Reservation for pets
Important: Before making a reservation, check with your local authorities if it’s allowed to bring your pet.
How to bring your pet
While we love all pets, we only transport cats and dogs in our cabin and hold. This way, we can safeguard the health, safety, and comfort of all our passengers – including animals. By doing so, we’re following animal welfare guidelines and the regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Note that your pet should travel on the same flight as you and should be at least 15 weeks old.
Pets in the cabin
You can bring 1 cat or dog with you in the cabin when travelling in Economy Class, or when travelling in Business Class within Europe. Your pet should fit in a closed pet travel bag or kennel with a maximum of 46 x 28 x 24 cm because they’ll need to travel underneath the seat in front of you. Together with your pet, the travel bag or kennel can weigh no more than 8 kg. You’re not allowed to take your pet out of the kennel during the flight, so please make sure they’re small enough to move comfortably.
You cannot bring a pet in the cabin if you fly Premium Comfort Class or Business Class on an intercontinental route. In these travel classes, it’s not possible to put a kennel underneath the seat in front of you.
Pets in the hold
Is your pet too big to travel in the cabin? You can bring up to 3 pets in the hold. They can share the same kennel if they weigh no more than 14 kg each, and they’re:
- 2 adult animals of comparable size, or
- 3 animals up to 6 months old from the same litter.
Make sure the combined weight of your pet and kennel is no more than 75 kg. The kennel itself can be maximum 122 x 81 x 89 cm on KLM flights, or maximum 102 x 69 x 76 cm on KLM Cityhopper flights (operated with Embraer aircraft).
Make a reservation for your pet travelling in the hold as soon as possible after booking your flight.
Exceptions
It’s not possible to bring your pet in the hold if you have a transfer time of more than 3 hours. An exception applies when you travel via Paris: you can only bring a pet in the hold if you have at least 4.5 hours of transfer time.
Pets cannot travel in the hold of KLM flights with Boeing 787-9, Boeing 787-10, and Airbus A321neo aircraft, nor on Eastern Airways or German Airways flights.
Additionally, please note that pets cannot be transported in the hold on KLC flights longer than 2 hours.
Please be advised that there is an embargo imposed by the UK Government affecting KLM flights. As a result, PETC (Pets in Cabin) and AVIH (Animals in Hold) are not permitted to travel to the UK as passenger baggage. However, there are no restrictions on traveling with pets from the UK.
For more information, please contact our Customer Contact Centre via the 'Contact Us' channels.
Dogs travelling to the United States
As from 1 August 2024, new rules apply to dogs – including service dogs - travelling to the United States:
You need to fill out the Dog Import Form by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If your dog is between 6 and 12 months old, you must complete the form at least 15 days before departure. - Please bring a digital or paper receipt of the completed form to the airport.
- Your dog must be microchipped.
Your dog must be at least 6 months old. If your dog is younger, please contact our Customer Contact Centre.
Snub-nosed animals
Your snub-nosed pet may have trouble breathing during the flight due to high temperatures and stress. Because your furry friend should travel safely and comfortably, we cannot transport most of these pets in the hold. However, you can take them with you in the cabin or transport them as cargo. Please check the breed of your cat or dog before making a reservation.
We’ve included most snub-nosed animals. Is your pet's breed not mentioned, but do you think your pet might be snub-nosed? We strongly advise contacting the KLM Customer Contact Centre or your travel agency.
Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, and Persian cats are not allowed in the hold.
Dog breeds that are not allowed in the hold: Affenpinscher, American Bully, Boston Terrier, Boxers (all breeds), Bulldogs (all breeds), Bull Mastiff, Cane Corso, Pugs (all breeds), Chow-Chow, Great Dane (all breeds), Certain breeds of Spaniel (Tibetan, Japanese, English, King Charles), Brussels Griffon, Lhasa Apso, Mastiffs (all breeds), Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Small Brabant, Shih Tzu, Shar Pei, Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Costs
To bring your cat or dog with you, you’ll pay a fee of EUR 70 to EUR 500 per one-way. We realise this is a large price range; this is because the fee differs depending on your departure airport and destination. You can see the exact price when making a reservation.
Pets we cannot transport
Unfortunately, we cannot transport your pet if:
- you want to bring an animal other than a dog or a cat;
- your pet and kennel combined weigh more than 75 kg;
- the kennel is larger than 122 x 81 x 89 cm on KLM flights, or larger than 102 x 69 x 76 cm on KLM Cityhopper flights;
- your dog or cat is travelling on a different flight from yours;
- your dog or cat is travelling to a country whose authorities only allow the transportation of pets as cargo.
In these cases, we recommend contacting a specialised shipping agent.
Good to know
Contact our Customer Contact Centre to create a temporary booking with your pet, so you are sure you can travel together.
Frequently asked questions
Travelling with your dog? No problem! You can bring dogs with you in the cabin of the airplane if they fit under the seat in front of you in a closed kennel or travel bag and if animal plus carrier weigh 8 kg or less. They can’t be in your lap. If they’re too big for the cabin, they may be able to travel in the hold if they are below a certain weight limit. The fee for bringing your dog is between EUR 70 to EUR 500 per one-way trip. Check our website for the details, and please make sure to reserve your pet’s travel plenty of time in advance!
Travelling with your cat? No problem! You can bring cats with you in the cabin of the airplane if they fit under the seat in front of you in a closed kennel or travel bag and if animal plus carrier weigh 8 kg or less. They can’t be in your lap. If they’re too big for the cabin, they can travel in the hold. The fee for bringing your cat is between EUR 70 to EUR 500 per one-way trip. Check our website for the details, and please make sure to reserve your pet’s travel plenty of time in advance!