Qatar Airways Pet Policy

Qatar Airways accepts pets on flights, allowing them to travel with you wherever you go. 

Since the safety and comfort of your furry and feathered friends are paramount, and to ensure their safety and welfare during transport, their guidelines adhere to the current International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations. 

Travelled with pets before?

If you have already travelled with an animal on Qatar Airways and you’re all ready to go, submit an online request below or contact Qatar Airways at least 48 hours before departure to let us know you will be travelling with an animal. This is to confirm space availability and ensure compliance with airline and transit/destination country pet policies.

Step 1: Finding out how your pet will fly

Pets and Other Animals 

Animals can travel as checked baggage or as cargo, depending on the route, destination, animal and aircraft size. Read on to find out how your pet will travel.

Travelling as checked baggage

• Pets such as cats, dogs, and birds can fly as checked baggage on most routes, as long as they meet the weight and size guidelines. 
• They will travel in a dedicated section of the baggage hold area of the aircraft and will be taken care of in a comfortable environment until they reunite with you at the destination.
• Qatar Airways does not accept animals that are connecting from flights operated by other airlines. 
• Animals travelling on Qatar Airways can connect to other airlines. You must ensure all the necessary arrangements are made with the airlines involved.

Size	Total weight and dimensions*	Additional baggage rate
Medium	Up to 32kg	To/From Qatar: USD 200/CAD 260 All other routes: USD 350/CAD 455
Large	Between 32kg and 75kg	To/From Qatar: USD 300/CAD 390 All other routes: USD 450/CAD 590
Other	Total weight: greater than 75kg Total dimensions: larger than 118 inches (300cm)	To be handled as cargo

Travelling as cargo

• Animals must be transported as cargo if they are non-domestic animals, travelling alone, exceed the maximum dimension (300cm) and weight (75kg), or connecting with other airlines.  
• Due to local regulations, animals must fly cargo if travelling to and from Australia or New Zealand.
• For further information on travelling from Australia or New Zealand, please contact your nearest Qatar Airways Cargo office 
• When travelling to Australia, note that animals can only be transported through Melbourne (MEL). For further information, please contact Post Entry Quarantine
  Services at PEQservices@agriculture.gov.au or phone at 1800 900 090 or (61 3) 8318 6700 (from outside Australia).  

Falcons and Service Dogs 

Falcons and service dogs can travel on Qatar Airways flights with you in the cabin. Qatar Airways aims to keep your companions close and ensure a comfortable journey for you both.

Falcons in cabin

One falcon per passenger can travel in Economy Class. Since there is a limit on the number of falcons allowed in a cabin, please submit the pet travel form or contact Qatar Airways at least 48 hours before departure to avoid any disruption to your travel plans. 

Please refer to the fees listed below.

Falcons as checked baggage

If you need to fly with several falcons, they can travel as checked baggage. The fees for transporting them this way are the same as other animals travelling as checked baggage, which can be found in the 'Pets & small animals' section.

Fees for falcons travelling in Economy Class

From/To	Africa	Europe	Far East	Australia, New Zealand,Japan,South Korea	Middle East,Indian sub-continent	Qatar	Americas
Africa	450 USD	450 USD	450 USD	630 USD	270 USD	240 USD	630 USD 820 CAD
Europe	450 USD	450 USD	450 USD	630 USD	270 USD	240 USD	630 USD 820 CAD
Far East	450 USD	450 USD	450 USD	630 USD	270 USD	240 USD	630 USD 820 CAD
Australia; New Zealand; Japan; South Korea	630 USD	630 USD	630 USD	630 USD	450 USD	440 USD	630 USD 820 CAD
Middle East; Indian sub-continent	270 USD	270 USD	270 USD	450 USD	135 USD	115 USD	450 USD
Qatar	900 QAR	900 QAR	900 QAR	1620 QAR	450 QAR	-	1620 QAR 580 CAD
Americas	630 USD 820 CAD	630 USD 820 CAD	630 USD 820 CAD	630 USD 820 CAD	630 USD 820 CAD	450 USD 590 CAD	-

Service dogs

Qatar Airways accepts service dog(s) in the passenger cabin on specific regulated routes to accompany a passenger with a disability.

Step 2: Getting travel-ready

Eligibility Criteria 

• Qatar Airways accept domesticated dogs, cats and birds as checked baggage, either on your flight or on a separate one, provided that the animal is in good health and all travel requirements are met.
• The transport of certain breeds of dogs and cats is restricted as these animals are normally susceptible to increased risk of heat stroke when exposed to stress or temperatures above 21°C (69.8°F). Visit the ‘Restricted breeds’ page to learn more.
• Emotional support dogs do not qualify as service dogs and are not accepted in the cabin. 
• Additional eligibility rules and regulations may apply based on your origin and destination countries. Learn more on our ‘Travel requirements’ page. 

Health and documentation requirements

You must ensure that the necessary documentation is ready before your pet travels. These include their health certificate (signed by your veterinarian, indicating that the animal is fit to fly), vaccinations, and pet passport or identification.

• Health certificate: Your pet must be certified as fit to fly by a veterinarian within 10 days before their travel date.
• Vaccinations: Ensure your pet's vaccinations are up to date, as required by the destination country. Rabies vaccination is mandatory for most international travel.
• Microchip and identification: Some countries may require pets to be microchipped and hold a pet passport for identification. 
• Destination regulations: Research and follow the import regulations and quarantine requirements of the destination country. 

Travel Carriers and Kennels 

• Your pet's travel carrier, or kennel, must be of an adequate size and be equipped with sufficient openings for ventilation. All openings must be designed to be nose and paw-proof, preventing any part of the pet’s body from protruding or sticking out to avoid any risk of injury. It must also be of suitable design and sufficient strength to prevent escape. There are also limits on including more than one pet per carrier. Additionally, the carrier must be labelled with your name, contact details, and your pet's name.
• For your pet’s well-being, Qatar Airways reserves the right to refuse the transport of any animal if they find the carrier is too small. 
• Read more on pet travel carriers below, and use our handy tool to calculate the minimum required kennel size to transport your pet, based on IATA guidelines

Restricted Breeds 

For the safety of the animal, Qatar Airways does not accept certain breeds of domestic dogs and cats that cannot maintain a normal body temperature and are therefore susceptible to an increased risk of heat stroke. These include:

The following breeds of Cats and mixes will not be accepted for carriage on Qatar Airways including all snub or pug-nosed. 

• Exotic
• Persian

The following breeds of Dogs and mixes will not be accepted for carriage on Qatar Airways including all snub or pug-nosed.

• Affenpinscher
• Boston Terrier 
• Boxer
• Brussels Griffon
• English/British Bull Dog
• French Bull Dog
• French Terrier
• Greyhound dogs with the exception of pets (No more than two greyhound dogs can be booked as pets)
• Japanese Chin
• King Charles Spaniel
• Neapolitan mastiff
• Pekingese
• Pug (all breeds)
• Shih Tzu

The below list of dogs can be accepted only when carried as Cargo on Qatar Airways and all requirements are adhering to the IATA Live Animal Regulations (LAR) container requirement 82. 

• American Bull Dog
• American Pit Bull Terrier
• American Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Bull Mastiff (English Mastiff)
• Bull Terrier
• Cane Corso
• Chow Chow
• Dogo Argentino
• English Mastiff
• Pitbull
• Presa Canario
• Stafforshire Bull Terrier
• Dogue De Bordeaux (French Mastiff) 
• Shar Pei
• Valley Terrier 
• American Bully

Note: For the carriage of cats and dogs, it is recommended that you obtain a veterinary certificate certifying that the animal does not fall within any of the above categories.

Qatar Airways also do not accept the following animals: 

• Primates that are being carried for research purposes
• Animals younger than twelve (12) weeks. Puppies and kittens younger than 7 months old are not acceptable if destined to Qatar.
• Fragile / weak animals. 
• Female animals with suckling young – carriage will only be permitted on the basis of a veterinary certificate stating that both mother and young are fit to travel
• Cats or dogs which are more than six (6) weeks pregnant - carriage will only be accepted if a veterinary certificate certifies that the animal is fit to travel and there is no risk of birth during the journey
• Certain breeds of dogs and cat (such as snub-nosed breeds) as they are susceptible to increased risk of heat stroke when exposed to temperatures above 21 degrees Centigrade, or when under stress.
• Rodents such as mice, rats, marmots, and rabbits are not allowed as excess baggage. Such animals must be transported as cargo.

Further requirements and restrictions may apply per country. 

Step 3: Booking Your flight

Once you have completed your preparations, it is time to book your flight of choice. To confirm the availability of a space on your flight and ensure compliance with airline and country pet policies, you’ll need to let Qatar Airways know you'll be travelling with an animal by submitting an online request or contacting them at least 48 hours before departure. Please make sure to arrive at the airport check-in desk at least 2 hours before departure to ensure Qatar Airways’ agents can assist with your pet's check-in process. 

Preparing Food & Water 

It is recommended that you provide enough food and water for your pet’s journey in the travelling carrier or kennel, as you will not be able to access your pet during the trip.

When preparing the food and water containers, consider the following:

• Containers must be firmly fixed inside the travel carrier and can be filled from the outside without the need to open the carrier.
• If you do not provide enough food, our ground services staff in Doha will provide your pet with food every three to four hours (up to two hours before departure), and change the water every hour on the ground between connecting flights, provided that the water container attached to the carrier can be refilled from the outside.

To help your pet stay comfortable and relaxed during travel, familiarise your pet with the carrier before the travel date and keep them comfortable with familiar items like a blanket or toy.

In-Transit Care & Considerations 

Qatar Airways aims to give your pets the utmost care during their journey with them, including any time on the ground between connecting flights. 

If the transfer time in Doha is more than 3 hours, their ground staff will make sure that:

• Animals are allowed out of their kennels to walk and stretch;
• Animals are observed for signs of sickness and stress;
• Kennels are cleaned;
• Dogs are walked;
• Animals are provided a larger, more comfortable kennel during transit.

Transfer times of less than 3 hours do not allow for the above services. However, you can rest assured your pet will be carefully monitored and taken care of.