Five dogs cannot be imported into New Zealand: Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario and the American Pit Bull Terrier type. The ban catches any dog wholly or predominantly one of them, so a cross-breed is not automatically safe. Eligibility is settled on paper before departure — by a vet certificate and a statutory declaration, not by an officer at the airport.
Introduction: the question that comes before every other question
Before a rabies titre, a permit or a quarantine booking means anything, one question has to be answered: is this dog allowed into New Zealand at all? Five breeds and types are not, and no amount of testing or paperwork changes that.
Most families who contact My Pet Mover about New Zealand start with timing. When to draw the blood test, how early the permit goes in, which month has quarantine space. Right questions, wrong order — every one assumes the dog is eligible.
On the Malaysia to New Zealand corridor, eligibility is not a judgement call made at the border. It is a written finding, made months earlier, by a vet in Malaysia and by the owner signing a declaration.
The short explainer below covers why countries write breed lists at all — useful background before reading New Zealand’s version of one.
Which dog breeds are banned from import into New Zealand?
Four named breeds and one named type. The banned dog breeds New Zealand refuses are Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and Perro de Presa Canario. The type is the American Pit Bull Terrier. MPI and New Zealand Customs publish the same five, and the prohibition sits in the Dog Control Act 1996.
The list has not moved in years, which is why it is worth learning once. The same five appear in MPI’s import guidance and on the Customs page, because both agencies enforce one statute from opposite sides of the border. Before checking the breed, confirm whether Malaysia is approved to send pets to New Zealand at all.
The Five Dogs New Zealand Will Not Admit
| Breed or type | Also known as | How the rule names it | Import status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Fila | Fila Brasileiro | Prohibited breed | Cannot be imported |
| Dogo Argentino | Argentine Mastiff | Prohibited breed | Cannot be imported |
| Japanese Tosa | Tosa Inu, Tosa Ken | Prohibited breed | Cannot be imported |
| Perro de Presa Canario | Presa Canario, Canary Mastiff | Prohibited breed | Cannot be imported |
| American Pit Bull Terrier | Pit Bull, APBT | Prohibited type, not breed | Cannot be imported |
Source: MPI, step-by-step guide to bringing cats and dogs to NZ, reviewed 1 July 2026, and New Zealand Customs, updated 24 January 2025. Alternative names are common usage, not official wording.
The fifth row is the one to read slowly. MPI separates the American Pit Bull Terrier as a prohibited type, not a breed. That wording is deliberate: a type describes what a dog looks like, not a pedigree you can produce papers for.
Not sure where your dog sits on that list?
Send a photo, the vaccination book and any breed record. We will tell you before you spend anything. See how the New Zealand corridor works →
What “wholly or predominantly” actually means for a cross-breed
MPI describes the prohibition as covering any dog belonging entirely or predominantly to one of the listed breeds or types. A half-Pit Bull cross is not automatically clear. The test is what the dog mostly is, judged on appearance and history, not on a percentage you can calculate.
This is where most online advice goes vague, and where Malaysian owners of rescue dogs get caught. A shelter dog with no pedigree, a blocky head and a short coat is exactly the animal the wording targets. Three things follow:
- There is no safe fraction. “Only half” is not a defence if the dog reads predominantly as a listed type.
- Appearance carries weight. For a type, what the dog looks like is the evidence — there is no register to check against.
- The call is made in Malaysia first. Your certifying vet writes the finding; New Zealand relies on it, then verifies at the border.
A DNA test can support a file, but no authority has published a DNA threshold for this rule. Treat it as evidence, never as a clearance.
What else the same eligibility gate blocks
The breed list is one part of a wider eligibility screen. Hybrids of cats or dogs with another species are not eligible at all, with Bengal cats the single exception. Several other pet species are refused outright, whatever their paperwork looks like.
Eligibility Screen: Three Groups, One Gate
| Group | What it covers | Any way through? |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs, by breed or type | Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario | No, unless a narrow legal exception applies |
| American Pit Bull Terrier, as a type | No, unless a narrow legal exception applies | |
| Hybrids | Any cat or dog crossed with another species | Not eligible for import |
| Bengal cats | Yes, with five generations of domestic ancestry documented | |
| Other pet species | Live birds, ferrets, snakes and other reptiles | No, except reptiles for zoos |
| Guinea pigs, mice and rats | Guinea pigs from Australia only; rodents as laboratory animals only |
Source: New Zealand Customs, updated 24 January 2025, and MPI’s cats and dogs import guidance, reviewed 1 July 2026. Grouped by My Pet Mover, August 2026.
Malaysian households often hold more than a cat and a dog. If a bird or a reptile is part of the family, the answer for New Zealand is usually no.
How you prove your dog is not on the list
With two documents. A dog not already registered in New Zealand travels with an exempting statutory declaration. That declaration is accompanied by a veterinarian’s certificate stating that, to the vet’s knowledge and belief, the dog is not a listed dog.
This part surprises owners. Nobody assesses your dog at Auckland and issues a ruling. The finding is made in Malaysia, signed, and travels with the animal:
- Settle the breed with your certifying vet. Bring the vaccination book, any breeder or shelter record and clear photographs.
- Obtain the veterinarian’s certificate. It states that the dog is not a dog listed under the Dog Control Act 1996, to the best of the vet’s knowledge and belief.
- Complete the exempting statutory declaration. New Zealand Customs publishes the exempting statutory declaration form for dogs not previously registered there.
- Lodge the MPI import permit. MPI asks for applications at least 30 working days ahead — see our guide to how long MPI import permit approval takes.
- Send the Customs pack before landing. Form NZCS 231, photo ID, evidence of ownership, the air waybill, the veterinary certificates and the declaration.
What happens if a listed dog is shipped anyway
Importing a prohibited dog is an offence under the Dog Control Act 1996, carrying a fine on conviction. The dog has no lawful way to stay, and the owner is left holding the cost of an animal stuck at the border.
Forums are full of people asking whether the rule is “really” enforced. Section 30A of the Dog Control Act 1996 makes contravention an offence, with a fine of up to NZ$3,000 on conviction.
The fine is not the real cost. A refused dog means thousands of ringgit in flights, crates, testing and quarantine deposits, spent on a journey that ends in a return sector at best. Weigh that against one honest conversation with a vet.
Want the eligibility question answered before you spend?
We run the breed and species check first, at no cost, and quote only once the answer is yes. Read how New Zealand pet arrivals are routed →
When the breed question has to be settled
First, before every other step. Eligibility sits above the rabies titre, above the permit and above the quarantine booking, because each of those is money spent on the assumption that the dog can travel at all.
How Early Each Step Sits, Days Before Departure
| Step | How early it sits | Days before flight |
|---|---|---|
| Breed and species eligibility confirmed | 240 | |
| Rabies titre blood draw | 180 | |
| Quarantine space held | 150 | |
| MPI import permit lodged | 60 | |
| Crate and carrier acceptance confirmed | 30 | |
| Export health certification signed | 7 |
Source: My Pet Mover corridor planning view, August 2026 — an illustrative scheduling model, not a regulatory requirement. The one regulatory minimum shown is the permit lead time: MPI asks for applications at least 30 working days ahead, per its import guidance.
Read the bars, not the numbers. Eligibility runs full width because it is the only step that cannot be rescheduled, retested or expedited.
Rules in motion: what changed and what changes next
The breed list itself is stable, but everything around it is moving. A new import health standard came into force on 1 July 2026 with a nine-month transition, and the New Zealand government ordered a review of the Dog Control Act 1996 in March 2026.
Timeline Of The Rules Around The Breed List
| Date | What happened | Effect on a Malaysian file |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dog Control Act 1996 enacted, carrying the import prohibition | The breed list gets its legal home |
| 24 Jan 2025 | Customs pet import page last updated, listing the five and the declaration requirement | Current wording of the Customs pack |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Government announces a review of the Dog Control Act 1996 | The list could change; recheck before each move |
| 1 Jul 2026 | 2026 cats and dogs import health standard comes into force, nine-month transition opens | Either standard may be used, but only one per file |
| 29 Jul 2026 | Refreshed Dog Control and Enforcement Guidelines published | Signals how councils will apply breed classification |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Pre-export identification checks begin for pets arriving from 1 April 2027 | Adds a step in Malaysia before departure |
| 1 Apr 2027 | All cats and dogs must meet the 2026 standard | Files built on the 2021 standard stop working |
Source: MPI, step-by-step guide under the 2026 import health standard, reviewed 1 July 2026; New Zealand Customs, updated 24 January 2025; and the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport dog control page, updates dated 23 March and 29 July 2026.
One quiet change matters for anyone searching old advice: dog control policy now sits with the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport, not the Department of Internal Affairs. Links circulating in pet forums point at pages that have moved.
The look-alike breeds Malaysian owners ask about
Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bullies, Bull Terriers, Cane Corsos and Boerboels are not among the banned dog breeds New Zealand refuses at the border. That does not make them invisible — a dog that reads predominantly as a Pit Bull type still has to satisfy the vet signing the certificate.
Malaysia keeps its own restricted list, and it is not identical to New Zealand’s. Read which dog breeds are banned or restricted in Malaysia alongside this page, because a dog that is fine leaving may be blocked returning. The same mismatch shows up with Japanese breeds such as the Akita and Tosa.
Two habits keep this simple:
- Ask the vet before you ask the internet. A certifying vet will say early whether they are comfortable signing. That is the only opinion that moves the file.
- Keep the paper trail. A shelter adoption record naming the breed, or a breeder certificate, beats any forum consensus.
Where owners go wrong on eligibility
The common failures are not exotic. Owners check the breed last instead of first, assume a transit country’s rules match the destination’s, or mistake a page about living with a dog in New Zealand for one about importing a dog.
The patterns repeat:
- Testing before checking. A rabies titre is paid for, then the breed question surfaces. The money is gone either way.
- Confusing import rules with ownership rules. New Zealand councils classify some dogs as menacing and impose muzzling conditions. That governs dogs already in the country, not a route in.
- Assuming a stopover is neutral. A transit country applies its own list. If your routing touches Singapore, read our guide to Singapore pet quarantine for Malaysian pets.
- Missing the airline layer. Carriers apply their own acceptance rules on top of government ones, which is why snub-nosed breed restrictions can block a dog every authority would admit.
- Trusting an old blog post. The agency responsible for dog control policy has changed and the import standard has been replaced.
Conclusion: settle the list, then build the move
The banned dog breeds New Zealand refuses come down to five, hybrids cannot enter at all, and every other dog needs a vet certificate and a declaration saying so. Confirm that first and the rest of the Malaysia to New Zealand move becomes a scheduling exercise.
New Zealand’s breed rule is unusually blunt, and that bluntness is a gift to anyone planning a move. There is no grey zone to negotiate and no appeal to win at the airport. Ask early, get it answered in writing, and everything after is logistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which dog breeds are banned from import into New Zealand?
Five: Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario and the American Pit Bull Terrier. MPI describes the first four as prohibited breeds and the American Pit Bull Terrier as a prohibited type. The prohibition covers any dog belonging entirely or predominantly to one of them.
2. Is a Pit Bull cross allowed into New Zealand?
Not if it is predominantly of the prohibited type. There is no published percentage threshold, so the practical test is whether a certifying vet will state that the dog is not a listed dog. If the vet is not comfortable signing, the dog does not travel.
3. What document proves my dog is not a banned breed?
A veterinarian’s certificate stating that, to the vet’s knowledge and belief, the dog is not a dog listed under the Dog Control Act 1996. For a dog not already registered in New Zealand, it accompanies an exempting statutory declaration published by New Zealand Customs.
4. Are wolf-dog hybrids allowed into New Zealand?
No. MPI states that no hybrids — offspring of a cat or dog crossed with another species — are eligible for import. Bengal cats are the single exception, and they need documentation showing five generations of domestic ancestry.
5. Does the ban apply to assistance dogs?
There are narrow exceptions, including for dogs already registered in New Zealand and for certain guide, hearing and companion dogs. Customs notes that a listed dog would also need evidence of certification as an assistance dog. Confirm this route with the authorities rather than treating it as a workaround.
6. Has the list of banned dog breeds in New Zealand changed recently?
The five have been stable, but the government announced a review of the Dog Control Act 1996 in March 2026 and refreshed dog control guidelines in July 2026. Check MPI and Customs at the start of any move rather than relying on older guidance.
Not sure your dog is eligible for New Zealand?
Send us the breed, a clear photo and your vaccination book. We check eligibility first, tell you straight, and only build a plan once the answer is yes.
