Best Pet Shipping Companies in 2026: How to Choose a Safe, Credentialed Pet Shipper

The best pet shipping companies are professional relocation firms — such as Air Animal, Starwood Pet Travel, Airpets International, and Happy Tails Travel — that hold membership in the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) and register their staff with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Costs typically range from about $300 for a short ground trip to $2,500 or more for a cross-country or international move, and every reputable shipper still requires the same government export paperwork and IATA-compliant carrier your airline demands.

Key Takeaways

• No government agency ranks pet shippers; third-party review sites score firms on IPATA membership, USDA registration, pricing, and complaint history.
• IPATA has grown to over 485 members in 90+ countries, per IPATA's own about page.
• Typical costs run $300–$2,500+, according to This Old House's 2026 comparison.
• A pet shipper never replaces your required export health certificate or destination-country entry documents.
• IPATA actively warns consumers about scammers who impersonate its logo and fake airline billing emails.
• The EU pet passport is an official government travel document — a different thing from Animal Passport's biometric identity record.

What Is a Pet Shipping Company?

A pet shipping company (also called a pet relocation service or pet mover) coordinates the logistics of moving a dog, cat, or other companion animal by ground or air — booking IATA-compliant crates, arranging veterinary paperwork, handling airline cargo bookings, and providing door-to-door or airport-to-airport transport. Some, like uShip and CitizenShipper, operate as marketplaces connecting owners with independent drivers rather than running their own fleets.

How to Evaluate a Pet Shipping Company

Independent reviewers and industry groups point to the same core credentials when judging pet shippers:

• IPATA membership. The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association states that active members must be "registered with the United States Department of Agriculture (or its international equivalent)" and must follow the Animal Welfare Act and the International Air Transport Association's rules, according to IPATA's about page.
• USDA registration. Ground and air pet transporters operating in the US typically register with the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act.
• IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) compliance. IATA's Live Animals Regulations set the worldwide standard for crate sizing, ventilation, and handling; pets must be "at least eight weeks old and fully weaned before traveling by air," per IATA's traveler guidance.
• Verifiable track record. Years in business, Better Business Bureau standing, and a real street address and phone number (not just a contact form).

Best Pet Shipping Companies Compared

The table below summarizes independent review data on leading US pet shipping companies, compiled from This Old House's 2026 pet shipping companies review and Move.org's 2026 comparison. Pricing varies by distance, species, and whether service is door-to-door or hub-to-hub, so always request a written quote.

Pricing and credential details above are sourced from This Old House's and Move.org's 2026 pet shipping company reviews, not from Animal Passport's own testing; always confirm current rates and licensing directly with each company.

What Official Paperwork Do You Still Need?

Hiring a shipper does not remove your legal responsibilities. Depending on the route, you will likely still need:

1. An export or interstate health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian.
2. Proof of rabies and other vaccinations that meet the destination's entry rules.
3. An IATA-compliant travel crate that meets the Live Animals Regulations sizing and ventilation standards.
4. Any country-specific import permit or microchip requirement, which pet shippers can help you track but cannot waive.

Because entry requirements differ by country and change over time, confirm current rules directly with the destination country's veterinary authority and your airline before booking.

EU Pet Passports vs. Animal Passport's Digital ID: Don't Confuse the Two

It's worth being precise about terminology here, because two very different things share the word "passport." The EU pet passport is an official government-issued travel document used under the EU's pet travel scheme for dogs, cats, and ferrets moving within and into the European Union; it records microchip number, rabies vaccination, and veterinary sign-off, and is issued by an authorized veterinarian, not by a private company.

Animal Passport is a different, separate product: a phone-based digital identity record that uses muzzle biometrics — a nose print, which is unique to each animal much like a human fingerprint — to bind an owner's record to a specific animal, along with breed, an estimated age read from a dental photograph with a confidence score, a body condition score (1–5) from a side-profile photo, and vaccination history. It is not a government-issued export or entry document and does not substitute for a USDA health certificate, an EU pet passport, or any official customs paperwork. Owners moving pets internationally should treat Animal Passport as a supplemental identity backup, not as travel documentation.

That distinction matters in disaster and relocation scenarios in particular. In August 2025, muzzle-biometric identity records were used during livestock flood rescue efforts in Pakistan so farmers could reclaim animals after paper ear tags had washed away — an example of a digital identity record filling a gap left by physical paperwork, rather than replacing official travel or export documents.

How to Avoid Pet Shipping Scams

IPATA maintains an active scam-warning page describing patterns consumers report every year. Common red flags, per IPATA's current pet scams page, include:

• Sellers offering a "free" pet, then demanding payment for shipping, crates, insurance, or paperwork after you've committed.
• Requests for wire transfers or prepayment before any pet is verified.
• Fake airline emails demanding extra fees for a pet supposedly already in transit.
• Scammers copying IPATA's logo or using fake IPATA-branded email domains — IPATA notes it only uses its official domain.
• "EU passport fraud": falsified microchips and forged or expired vaccine documentation.

IPATA's own advice: "the best way to avoid a fraud is to inspect the pet yourself by arranging to meet with the prospective seller in person," and to verify any claimed IPATA membership through the association's public member directory before paying anything.

Where a Digital Identity Record Fits Into a Pet Move

Whichever shipper you choose, your pet's identity documentation is only as strong as the paperwork behind it — and IPATA's own scam data shows forged vaccine records and cloned microchip claims are a real problem. A phone-captured, biometric identity record like Animal Passport can serve as an extra layer of verification alongside (never instead of) your official export health certificate: it binds an owner to a specific animal via nose-print biometrics and logs vaccination history, breed, estimated age, and body condition in one place. For background on how digital identity tools are being used in animal welfare and disaster response, see the Animal Passport blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best pet shipping company overall?

There is no single official ranking. Independent reviewers such as This Old House and Move.org rate Air Animal, Starwood Pet Travel, and Airpets International highly based on IPATA membership, USDA registration, years in business, and customer complaint history — but the right choice depends on your route, budget, and species.

How much does it cost to ship a pet?

Costs commonly range from about $300 for a short local ground trip to $2,500 or more for a cross-country or international relocation, according to This Old House's 2026 review; international and door-to-door service typically costs more than hub-to-hub or ground-only options.

Is IPATA membership required to ship a pet legally?

No. IPATA membership is a voluntary industry credential, not a legal requirement. However, IPATA states that active members must register with the USDA and follow Animal Welfare Act and IATA rules, which is why reviewers treat membership as a strong trust signal.

Do I still need a health certificate if I hire a pet shipping company?

Yes. A pet shipping company arranges logistics but does not replace the export or interstate health certificate an accredited veterinarian must issue, nor any vaccination or entry paperwork the destination requires.

What's the difference between a pet shipping company and just booking an airline directly?

Airlines transport the pet on the flight itself under their own pet policies; a pet shipping company handles the surrounding logistics — crate compliance, paperwork, ground transfers, and customs coordination — and may use commercial flights, cargo charters, or ground vehicles.

Is an EU pet passport the same as Animal Passport's digital ID?

No. The EU pet passport is an official government travel document issued by an authorized veterinarian under the EU pet travel scheme. Animal Passport is a separate, private biometric identity record (using muzzle/nose-print ID) and is not a substitute for that or any other government travel document.

How can I avoid pet shipping scams?

Meet the pet or shipper in person or via video call, verify IPATA membership directly through IPATA's member directory, never pay by wire transfer or peer-to-peer apps, and get a written contract before sending money, per IPATA's own scam-warning guidance.

Can pet shipping companies transport livestock or exotic animals?

Some IPATA-member firms, including Airpets International, handle exotics such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and reptiles in addition to dogs and cats; livestock relocation typically involves separate agricultural transport and export rules rather than standard pet shippers.