. There are very few, if any, satisfactory boarding facilities available in Fiji.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. It is great to get feedback. We couldn't live without her for 6 months and if there were delays we could stay until it was sorted as we don't have to come back to Australia. Is a while off before we do it yet (staying for a month next year to do final check that we want to buy something over there). We stayed in Pacific Palms and liked the area so may end up there. Cheers

Hi, can anyone recommend someone who has connections with the Fiji quarantine and can manage our pet's transport from the US to Fiji? thank you, nahad

Hi,
We are relocating from Egypt to fiji. Am most concerned on how we will be able to get our dog across.
Does this mean I will have to quarantine him in Australia for 6 myths before I can bring him to fiji? Won't that be just too traumatic for a pet?

Dear Radha

The Fiji Quarantine service Uses Australian standards for pets coming into the country.Therefore i suggest your pet needs to go through Australia for 1 month then a few weeks in Suva(Fiji Quarantine) before it is released to you.

By the way would you have any household effects to relocate from Egypt to Fiji?We do pet and household relocations accordingly.

Thanks,Bill

Thanks Bill, for your input. I was reading somewhere that since Egypt is an 'unapproved country' according to the Australian quarantine laws, the dog will have to go through quarantine in yet another country before he is permitted to enter Australia. Is that true?
Thanks

Dear Radha

Yes most countries that don't have approval for pets importation through to Fiji will have to go through Australia first then to Fiji.

(Moderated: no free ad on the forum pls + register in the business directory )

Thanks,
Bill

Hi everyone! After reading over the responses, it sounds like a mixed bag: bringing a pet is possible but you will get some grey hairs in the process. Here is another situation I would like some advice on - I adopted a dog from Thailand and have relocated her to the UK. She has the proper vaccinations and chips needed for travel. Once she gets the RNATT test, will she still need to wait the standard 6 months after testing for clearing or will it be longer because she was born in Thailand? Also, will her place of birth affect her coming into Fiji even though she will have spent 6 months in the UK with all the proper tests?

Thanks for any advice on this sticky situation!

Hi - Have read these posts, and done some other googling...

Just really want the low down from any one who has recently moved a dog from Australia to Fiji, which pet transport company you selected, what they were like, and what the the total costs (transport + required tests & vaccinations) were.

We're moving to Suva, and are planning to bring our dog over once we've settled (and located a dog friendly (fenced) rental property).

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

Jonathan

Hi,
It makes no difference where your dog is from. You just need to pass entry requirements for Fiji. The rules have changed and now once your dog has had the rabies vaccination you should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. Check with biosecurity fiji on whether or not they can now cope with a direct import rather than yoi having to bring the dog via Hawaii, New Zealand or Australia as i think that has changed as well which is good news all around. Definitely start with them first as they will have the final say on the entry of your dog.
good luck!

As for pet transport i used jetpets froM australia. They will give you a quote straight away.

Hi! Thanks so much for your quick reply. Seems much easier than I had believed and I will follow up with BAF.

Cheers

Jonathan

Hi,

My situation is that I want to travel from Finland to Fiji with my cat.

I have been told that if I start the process now of making sure my cat has all the vaccinations, I could be in Fiji in 6 to 7 months. That is assuming I/my cat won't have to reside in Australia for that six months! I hope the above on the page is true and that rule has been changed.

The little what I've personally read online, my plan is to fly from Finland via Singapore to Australia. Singapore would be the relatively easy part cos there's a thing called transshipment license. In Australia my cat would have to stay in quarantine for 10 days. Then I would fly from Australia to Fiji, where the quarantine would be 7 days.

So really I'm fine with this all as long as I wouldn't have to do the six-month residence in Australia. I am willing to fight for this. Is that an old rule or is that still standing?

Also any other advice or info or anything is appreciated.

Thanks,

Qwerty (Not my real name.)

Does anyone have more info on the changed rules on importing a pet to Fiji?

Dutchie1 wrote:

Does anyone have more info on the changed rules on importing a pet to Fiji?

All I know is in my case I don't have to wait the six months in Australia cos Fiji authority allowed an exemption from that rule. I'm just doing everything that it takes to get Australian import permit, like waiting six months in my country of origin, and that's good enough for Fiji too.

Hi Radha,

Wondering if you ended up relocating to Fiji after all? Would love to hear your experience as we are looking to relocate with our pet and I am petrified

Hi I am looking to bring a dog from the UK to Fiji his titre test is on march 12th can you advise

Kind regards

Nigel Hillier

Can someone who's been through the process tell me what the formalities and hoops I'm going to have to jump through to bring my 2 pet cats to Fiji to live?  Thank you so much and with appreciation.

Hi,

My wife and I (she is a Fiji citizen) will be moving to Fiji from Australia in mid 2019.

We have a 6 month old German sheperd born in Australia we want to bring with us.

Could you please assist I am happy to pay a fee for your help I just don't want to make any mistakes which would delay the process.

Thank you!

I would be very grateful for any advice on relocating with our dog from the uk to Fiji.

I have contacted a couple of pet importers and so far it seems exceptionally complex and expensive.

With thanks in advance.

There is a lot of paperwork you need to do. It's better you visit Fiji without your pets.

Hi!  I noticed that there have been no activity in this post for quite a while and I realize right now Fiji's border is closed due to COVID but I am posting this in hopes someone out there sees this and can lend some advice.  My husband and I are planning to relocate to Fiji (he is Fijian citizen, I am America citizen) and we have 2 dogs that we are going to bring with us.  I am searching for a pet relocation company that has experience with importing dogs into Fiji if anyone has any recommendations for a Pet relocation company I would greatly appreciate it.

I have done some research on the requirements but I am hoping to talk to someone that has gone through this process, and if someone has gone through the process bringing pets from the US mainland would be a bonus!  I understand the 3 countries that dogs can be imported to Fiji from (e.g. New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii).  Since I live in Houston, Texas (not Hawaii) - I understand I will have to transport to Hawaii - quarantine for Hawaii's mandatory 5 days and then I should be eligible to import into Fiji, I think? OR do my dogs need stay in Hawaii longer before they make the next flight leg to Fiji?  I am starting with this Forum to see if I can get a response from someone that has done this process in hopes to piggyback on any lessons learned.  I will, for sure, contact the Fiji Biosecurity Authority as I need to apply for import certificate, etc. but I am hoping to start here in this forum.

Background on the dogs:  they are 8 years old and I expect them to live at least another 5-8 years.  I have had them since they were 6 months old and they have been spayed, micro chipped, all shots/vaccines, etc. for US standards have been strictly kept up to date as well as heartworm/flea prevention - our 2 dogs (both females) are our "girls" and are an integral part of our family.  They are indoor dogs (they do go outside for walks, play, potty, etc. but they are never kept outdoors (they have their own doggy door to come in/out from the house).

Any feedback is much appreciated.  And leaving my dogs behind is not an option.  My husband is 55 and I am 49 so we are moving for our retirement and to start our farming business near my husbands village.

Thanks,
Leticia

@Julien If want to move to Fiji can I bring my pet duck?