United Airlines Pet Travel Policy 2026: Fees, Carriers & Documents

United Airlines pet travel means flying a cat or dog in the cabin for a $150 each-way fee, inside an airline-approved carrier that fits fully under the seat in front of you. United has not accepted pets from the general public in the cargo hold since it suspended its PetSafe program in 2018 — checked pet transport today is limited to active-duty military and U.S. State Department personnel with relocation orders. International trips add a USDA-endorsed health certificate and destination-country rules. This guide covers United's current fees, carrier sizes, cargo status, and the paperwork international travelers need.

United Airlines Pet Travel at a Glance

• Where pets can go: In the cabin only, in a carrier under the seat. There is no general-public cargo option.
• Cost: $150 per pet, each way, per United's published pet policy as summarized by pet-travel specialist sites PetTravel.com and CabinPets.com in 2026.
• Who qualifies: Domestic cats and dogs at least 2 months old for U.S. travel; older minimums apply on many international routes.
• Documents: No health certificate is required for most U.S. domestic flights, but international itineraries typically need one, and some destinations require USDA APHIS endorsement.

In-Cabin Pet Travel: Fees, Carrier Sizes, and Rules

United allows cats and dogs to travel in the main cabin as long as the pet and its carrier fit entirely under the seat in front of the traveler for the whole flight. The fee is $150 each way, with an additional $150 typically applied when a domestic layover exceeds four hours or an international layover exceeds 24 hours, according to PetTravel.com's summary of United's pet policy.

Carrier dimensions matter more than pet weight — United does not publish a strict weight cap for in-cabin pets, but the carrier itself must clear the under-seat space:

Most passengers may bring up to two pets, but the second pet requires an adjacent purchased seat and its own carrier — only one pet is allowed per carrier. On tighter-cabin aircraft such as the Airbus A319/A320 or Boeing 737 MAX 8/9, availability for in-cabin pets is more limited, so United recommends adding the pet to a reservation as early as possible rather than at the airport.

Can You Ship a Pet in Cargo on United?

No — not if you are a general member of the public. United closed its PetSafe cargo shipping program in 2018, and as of 2026 it has not reopened, according to United policy summaries from CabinPets.com and CanineCabCompany.com. The only checked-pet option that remains is for active-duty U.S. military personnel and U.S. State Department employees traveling on permanent change of station (PCS) orders, subject to weight, crate-height, and temperature limits set by United's military/embassy travel desk.

If your dog is too large to fit under a seat and you are not moving on military or State Department orders, the practical options are a USDA-licensed IATA-registered pet shipping company or ground transport — not a United cargo booking.

Traveling Internationally With Your Pet on United

International pet travel adds two layers United's domestic cabin policy does not require: a veterinary health certificate, and, for many countries, a USDA endorsement of that certificate.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), most countries require an international health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian, and when the destination country requires federal endorsement, that veterinarian must be USDA-accredited so APHIS can review and endorse the paperwork after it is issued. APHIS notes there is no single universal certificate — each country sets its own requirements based on the type of animal traveling — and advises travelers to start the process as soon as international travel is planned, since timelines can run from a few weeks to many months depending on the destination.

Practical steps for a United international pet trip:

1. Confirm your destination allows pet imports and check its specific document, testing, and quarantine rules directly with that country's government.
2. Book an appointment with a USDA-accredited veterinarian early — some countries require rabies titer tests months in advance.
3. Get the health certificate issued within the validity window your airline and destination require (commonly close to your travel date).
4. Submit for USDA APHIS endorsement if your destination requires it.
5. Confirm United's route-specific pet embargoes — United does not carry in-cabin pets on flights to and from several destinations, including Australia, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and a number of Caribbean and Pacific island routes, per PetTravel.com's route restriction summary.

If you are bringing a dog into the United States from abroad, separate U.S. entry rules (administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, distinct from your airline's boarding requirements) also apply and vary by which countries the dog visited in the prior six months — check current CDC dog importation guidance before you book.

Service Animals vs. Emotional Support Animals vs. Pets

United's $150 pet fee does not apply to legitimate service animals. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Department of Justice defines a service animal narrowly as a dog individually trained to do work or perform a task for a person with a disability; animals that provide only comfort do not qualify under that definition. The ADA's own guidance notes that the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which governs airlines, uses its own separate service-animal framework rather than the ADA's.

In practice, United and other U.S. airlines now treat trained service dogs as exempt from pet fees and carrier rules, while emotional support animals fly as ordinary pets — subject to the $150 fee, carrier-size limits, and species restrictions — reflecting the Department of Transportation's 2020 Air Carrier Access Act rule change that stopped classifying emotional support animals as service animals. Only dogs are recognized as service animals under this framework; no other species qualifies.

United Airlines Pet Travel Options Compared

Do You Need a Pet Passport to Fly United?

Not in the European Union sense. In the EU, a pet passport is a specific official document issued under the EU Pet Travel Scheme that records a microchip number, rabies vaccination, and a vet's endorsement for pets moving within and into the EU. United Airlines does not issue or require that EU document — U.S. domestic and most international United itineraries instead rely on the health certificate and USDA APHIS endorsement process described above, which is a different paperwork trail governed by each destination country, not by the EU scheme.

This is also a good place to flag a separate source of confusion: Animal Passport, the publisher of this article, is not an EU pet passport and is not an airline travel document. Animal Passport is a phone-based digital identity tool that uses muzzle biometrics — a nose print, which is unique like a fingerprint — to bind an animal's owner, breed, estimated age, body condition score, and vaccination history to a record, primarily for livestock identification. It was used in livestock flood rescue efforts in Pakistan in August 2025, helping farmers reclaim animals after paper ear tags washed away. It does not replace a USDA health certificate, an EU pet passport, or any government-issued travel document, and it makes no veterinary diagnosis. If you're organizing your own animals' identification and health records, you can read more about the biometric ID approach at Animal Passport and on the Animal Passport blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does United Airlines charge to fly with a pet in the cabin?

United charges $150 each way per pet for in-cabin travel, with an added $150 typically applying when a domestic layover exceeds four hours or an international layover exceeds 24 hours.

Can I ship my dog as cargo on United Airlines?

Only if you are active-duty military or a State Department employee moving on official orders. United closed its PetSafe cargo program to the general public in 2018 and it remains closed as of 2026.

What size carrier does United Airlines require for pets?

Soft-sided carriers should be no larger than 18 x 11 x 11 inches, and hard-sided carriers no larger than 17.5 x 12 x 7.5 inches. The carrier must fit fully under the seat in front of you.

Can I bring more than one pet on a United flight?

Most passengers can bring up to two pets, but the second pet needs its own carrier and requires purchasing an adjacent seat.

Do I need a health certificate to fly with my pet on United?

Most U.S. domestic flights do not require one, but international trips generally do, and destination countries that require USDA endorsement need it issued by an APHIS-accredited veterinarian.

What is the difference between a service animal and a pet on United Airlines?

A service animal is a dog individually trained to perform a task for a person with a disability and flies free under Air Carrier Access Act rules. Emotional support animals and companion pets fly as paying pets subject to the $150 fee.

Is a pet passport required to fly with United Airlines?

United does not require the EU's official pet passport document; most international itineraries instead need a veterinary health certificate, sometimes with USDA APHIS endorsement, which is a separate process from the EU Pet Travel Scheme.

Are snub-nosed breeds like pugs and bulldogs allowed on United?

Brachycephalic breeds are commonly restricted from airline cargo holds industry-wide, but since United's cargo program is closed to the public, this mainly matters for other carriers; these breeds can still fly in United's cabin if they meet the standard carrier-size rules.

Bottom Line

United Airlines pet travel in 2026 is a cabin-only service for cats and dogs: a $150 each-way fee, a carrier that fits under the seat, and, for international trips, a health certificate that may need USDA APHIS endorsement depending on the destination. There is no general-public cargo option, and a United boarding pass has nothing to do with an EU pet passport or with biometric livestock identity records like those Animal Passport issues for farm animals. Always confirm current fees, embargoed routes, and document deadlines directly with United and with your destination country before booking, since airline and government rules both change without much notice.