A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Flying Internationally with Your Dog in Cabin
Taking your pup with you on your travels can bring a lot of joy, but it comes with plenty of stress and logistics too. In our complete guide to flying internationally with your dog in cabin, we’ll provide you all the tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way in our journeys with Cali.
If you’re anything like us, your dog is your fur baby, and you want them to see the world with you! So far in our travels, we’ve brought Cali with us to 9 different countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. We’ve flown on 7 different airlines – plus buses, trains, and ferries – and we’ve learned a lot along the way.
Having Cali with us brings us so much happiness, but we won’t lie to you – it’s not easy. Traveling internationally with your dog requires a lot of planning, paperwork, and vet visits. Making sure you follow the regulations to the letter adds a fair amount of stress to travel planning, and it comes with extra costs as well. For us – and hopefully for you – it’s worth it, but it’s important to do your research first. In our complete beginner’s guide to flying internationally with your dog in cabin, we’ll share with you everything we’ve learned in our travels so far, so you can be prepared before planning your next trip.
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Your Guide to Flying Internationally With Your Dog in Cabin:
- Important Disclaimers
- Above All – Trust Official Sources
- Step 1 – Initial Feasibility Research
- Step 2 – Build a Timeline of Tasks to Complete
- Step 3 – Schedule Vet Appointments and Make Bookings
- Step 4 – Preparing Your Dog for Flying Internationally
- Step 5 – Day of Flight & Arrival at Destination
- FAQs: Guide to Flying Internationally With Your Dog in Cabin
Important Disclaimers to Our Guide to Flying Internationally With Your Dog
Before we get into our guide to flying internationally with your dog in cabin, we’ve got a few important disclaimers:
- The most important thing when traveling internationally with your dog (which we’ll discuss more below) is to rely first and foremost on official sources. While we always reference these sources and have used them to inform this post, we are not official sources and you should always double-check the details with airlines and government sites as it pertains to your specific circumstances before booking any veterinarian or travel arrangements.
- Our dog Cali is a 7 pound (3.5 kg) cavapoo that flies with us in cabin whenever possible. While we have (unfortunately) had to fly with her as cargo one time, we do not have expertise with flying with pets in cargo in general. Similarly, we do not have experience flying with large dogs, snub-nosed breeds, or any other types of pets. We also do not have experience flying with service animals or emotional support animals.
Above All - Trust Official Sources
As we just mentioned, the most important thing you can do when traveling internationally with your dog is to find and trust official sources above all others. While we do have a fair amount of expertise, you shouldn’t rely on our blog (or any others) alone. Regulations can change at any time, and you shouldn’t trust any blog or unofficial website to be 100% up-to-date. For the most part, official government websites are clear and easy to understand, though getting your bearings with a blog beforehand certainly helps. That being said, depending on where you’re traveling to, finding official sources isn’t always easy (Southeast Asia, in particular, was tricky). If you can’t find an official source, review multiple secondary sources to cross-check facts. Sometimes you can find links to official sources this way too!
Step 1 - Initial Feasibility Research
Before you get too excited imagining you and your pet strolling through the streets of Paris, it’s important to do some initial research. Is your pet even allowed to fly? Does the country you want to visit require extensive quarantine periods, or expensive import permits? Will your pet be allowed to return home after visiting your destination country? There are several important aspects you need to research to make sure traveling internationally with your dog is feasible before you consider booking anything.
Research Your Destination Country's Requirements
Your first step when considering how to travel with your dog internationally is to research the regulations of the country you want to visit. All countries have a regulatory body that oversees the import of animals, and most have an easy-to-find website that details the rules of entry. For example, this is the landing page for traveling to an EU country with your pet. You’ll want to review the rules and regulations for pet import very carefully. Make sure to consider the following items:
- Can my specific dog enter this country? Are there restricted breeds, maximum weight, or minimum age requirements? For example, certain “dangerous” breeds may not be allowed entry.
- What vaccinations are required to enter this country? Does my dog need to be microchipped (nearly always yes)?
- Will I need a health certificate to enter this country (usually yes)?
- Does this country require an import form or other type of pre-registration? Will there be an import duty or fee associated with bringing my dog to this country?
- Do I need to arrive at a specific port of entry in this country where customs or other government officials are present to inspect my dog and their paperwork?
- Will my dog be required to quarantine upon entry? Can I and my dog handle a quarantine emotionally and financially?
Pro tip: the cost of quarantine is borne by the importer. You can think of this like paying for boarding. You may also be required to pay for any veterinarian care or vaccinations that the country deems necessary based on observations during quarantine.
Research Your Home Country's Requirements
In addition to researching your destination country, you’ll need to research your home country as well. Depending on how long you’re traveling for and where you’re traveling to, you may need to acquire a health certificate or veterinarian treatment in your destination country before you return home. For example, if your home country is the USA and you travel to a destination affected by screwworm (like pet-friendly Mexico), you’ll need a certification of examination by a local vet in that destination within 5 days of your return to the USA. If your country deems that location “high risk,” you may even be required to obtain a successful rabies titre in your home country before you leave, which comes with a long lead time (we’ll cover this more below). Consider the same bullet points as you did for your destination country again for your home country.
Research Potential Airline Requirements
Some airlines have requirements that go above and beyond what your destination country may require (yes, sometimes airlines can be even more restrictive than the country’s government). For example, if you enter Mexico from the USA by land, you don’t need a health certificate. However, if you fly there on Aeromexico, you do. Review some of the top airlines that fly your desired route for the following:
- Can my specific dog fly on this airline? Are there restricted breeds, maximum weight, or minimum age requirements? For example, snub-nosed breeds are not usually allowed to fly, and maximum weights for your dog plus its carrier generally don’t exceed 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kg).
- What vaccinations are required to fly with this airline? Does my dog need to be microchipped?
- Will I need a health certificate to fly on this airline?
- What is the maximum size and weight of a dog carrier allowed to fly in cabin on this airline?
- Will I need to book a specific class of service or seat to fly with my dog in cabin? For example, they may not be allowed to fly in first class or exit rows, where under-seat space is limited.
No two airlines are exactly the same, so it’s important to look at each airline you may use to fly there. Generally, you can expect to find more flexible size and weight limits on larger carriers, but may struggle with requirements on budget airlines.
Step 2: Build a Timeline of Tasks to Complete
Once you’ve determined that you can successfully fly internationally with your dog in cabin to your desired destination, it’s time to start building a timeline of tasks you need to complete to arrange all your paperwork. This will be driven by the requirements you researched in Step 1, so make sure to take good notes as you work through it. The biggest factor we’ve identified thus far that will really extend your timeline is whether your destination country or home country will require a successful rabies titre test for entry. As such, we’ll provide two rough timelines below based on this factor. Again, we don’t know how to travel internationally with a dog to every country on earth (yet!) so there may be other, longer lead-time factors to consider based on your research in Step 1.
What is a Rabies Antibody Titration (Rabies Titre) Test?
In case you’re not familiar, we’ll give you a quick overview of what this test is. Basically, a rabies titration antibody test is one that proves that your dog’s rabies vaccine is working. A vet will take a blood sample from your dog, send it to an approved laboratory, and test the level of rabies antibodies in the blood. For most countries, they require a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml to prove your dog is properly immunized against rabies.
So why does this test add so much lead time to your travel requirements? Well, first, you have to wait 30 days after administration of the rabies vaccine to perform it. Then, there are only about 40 laboratories across the globe that are approved to perform this test, so you’ll need to allow time for shipping. Finally, there may be a time passage requirement after a successful test before your dog can enter the country. For example, in the EU, you’ll need a successful rabies titre test result no less than 3 months before your dog can enter the EU, if a titre is required for import from that country.
The good news is that as long as your dog’s rabies vaccination never lapses, this test result is valid for life.
Estimated Timeline With Rabies Titre Test:
- 5+ months before travel – make sure your dog is microchipped with an ISO-compliant microchip. Your dog must be microchipped before they receive their rabies vaccination.
- 5+ months before travel – make sure your dog has a valid rabies vaccine.
- 4+ months before travel – get a rabies titre test for your dog.
- 1+ month before travel – obtain any other vaccinations your dog may require, such as distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, etc.
- 2-3 weeks before travel – set up an appointment with your veterinarian to obtain a health certificate. Depending on the country and airline, these can be valid for anywhere from 5 days to 15 days before departure. Some countries (like the USA), also require a separate government endorsement (USDA), so you’ll want to allow time for this as well. Discuss the details with your vet to get a clear picture.
- 2+ weeks before travel – if applicable, apply for your destination country’s import form. These typically also have an application and validity period of 5 to 15 days before arrival and will require you to know all of your travel details before applying (like the address of where you’ll be staying).
Additionally, you’ll want to reserve your dog’s space on the airline as soon as you make your booking, as airlines typically have only a limited number of pets allowed on each flight.
Estimated Timeline Without Rabies Titre Test:
- 1+ months before travel – make sure your dog is microchipped with an ISO-compliant microchip. Your dog must be microchipped before they receive their rabies vaccination.
- 1+ months before travel – make sure your dog has a valid rabies vaccine and obtain any other vaccinations your destination country may require.
- 2-3 weeks before travel – set up an appointment with your veterinarian to obtain a health certificate.
- 2+ weeks before travel – if applicable, apply for your destination country’s import form.
Again, you’ll want to reserve your dog’s space on the airline as soon as you make your booking.
Step 3 - Schedule Vet Appointments and Make Bookings
Now that you’ve got your timeline for flying internationally with your dog in cabin ironed out, it’s time to start actually booking your travel! There are a few main things you should consider here – flights, lodging, veterinary appointments, and quarantine (if applicable).
Flights
Once you’ve picked your airline, go ahead and book your ticket. Make sure to consider everything you researched in Step 1, as well as the bullets below, before you click that payment button:
- Make sure you book your ticket in the right service class, and sometimes even the right seat (for example, on Aeromexico, window seats are required). Determine this by reading your airline’s pet in cabin policy as part of Step 1.
- Consider any port of entry requirements for your destination country, in case you need to fly into a specific airport.
- Book direct flights when possible. Not only is this less stressful for you and your dog, it cuts down on trip duration, and thus, potty-break needs. If you need to book a layover, check if that airport has dog relief areas. If they do, book a long enough layover to take advantage of them. If they don’t, book as short of a layover as possible.
- Avoid connecting in third countries. While you shouldn’t need to meet the connecting country’s pet import requirements if you’re just passing through, if your flight gets delayed or cancelled, you’ll be stuck in the airport. You won’t be able to leave unless you’d be able to meet that country’s import requirements upon re-entry to the airport.
Pro tip: We use Google Flights and Skyscanner to book our flights. These resources help you compare all the airlines at once, plus give you tips on the best times to purchase. I use their price tracking features religiously to make sure we get the best deal. If you’re ready to book, head to Skyscanner now to get started:
Reserve Your Dog's Space on the Flight
After you’ve picked your flight, make sure to reserve your dog’s space in the cabin right away. Most airlines have only a few spots available per flight, so it’s important to request one as soon as possible. Depending on the airline, you’ll either be able to book your dog in cabin when you check out online or need to call them. Prices vary – we’ve paid as little as $65 and as much as $300. Payment methods also vary, but most will require you to pay at the counter on the day of flight.
Lodging
Booking a dog-friendly hotel or Airbnb when traveling internationally with your dog isn’t as simple as just clicking the pet-friendly filter! Check out our guide How to Choose the Best Pet-Friendly Airbnbs or Hotels: Our 9 Top Tips to learn more.
Pro tip: We always use Booking.com for choosing hotel stays. We think they have the best prices, their star ratings are super reliable, and we love the perks we get with their rewards system. We discuss how to find the best pet-friendly hotels on Booking.com in our guide.
Veterinary Appointments
Obviously, you’ll need to set up at least one, if not multiple veterinary appointments. Use your research from Steps 1 and 2 to arrange these. Make sure your veterinarian is authorized or endorsed by your home destination to offer these services before you schedule your appointments. If they are, they can also help to answer your questions on what your dog specifically needs and on what timeline any vaccinations or paperwork should be issued.
Quarantine
If your destination country requires a quarantine – and you’ve decided you can stomach it – you’ll typically need to reserve a space at that quarantine facility in advance of your arrival. Follow the instructions on your destination country’s import guidelines website to secure your dog’s quarantine facility.
Step 4 - Preparing Your Dog for Flying Internationally
Ok – you’ve done all your research and you’ve booked all your logistics and appointments – all good right? Not quite. You still need to prepare your pup for their international flight!
First things first, you’ll need to buy any travel gear for your dog that you don’t already have. Most importantly, you’ll need an airline-approved carrier. We use the Sherpa Original Deluxe Travel Pet Carrier in size medium, which is the biggest size you can purchase that will still be accepted on most major airlines. But there are lots of other handy gear you’ll want too, like travel food and water bowls, small treats, and a calming toy. Check out our post Dog Travel Essentials for Flights – Top Dog Travel Carrier and Gear for all of our recommendations.
Once you’ve got your gear, let your dog get accustomed to it. Leave the carrier out so they can sniff and lay in it at home, and use it to take them out and about – not just to the scary vet, but to fun places too, like the park. Cali loves hers now, it’s her little safe space no matter where we are in the world.
Other helpful ways to prepare your dog for flight are to keep them on a regular diet leading up to the flight and to potty-pad train them, if possible. You can put a potty pad in the carrier for long flights, or use it during layovers.
Step 5 - Day of Flight & Arrival at Destination
Travel day has finally arrived! Here’s what you should be prepared for on the day of your flight:
At the Airport
First, plan to arrive at the airport earlier than normal (at least 2 hours before departure). Most airlines require you to check in at the desk (not online in advance) so that they can validate your dog’s weight and paperwork before they’re formally approved to board. Bring several copies, in case they keep your papers, and make sure you have a digital copy as well. Keep all paperwork until you return to your home country. Usually, you’ll pay for your dog in cabin at this point as well.
Once you leave your house, avoid giving your dog any food or water to lower the risk of accidents. If your travel day is more than 8 hours and you have a layover, feel free to give them a small snack and some water during your connection when they can use the bathroom.
To make getting around the airport easier, we recommend using a small roller bag (carry-on sized) so that you can place your dog’s carrier on top instead of carrying it. We like to unzip the top so Cali can poke her head out and look around.
During Flight
Unfortunately, your dog will need to stay in their carrier for the duration of flight. We recommend giving them a bone or treat and a comforting toy to help them through it (see our recommendations in our dog travel gear post). Throwing a light blanket or jacket on top of their carrier can also help with nerves, as long as they still have airholes to breathe through. Believe in your pet – they can do it! Cali has made it through 12 hour flights before, and she only whined when the food came out 😉
Upon Arrival at Your Destination
Once you’ve arrived at your destination and made it through immigration, you’ll typically need to declare your dog at customs. Some countries have specific offices at the airport that will inspect your dog and their paperwork, and you may be required to pay a customs duty or import fee. Take note of these requirements when doing your research in Step 1 and keep a copy of your notes on hand so you know what to do when you arrive.
FAQs: Guide to Flying Internationally With Your Dog in Cabin
Which Airlines Are Dog Friendly?
We are currently compiling a series of guides on pet friendly airlines around the world. Check out our currently available posts below:
How Much Does It Cost to Fly Internationally With Your Dog in Cabin?
You’ve decided to fly internationally with your dog in cabin, but now the age-old question arises – what’ll it cost me? Unfortunately, that’s a tough one to answer, because the costs can vary wildly. We’ve obtained import/export permits and health certificates for as little as $8 and as much as $375. And that’s before you consider all the other costs (discussed below). In general, the biggest driver of your total cost is going to be your home country. In our experience, the USA is by far the most expensive place to travel to, from, or within with your pet. You’ll need to do your own research on what your specific travel plans will cost, but at a high level, they may include the following:
- Health certificates
- Extra vaccinations or treatments, like the rabies titre test or tapeworm pills
- Import and/or export fees
- Customs duties or fees
- Quarantine costs, if applicable
- The dog in cabin fee
- Extra baggage (your dog in cabin counts as your carry-on, though I usually get away with her as my “personal item”)
- Hotel pet fees (learn more in our pet-friendly lodging guide)
- Your dog travel gear
Is It Safe to Fly With Your Dog In Cabin?
Yes, flying with your dog in cabin is generally considered safe. After all our travels, Cali has never shown any negative effects from flying – before, during, or after. However, certain breeds are not well-suited for flights, like snub-nosed breeds. It’s also not recommended if your pet is suffering from poor health. Always consult with your vet if you’re worried about your dog’s well-being before flying.
Should I Sedate My Dog When Flying Internationally in Cabin?
No. In fact, most airlines will not allow your dog to board if they appear sedated. If your dog is prone to anxiety, consider some calming melatonin or CBD supplements like these from Vet IQ, after consulting with your vet.
How Do I Know If My Destination Is Dog Friendly?
Do some Googling, but don’t trust everything you read – especially from Reddit. There is a lot of fearmongering out there, but so far, we’ve found that every destination we’ve visited has been more dog-friendly than the USA, with the exception of Bangkok. Most cities have allowed dogs in nearly all restaurants, public transportation, and even stores and markets! Other good indicators of dog-friendliness are plenty of available dog-friendly lodging, groomers and dog boarding facilities, and the amount of green space in a city. We’ll be posting plenty of dog-friendly guides on our site in the future, so stay tuned!
Is It Worth It to Fly Internationally With Your Dog?
This is a deeply personal question, of course, but for us, it is. Yes, traveling internationally with your dog in cabin comes with a lot of extra work and cost, but she’s our fur baby. We couldn’t imagine living our life without her, and watching her explore new locations brings us a lot of joy.
Where Can I Learn More About Flying With My Dog to Specific Countries?
This guide to flying internationally with your dog in cabin is just a starting point. If you’re interested in visiting any of the incredible destinations we’ve traveled to, we’ll be coming out with detailed guides of how to fly to each country in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Final Thoughts - Our Guide to Flying Internationally With Your Dog In Cabin
While flying internationally with your dog in cabin isn’t easy, it’s worth it to be able to experience the world together. We hope this guide helps answer some of your initial questions on how to travel with your dog internationally, and we look forward to sharing more specific guides with you in the future! Comment below any questions you have that we may have missed.
Don’t forget to check out our other guides to traveling with your dog, Dog Travel Essentials for Flights – Top Dog Travel Carrier and Gear and How to Choose the Best Pet-Friendly Airbnbs or Hotels: Our 9 Top Tips.
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