AU
Australia
✈️
NA
Namibia
Pet Transport from Australia to Namibia
8-12 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
Moderate
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Australia to Namibia
typically takes around 8-12 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is not required.
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Overview
If you are relocating a pet from Australia to Namibia, the process is manageable once you know the sequence. Give yourself close to 8-12 weeks so none of the fixed waiting periods catch you out. Pets with correct documentation skip quarantine entirely.
A rabies titre test is not needed for this route. Use the timeline below to plan backwards from your travel date.
Step by step
The Australia to Namibia process
1
10-12 weeks before travel.
Apply for the Namibian import permit through the Directorate of Veterinary Services, since there's no published processing time and Qantas's limited Johannesburg-Perth schedule needs booking well ahead.
Responsible: Owner or agent, N$150 fee
2
8-10 weeks before travel.
Apply for the DAFF export permit and schedule the DAFF-accredited vet's fitness-to-travel examination.
Responsible: Owner or DAFF-accredited vet
3
Well before travel, but not so early it lapses.
Rabies vaccination given or booster confirmed, timed for Namibia's 30-day-to-12-month arrival window.
Responsible: DAFF-accredited vet in Australia
4
6-8 weeks before travel, since the Johannesburg-Perth service doesn't run daily.
Book cargo routing: a domestic connection to Perth if needed, then Qantas's three-times-weekly Johannesburg-Perth service, then Airlink to Windhoek.
Responsible: Owner or agent
5
Within DAFF's required pre-departure window.
DAFF export health certificate finalised.
Responsible: DAFF-accredited vet and DAFF
6
On landing.
Arrival in Windhoek: present the DAFF certificate and Namibian import permit, and confirm any additional parasite test results the permit required.
Responsible: Owner / receiving agent
Checklist
Namibia: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784/11785 15-digit microchip required, implanted before the import permit application is submitted. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required, administered between 30 days and 12 months before entry. A vaccination older than 12 months, or newer than 30 days, doesn't satisfy Namibia's window. Source: Namibia Directorate of Veterinary Services import permit application, mawf.gov.na. |
| Rabies titre test | Not required from any country of origin, including Australia. Namibia is markedly more permissive on this point than the reverse route, where Australia's own DAFF rules would require a titre test and an extended wait. |
| Quarantine | No mandatory quarantine for a pet meeting the import permit's conditions in full. |
| Import permit | Required from the Directorate of Veterinary Services before travel, N$150 fee (roughly USD 8). Processing time isn't published, so apply as early as practical, well before booking the limited Qantas cargo slots below. |
| Health certificate | DAFF export health certificate from Australia, presented with the Namibian import permit on arrival. |
Leaving Australia
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | DAFF export permit required, applied for through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (agriculture.gov.au). The permit and its accompanying health certificate must be built around Namibia's specific import conditions rather than a generic template. |
| Health certificate | Health certificate issued by a DAFF-accredited veterinarian following a pre-export fitness-to-travel examination. Pets that appear unwell at this check have the export delayed until they clear it. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | DAFF export permit and accredited vet fees: AUD 400-900 |
| 2 | Namibian import permit: N$150 (roughly USD 8) |
| 3 | Any additional parasite testing the permit specifies: USD 80-200 |
| 4 | IATA-compliant travel crate: AUD 150-450 |
| 5 | Cargo, Perth to Windhoek via Johannesburg: AUD 2,500-5,000 depending on crate size and season |
| 6 | Domestic connection to Perth, if departing from Sydney or Melbourne: AUD 150-500 |
| 7 | Agent and handling fees: AUD 400-800 |
| 8 | Total typical range: AUD 3,700-7,500 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Qantas's Johannesburg-Perth sector, the only direct long-haul link this route relies on, operates three times a week, not daily. Build that into your booking timeline rather than assuming a flight is available on short notice.
⚠ Namibia's rabies vaccination window runs both ways: not older than 12 months and not newer than 30 days at entry. A pet vaccinated too close to the flight date can fail the check just as easily as one that's lapsed.
⚠ The Namibian import permit can specify negative tests for diseases like Trypanosoma evansi or Leishmaniasis depending on the individual application. Confirm the exact list with the Directorate before the vet visit, since it isn't identical on every permit.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Qantas
Operates the only direct long-haul link relevant to this route, Johannesburg to Perth, currently three times a week rather than daily. Owners outside Perth need a domestic connection first. Qantas Freight handles booking; brachycephalic breeds are restricted year-round and temperature embargoes apply during the Australian summer. Confirm current live animal acceptance and schedule before booking.
Airlink
Regional connector from O.R. Tambo, Johannesburg (JNB) to Hosea Kutako International (WDH), the onward leg every booking on this route uses to finish the journey into Namibia.
South African Airways
An alternative first leg for owners not near Perth, connecting Sydney or Melbourne to Johannesburg via a codeshare or interline routing. Worth comparing against a domestic Qantas connection to Perth if the Johannesburg-Perth sailing dates don't fit your travel window.
Namibia import rules, explained
Namibia has a clear set of import requirements that are manageable with some planning. Follow them in order and keep an eye on the dates that cannot move.
Practical tips for this move
Get your pet used to the travel crate weeks in advance. A calm, crate-familiar animal travels far better than one meeting the crate for the first time at the airport.
Confirm live animal acceptance on every flight segment before booking. Not all aircraft or connections take pets, and cargo terms can differ leg to leg.
Keep every original document together and take copies. Border officials want originals, and a missing signature or date can hold up clearance.
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
FAQ
Common questions
No. Namibia doesn’t require a rabies antibody titre test from any country of origin, which makes this route notably lighter on the destination side than the reverse Namibia-to-Australia journey, where DAFF’s own rules apply in full.
No single through-flight exists, but Qantas’s Johannesburg-Perth service is the main direct long-haul link, running three times a week. From Johannesburg, Airlink completes the journey to Windhoek. Owners outside Perth need a domestic connection first.
It has to have been given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival, not older and not more recent. Both limits are enforced, so timing the booster matters as much as getting one at all.
Budget 8 to 12 weeks. Most of that time goes on DAFF’s export process and the Namibian import permit, whose processing time isn’t published, plus working around Qantas’s three-times-weekly Johannesburg-Perth schedule rather than a fixed waiting period.
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