Travelling with pets

Generally, pets can be taken with you on your flight if you are in possession of valid health and vaccination certificates for them. You are obliged to notify the travel agent or the airline company when booking your flight (online or otherwise), that you wish to travel with a pet. Per flight, there is a maximum number of pets that can be transported. The regulations and costs depend on the airline you are travelling with. We advise you to obtain this information from the airline in good time. Guide and rescue dogs are usually accepted free of charge.

Checked-in (hold) baggage or carry-on (hand) luggage
Your dog or cat may travel in the cargo hold in a kennel/crate or in the passenger cabin in a special cabin-kennel/crate or a soft-sided carrier.

Whether or not your pet may travel in the cabin with you is dependent on its weight. Pets weighing 5 kg or less may travel in the passenger cabin, whilst those above 5 kg travel in special kennels/crates in a temperature-controlled part of the aircraft hold. For more information on the requirements for kennels/crates and carriers, extra costs and also for the reservation of a place for your pet, you should contact your travel agent or airline company. If an animal is accepted as hold baggage, it, its cage and its food will not be considered as part of the passenger's standard weight allowance, but instead, as excess baggage. For this, the passenger will be requested to pay the corresponding extra tariff beforehand.

Trained animals that offer a service function, such as being able to support rescue teams, back-up for government officials, disability help etc. are not liable to extra luggage tariffs. The load (including food and carrier) is then incorporated into the normal luggage allowance.

Passport and vaccinations
Before importing dogs and cats into the Netherlands and many other countries, you must be able to prove that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies. For other pets, such as rabbits, hamsters etc. deviations from this rule apply.

Your pet needs to be vaccinated at minimum 30 days and at maximum 1 year before the journey. In order to be able prove this, your vet needs to write a note regarding the vaccination in the EU passport. In many cases, it is also compulsory to introduce a means of identification, such as by implantation of an electronic chip under the skin or use of a tattoo.

More detailed information can be obtained from your vet, who will also apply the chosen method to your pet (tattoo or transponder).

Some countries apply very strict rules when importing animals, e.g. animals may not enter without completing a long stay in quarantine. If the animal belongs to a protected species, then you are required to have CITES documents in your possession.

Enquire well in advance which vaccinations or health certificates are necessary. Moreover, find out which travel identification and other documents are required by the importing country and countries that the animal will travel through. Well in advance of departure, obtain detailed information regarding these issues, from the travel agent, your vet, the embassy of the country of destination and/or the CITES- bureau LASER in Dordrecht.

More information concerning import regulations can also be obtained from the vet, the regional VWA/RVV-office (Rijksdienst voor de keuring van Vlee en Vlees), the embassy of the corresponding country or the 'Ministrie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit'.

Warning
It is not permitted to transport dogs and cats to and from London Stansted or Dublin. We would like to bring to your attention the fact that cats and dogs are the only pets that transavia.com transport on their scheduled flights.