Animal in the baggage hold

Jack russell terrier in a travel box. Obedient dog in carry for safe transport.

Comfortable and safe space for your animal

Travelling with a larger pet? Or maybe your companion cannot travel in the cabin? Book a place in the baggage hold and find out how to prepare your pet for the journey.

You can take a dog, a cat, or a ferret on board our planes. Please note that the number of animals on any given type of aircraft is limited. Check the availability of the service by booking your ticket on lot.com or later, up to 12 hours before departure, in Manage My Booking. If your pet is travelling in the baggage hold, please remember that the temperature in this area is appropriately controlled to provide safe and comfortable transport.

1. Travel of dogs to the United States

The rules for transporting dogs to the United States have changed as of August 1, 2024. To transport your dog to the USA, please familiarize yourself with the new regulations introduced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read the requirements introduced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

Rabies-free and low-risk countries (opens in a new tab)

U.S.-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab)

Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab)

List of high-risk countries (opens in a new tab)

Send the documents, depending on the category established by the CDC, to us no later than 48 hours before departure. They are also required to be presented at the airport before the flight.

All dogs being transported to the United States must:

show no signs of illness,

be at least 6 months old,

have a microchip,

have proof of the necessary rabies vaccinations

Steps for booking dog transport service to the USA:

Compile all required documents and submit them through the form.

Document verification will take up to 48 hours. After verification, you will receive an email informing you of the positive or negative outcome of the review.

In the case of a positive verification, contact us to purchase the service. You can do this via messaging apps or through our hotline.

After purchasing the service, the dog will be added to your reservation. Remember to bring all the documents you previously submitted to us to the airport.

ATTENTION! The purchase of a dog transportation service to the United States is available no later than 48 hours before the flight, so we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. The service is limited, and LOT Polish Airlines does not guarantee the availability of the service on every flight.

Please remember that due to CDC requirements, dogs traveling to the USA from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab) can only be accepted on flights to three airports in the USA: New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA).
Send us the documents
In case of discrepancies in the submitted documentation, services will be denied.

If you already have an animal transport service to the United States in your booking, you still need to provide us with the documents required by the CDC.

How to quickly get approval to transport your dog? Here are a few tips!

Submit all the required documents in a single form. Don’t attach any documents that aren't listed on our website. For example, there's no need to send pictures of your dog.

If we inform you about missing documents, resubmit all the files through the form and complete any missing information.

If you're registering two dogs under the same reservation, submit all the documents in one form.

Remember that the dates in the CDC Dog Import Form should be entered in the American format, i.e., MM-DD-YYYY.

Don’t send the CDC Dog Import Form receipt as a text file (.doc) – we need it in PDF or image format. Make sure that all the information on the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is visible, and don’t leave anything out.

Carefully check the list of required documents and ensure nothing is missing. Only complete document submissions will be verified.

Complete the forms and documents accurately - enter the same data everywhere as in your reservation (e.g., dog microchip, its weight, exact arrival date to the USA, reservation code, dog's age at the time of the planned trip to the USA).

Before filling out the form, double-check the container dimensions. If the dimensions are incorrect, your request will be rejected.

If your CDC Dog Import Form confirmation shows that your dog has been in high-risk countries, be sure to send the required documents listed in the confirmation. They are necessary for verification, and without them, we won’t be able to accept your pet.

2. Travel of cats to the United States

Traveling with cats to the USA does not involve any additional restrictions. Standard documents are required at check-in, and in some cases, additional documents may be needed depending on the regulations of the specific country. Currently, the transport service for cats can only be booked through the Contact Center.

Pets in the baggage hold

If you are transporting an animal in the baggage hold, make sure it has comfortable conditions during the travel. The transporter must meet the requirements set forth in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations.

Only one adult animal is allowed in one transporter, except for animals at the age of max. 6 months from the same litter, and then the number may not exceed three animals in one transporter.

Remember that the container in which your animal is to be transported must be:

big enough for the animal to move freely and be able to stand, turn and lie down,
clean, tight and securely closed, and the bottom has to be lined with absorbent from the inside,
equipped with a water and feed container,
ventilated on at least three sides,
made of fibreglass, metal, rigid plastics, solid wood or plywood, without any wheels attached (if it has such wheels, please remove them at check-in).
NOTE! The containers must not be made entirely of welded mesh or wire mesh. Such containers are not suitable for air transport.

Please, note that if the container is too small or does not meet the IATA requirements, we reserve the right to refuse to transport the pet at check-in.

Traveling with a pet during hot weather

The safety and comfort of pets travelling with us are our top priority. During hot weather, conditions at the departure, arrival, or transfer airport may make it impossible to safely transport a pet in the baggage hold.

Before the journey, we check the current weather and operational conditions, as well as whether proper care can be provided to the pet at every stage of transport. If high temperatures pose a risk to the pet’s health or life, we will not be able to accept it for transport in the baggage hold. In this situation, we will offer to change the travel date to a day when the weather conditions are safer.

When planning a journey with your pet, check the weather forecast for all airports on your route and, where possible, choose a date outside the hottest periods.

Frequently asked questions

Because we have several types of machines in our fleet, pet carrier dimensions vary. Accepted pet carrier dimensions:

For B787 Dreamliner and B777: 122 x 81 x 89 cm*

For B737, 7M8: 102 x 69 x 76 cm*;

For E70, E75, E90: 102 x 69 x 76 cm*.

*length/width/height
Before the travel, remember to prepare the following:

up-to-date vaccination record (against rabies),

special passport (issued by a vet) with a description of the colour, breed and sex of the animal together with a microchip number or tattoo,

suitable transport container,

microchip implant.

It is only allowed to transport animals which are at least 3 months of age and when at least 21 days have passed since the last valid vaccination against rabies.
Our hints:

a few days before the flight get your pet used to its travel transporter so that it will be easier for it to bear the journey,

before the journey attach to the side of the transporter a label with the name of your pet and feeding instructions,

the check-in process for pets may take longer. We recommend arriving at the airport at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure time,

walk your animal before the journey,

don’t give any food or water to your pet a few hours before departure,

give your pet a little water just before departure,

to ensure safety of your pet, place the leash and muzzle outside the transporter or in your carry-on baggage,

giving tranquillisers to your pet should be consulted with a veterinarian.

For more information visit the website of the General Veterinary Inspectorate.
Before booking a flight familiarise yourself with relevant regulations on import and export of animals in the country of your destination, as well as general rules on animals' well-being. You can find such information e.g. in consulates of the country concerned. Prepare the certificate of vaccination (against rabies or distemper) and valid veterinary certificate for your animal confirming compliance with the regulations of the country of departure, the country of destination and any transit airports.

For flights to the Unites States, you should read the information on the import of animals into the United States and the details of the transport of dogs (opens in a new tab) and cats (opens in a new tab). Notice: On flights to the USA and Canada, due to airport restrictions, reduced limits apply to transporting animals in the baggage hold. Please check the availability of this service during the booking process, via the Manage My Booking, or by reaching our LOT Contact Center.

For flights within the UE, prepare a special passport with a description of the colour, breed and sex of your animal, and the number of its microchip or tattoo (issued by a veterinarian),

For flights to the United Kingdom, animals may be transported only as cargo. For detailed information please contact our Cargo and Mail Bureau (at telephone number +48 22 606 77 77).

For flights to Canada, it allowed to transport cats and dogs, but not ferrets. Notice: On flights to the USA and Canada, due to airport restrictions, reduced limits apply to transporting animals in the baggage hold. Please check the availability of this service during the booking process, via the Manage My Booking, or by reaching our LOT Contact Center.

For flights to United Arab Emirates, animals may be transported only as cargo.

For flights to Japan, animals must undergo import quarantine inspection. Animals which don’t meet import requirements including certification deficiency will be subject to quarantine and isolation for the necessary period up to 180 days. Read more about required documents on the offcial website of Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries in Japan. If you have any questions, please contact Narita International Airport. Phone number: +81(0)476-32-6664; email: aqs.nrtr1@maff.go.jp.

For flights to Iceland, transporting animals is not allowed.
You will see prices for transport of animals in baggage hold when you create your reservation or through Manage My Booking tab. The prices do not apply to the transport of animals in the baggage hold as cargo.

Check the price for transporting an animal
Animals with shortened muzzles and flattened faces are more susceptible to breathing difficulties during flights due to high temperatures and stress, which can lead to oxygen deprivation and circulatory issues. To ensure the health and safety of your pet, we have decided to prohibit the transport of brachycephalic dog and cat breeds in the aircraft’s baggage hold. However, you can still bring your pet into the passenger cabin, provided it meets the weight and carrier size requirements.

Find more information about transporting animals of brachycephalic breeds as cargo.

Make sure your dog or cat's breed is on the list we have prepared before you book.

Brachycephalic dog breeds:

American staffordshire terrier (staffordshire bull terrier).

American pit bull terrier

boxer

boston terrier

brachycephalic

bulldog (all breeds)

bull mastiff

cane corso

cavalier king charles spaniel

chihuahua

japanese chin

chow chow

American cocker-spaniel

dogue de bordeaux

belgian gryphon

brussels spaniel

king charles spaniel

lhasa apso

mastiff (all breeds)

pugs (all breeds)

Pekingese

pinscher monkey

shar pei

shih tzu

Japanese spaniel

tibetan spaniel

Brachycephalic cat breeds:

Persian

exotic

Himalayan

British shorthair

Scottish fold

The ban on transport below deck also applies to crossbreeds of the listed breeds and animals with characteristics of brachycephalic breeds, such as a short muzzle.

Animal in the baggage hold

1. Travel of dogs to the United States

Steps for booking dog transport service to the USA:

How to quickly get approval to transport your dog? Here are a few tips!

2. Travel of cats to the United States

Pets in the baggage hold

Traveling with a pet during hot weather

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about travelling with animals

An animal in the cabin

Guide dogs

Transport of animals as cargo in the baggage hold