Pet Shipping: How Cabin, Cargo, and Relocation Services Work

Pet shipping is the arranged transport of a companion animal—usually a dog or cat—by air cargo, checked baggage, or specialist ground courier when the animal cannot travel in the passenger cabin. As of August 2026, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations set crate and handling standards for member airlines, while governments set import health rules. Most shipments need a booking, an IATA-compliant kennel, a veterinary health certificate, and destination paperwork.

This guide, last updated 19 August 2026 and published by Animal Passport, explains cabin versus cargo, crate rules, United States and European Union paperwork, and when a licensed relocation company is required. It is not veterinary or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the destination authority and the operating airline before you book.

What pet shipping is—and what it is not

Pet shipping, also called pet relocation, is a logistics service: someone other than the travelling passenger may tender the animal at a cargo warehouse, book manifest space, and meet destination import checks. IATA’s Traveler’s Pet Corner states that some airlines will not accept animals handled by anyone other than an animal shipper, and that shippers can make reservations, collect the animal, board it if needed, and arrange delivery.

It is not the same as flying a small pet in the cabin. It is also not an EU pet passport, a United Kingdom PETS travel document, or a government-issued identity paper. Those official schemes record microchip numbers and rabies vaccination for non-commercial movement with the owner. Unaccompanied commercial movement usually needs different animal-health certificates, as the European Commission and GOV.UK both state.

A digital livestock identity product is different again. Animal Passport is a phone-captured muzzle-biometric record that binds owner, breed, estimated age from a dental photograph with a confidence score, body condition score 1–5 from a side-profile photo, and vaccination history. It is not a government travel document and does not replace CDC, USDA, IATA, or EU import paperwork. The same biometric approach was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. For more identity reporting, see the Animal Passport blogs.

Cabin, checked baggage, cargo, or ground: which channel applies?

As of August 2026, major U.S. passenger airlines have narrowed who may send a pet in the hold. Delta Air Lines states that, until further notice, it only allows cargo pet shipments for active U.S. military or U.S. State Department Foreign Service officers travelling with permanent change of station orders. American Airlines states that it only accepts checked pets at the ticket counter for those same two groups on official orders. Alaska Airlines still offers passenger baggage-compartment travel plus Pet Connect cargo for animals travelling without an accompanying passenger.

IATA still describes the heated, ventilated hold as quieter and darker than the cabin for many cats and dogs, but that description does not override airline embargoes or import refusals. If sources disagree—IATA emphasises hold rest, while several U.S. carriers have closed civilian hold travel—follow the operating airline and the destination government.

How much does pet shipping cost?

Published passenger fees are not a full relocation quote. American Airlines lists a carry-on pet fee of $150 per kennel for travel within and between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, and $200 per kennel for checked pets (military and State Department only) on most of those regions, with $150 to or from Brazil. Delta Air Lines charges $150 USD/CAD each way for in-cabin pets on tickets issued on or after 8 April 2025 for the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and $200 USD/CAD/EUR for international in-cabin travel. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines state that pet travel fees range from $100 to $200 each way, per kennel, depending on the type of travel and routes. American Airlines Cargo and Delta Cargo both say cargo fees vary and are confirmed at booking.

IATA crate rules for dogs and cats

The IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) are the worldwide airline standard for live-animal air transport. IATA states that the new LAR edition took effect on 1 January 2026. For cats and dogs, IATA publishes Container Requirement 1 (CR1). IATA does not certify, approve, endorse, or sell any particular pet container brand.

IATA’s Traveler’s Pet Corner gives this sizing formula (internal dimensions; measure the largest animal):

1. A = length from tip of nose to base of tail.
2. B = height from ground to elbow joint.
3. C = width across the shoulders or widest point, whichever is greater.
4. D = height in a natural standing position from the top of the head or ear tip to the floor, whichever is higher.
5. Container length = A + ½ B; width = C × 2; height = D plus bedding. Snub-nosed breeds require a 10 percent larger container.

IATA also states that weaned puppies or kittens in the same container must be from the same litter, not older than six months, weigh no more than 14 kg each, and number no more than three; a maximum of two compatible adults up to 14 kg each may share a container; animals over 14 kg must be crated individually.

In the United States, commercial for-hire transport is also governed by the Animal Welfare Act. The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) states, in guidance last modified 17 April 2026, that airlines, hired drivers, and freight forwarders who take custody of regulated animals for hire must register and meet transportation standards, while pets that remain in the owner’s custody in the cabin are not regulated under that Act. Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations section 3.15 requires that each dog or cat have enough space to turn about normally while standing, stand and sit erect, and lie in a natural position, and that air shipments generally carry only one animal six months or older per enclosure.

Health certificates, sedation, and weather embargoes

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) tells owners that interstate or international travel can require preparations starting six months or more in advance. For a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, the AVMA says it needs to be issued within 10 days before any air travel, or generally within 30 days before other travel, and signed by a federally accredited veterinarian. Cargo travel may also need a health and acclimation certificate signed within 10 days.

IATA’s Traveler’s Pet Corner states that most airlines require a health certificate for cabin or unaccompanied shipments, that a light meal two hours before tendering the animal to the carrier is a legal requirement in the United States, and that owners should reconfirm acceptance at least 48 hours before departure.

IATA and the AVMA both discourage sedatives and tranquilizers for air transport. IATA says the view is endorsed by veterinary organisations such as the AVMA, because drugs such as acepromazine can impair righting ability and airway protection. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines both refuse pets that have been sedated or tranquilized, citing higher respiratory and cardiovascular risk at altitude.

Weather rules differ by carrier. Alaska Air Cargo generally accepts pets when forecasted temperatures are between 45°F and 85°F, and may allow travel below 45°F with a veterinary certificate of acclimation issued within 10 days. Delta Cargo does not ship pets if the temperature exceeds 80°F (27°C) or falls below 20°F (−7°C) while the animal is on the ground. American Airlines prohibits checked or cargo pets above 85°F (29.4°C) or below 45°F (7.2°C) without a qualifying veterinary letter, and will not check a pet below 20°F (−6.6°C) even with a letter. Alaska Air Cargo also announced that French and English Bulldogs listed on a health certificate will not be accepted in the cargo hold from 12:01 a.m. PST on 31 July 2026 through 11:59 p.m. PST on 30 September 2026.

United States import rules for dogs

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary federal authority for dog imports, including returning pets. As of the CDC pages reviewed in August 2026, every dog entering the United States must appear healthy, be at least 6 months old, have a microchip readable by a universal scanner, and travel with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. The form is free. Each dog needs its own form. If the dog is travelling by air, CDC says the receipt must be shown to the airline before boarding and to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on arrival.

Starting 1 August 2024, CDC says dogs that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries for the previous 6 months need that form as the only CDC document. The receipt is valid for 6 months for multiple entries from the same country of departure unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different departure country. Dogs that have been in any CDC-designated high-risk country in the previous 6 months need additional rabies documentation. Unvaccinated dogs from high-risk countries are not allowed to enter.

USDA APHIS still applies other animal-disease rules. American Airlines and Delta both note that dogs from screwworm-affected countries need USDA inspection documentation issued no more than 5 days before arrival stating the dog is free of screwworm or was treated until free. Delta also states that, effective 3 August 2026, all dogs entering Mexico must have a New World Screwworm Inspection Certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian issued no more than 5 days before arrival.

EU and UK rules: pet passports are not cargo paperwork

European Union non-commercial pet travel for dogs, cats, and ferrets is laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. The European Commission’s Food Safety pages, as reviewed in August 2026, require the animal to travel with its owner (or an authorised person if the owner travels within five days), a maximum of five animals in a single vehicle unless a competition exception applies, a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given from 12 weeks of age with a 21-day wait after primary vaccination, and an EU pet passport issued by an authorised veterinarian. Dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland, or Norway generally need tapeworm treatment with praziquantel between 24 and 120 hours before entry.

Your Europe, last checked 15 June 2026, states that an EU animal health certificate for entry from a non-EU country must be issued by an official state veterinarian not more than 10 days before arrival, and that unaccompanied pets must comply with commercial import or intra-EU trade animal-health rules. From some third countries a rabies antibody titration of at least 0.5 IU/ml is required, with waiting periods measured in months. GOV.UK applies similar microchip, rabies, and tapeworm steps for Great Britain and says commercial (Balai) rules apply if the animal will be sold or rehomed, arrives more than five days before or after the owner, or exceeds five pets without a show exception. Failure can mean up to four months of quarantine, or refusal of entry after sea travel, at the owner’s expense.

None of those official passports or certificates is the Animal Passport muzzle-biometric livestock record. If you are shipping a dog unaccompanied into the EU, plan for commercial animal-health certification, not a tourist pet passport.

How to ship a pet: a practical sequence

1. Decide whether cabin travel is possible. If the animal cannot fit under the seat, confirm whether the chosen airline still accepts civilian hold or cargo pets.
2. If cargo is closed to the public, hire a professional shipper. The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA), founded in 1979, reported more than 485 member offices in 90 countries on its about page last updated February 2026. U.S. active members are registered with USDA and follow IATA LAR. IPATA warns that it does not itself ship pets and that companies using “IPATA” in their trading name are a known scam pattern.
3. Book space early. IATA says airlines restrict the number of animals per flight. Alaska Pet Connect accepts reservations from 24 hours to 30 days before travel (three to seven business days for interline or international). Delta Cargo, where it still operates, will not book pets more than 14 days before departure and requires drop-off at a cargo facility 4 to 6 hours before domestic departure.
4. Buy and condition an IATA CR1 kennel using the measurement formula above. Train the animal in the crate for weeks, as IATA and the AVMA both recommend.
5. Complete veterinary work: examination, rabies timing, titers if required, USDA or foreign endorsement, CDC Dog Import Form for U.S. arrival, and EU or UK certificates if those are the destination.
6. On the day, walk the animal, offer food and water on the schedule the carrier requires, and attach feeding instructions. American Airlines cites the federal requirement for written certification that food and water were offered within four hours of delivery to the aircraft.
7. Arrange pickup. Alaska Air Cargo requires consignees to collect animals within four hours of arrival with photo ID. IATA says to confirm that the air-freight facility will be open.

Identity records that travel with the animal

Import systems still key on a scannable microchip number matching the health certificate. CDC says any brand is acceptable for U.S. dog entry if a universal scanner can read it; if a high-risk-country dog’s chip cannot be scanned on arrival, the dog may be denied entry and returned at the importer’s expense. IATA also tells owners to affix two collar tags: a permanent home ID and a temporary travel ID with a reachable contact.

A biometric livestock passport can sit alongside those official identifiers when paper tags fail, as in the Pakistan flood-rescue use case in August 2025, but it does not waive airline LAR checks or rabies import rules. Keep the official certificate pack on the kennel, and keep a copy with the consignee. As of August 2026, re-check CDC, European Commission, GOV.UK, and airline pages immediately before travel, because those rules update on their own calendars.