There are various ways how your dog can travel with you. If your dog is small and lightweight enough, it can travel in the cabin with you, otherwise it will be transported as bulky baggage. Find out in advance what requirements must be taken into account with your airline.
Transporting animals
Prior to departure
- Check the requirements for re-entry of the animal
Before starting your trip, please ask your veterinary border control post and/or the local veterinary inspection office for your place of residence whether your animal meets the current requirements for reentering the country (travel restrictions) - Check entry requirements of animals in the country of destination
Prior to your flight’s departure, please inquire about the conditions for entry applicable to animals at your destination (Internet, ministry of foreign affairs, consulate, or embassy). - When reserving your flight, inform your airline that you will be traveling with a pet.
- Gradually get your animal used to the pet crate ahead of time before your trip.
- Arrive at the airport early. Passengers traveling with animals should go to the check-in counter two to three hours prior to departure.
- Print out our checklist and work down it point by point.
On the day of departure
- Please note that animals must be on a leash at all times at the airport.
Please remember to bring all your pet’s papers, for example, its European pet passport, with you.
Please take your animal for a walk again prior to departure.
- Transport in the aircraft cabin (animals < 8 kg)
Ask your airline in advance whether it allows animals to be transported in the cabin. Some airlines permit cats and small dogs to travel in the cabin in a transport carrier as long as they do not exceed a certain weight (generally not more than 8 kilograms with the carrier included).
- Transport in the transport crate (animals > 8 kg)
After checking in, passengers are required to put larger dogs in an appropriately sized transport crate (IATA – Traveler's Pet Corner) and hand them in at a bulky luggage counter. Your airline and the service personnel will provide you with the appropriate information. Animals that, together with their pet carrier, weigh more than 8 kilograms, must be transported in the airplane’s cargo hold (exception: certified assistance animals, for example, guide dogs for the blind).
- Size of the transport box:
The proper size for a transport crate is established by a regulation issued by the Inetrnational Air Transport Association (IATA) , and the check-in staff will examine your crate with a checklist to verify it is acceptable.
Your dog must be able to stand, turn around, and lie down inside the crate. It must allow ventilation on all four sides and be escape-proof. In addition, the crate must be equipped with food and water bowls attached to the inside that can be refilled from the outside. Padding of absorbent material must be laid out on the floor of the crate. Pet owners also need to ensure that the paws of their animal cannot be caught in the door lattice.
For detailed information, please consult the website of the veterinary border control post (available in German only). They will check the regulations governing transport and entry of pets at the airport.
Arrival
If your pet is traveling as bulky luggage and you are accompanying the animal, you can pick it up after the flight at the appropriate luggage carousel or bulky luggage counter. A member of staff will hand the animal over to you. If you are arriving from a third country, you and your pet will have to pass customs inspection with the appropriate papers/permits. Pets are required to undergo customs inspection each time they enter the country. Following arrival, please report to the customs officials (red lane marked “Goods to declare”) and inform them that you are arriving with an animal. The customs officials will verify its identity (microchip) and examine the original documents (e.g., European pet passport or EU veterinary health certificate).
If you had your animal transported as cargo, you will be able to pick it up from the airport’s cargo center with the appropriate documentation (e.g., consignment note). Attention: If you are arriving from a third country, you will have to pick up your pet at the airport’s border control post. You can find additional information here.
Please inquire in advance about the applicable entry requirements.
Transfer
If you are traveling through Munich to a different destination with a pet that you have checked as luggage, your animal will be treated properly and taken to your connecting flight.
If your pet is traveling in the cabin with you, you can take it into the transit area to reach your connecting flight yourself. Please note that your pet must be attached to a leash while inside the airport and on airport grounds.
The public areas outside each terminal presently have green spaces for animals to relieve themselves. If you make use of them, you will have to pass through the security and/or passport check (arrivals and departures). Please plan sufficient time for this activity and bear in mind that you and your pet are subject to corresponding restrictions on exiting and entering the facility.
If your dog is an assistance animal, you have options for having your dog looked after with the aid of Services for Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM):
