How we moved out of the US with our large dog flying in-cabin with us
All relevant links and paperwork included
Wow, what a week for democracy! Happy “Independence Day” weekend, I guess?
Given the state of things in the States right now, I thought now might be a good time to share exactly how we moved from America to Europe with our large-breed dog (and how we were able to have our pup fly in the cabin with us), in case you’re one of the many starting to think about your exit strategy.
And if you’re interested in how we fled the country in 2022 beyond just the pet relocation process, here’s how and why we chose to move to Amsterdam and every single step we took to move abroad—forms, links, and printable checklist included.
A guide to moving overseas with your dog
International pet relocation resources to bookmark (!)
Before we get started, here are the most important links you’re gonna need:
US Department of Transportation: Traveling with animals by plane
US Department of Agriculture: Taking a pet from the US to another country
USDA-Accredited Veterinarians: Certifying pets for international travel
APHIS: Finding a USDA-Accredited Veterinarian to complete animal's health certificate
European Commission: Non-commercial movement of pets from non-EU countries into EU countries
UK Visas and Immigration: Bringing your pet to Great Britain
Can my dog fly in the plane’s cabin with me?
The honest answer: maybe.
You can skip ahead to our personal experience flying internationally with our large-breed pup in-cabin below — but we’ll start with some basic info from CN Traveler first:
First, you’ll need to check with your airline to see what type of breeds they allow in the cabin or the cargo hold. Often, certain types of dog breeds are barred from flying in one place or another. For instance, brachycephalic dog breeds with short or snubbed noses (like French bulldogs and pugs) usually can’t fly in the cargo hold because of the potential for breathing issues. Most larger dogs aren’t allowed in the cabin (with exceptions for trained service animals) and will have to fly in the cargo hold. Many airlines have completely banned specific breeds—like pit bulls—from flying at all.
Always book flight reservations for you and your pet at the same time: Most airlines only allow a handful of pets per flight—typically two to six, depending on the type of plane and whether it is a domestic or international flight. Be sure to call and make sure there’s still room for your pet. You might also have limited seating options when flying with a dog. Airlines usually do not allow passengers flying with dogs to sit in bulkhead rows, business or first-class cabins with lie-flat beds, or emergency exit rows.
Beyond commercial flights, you also have the option of booking a private (or semi-private) flight with your dog. In recent years, a handful of new dog-friendly airlines have popped up, including Bark Air and K9 Jets, which offer pay-per-seat private jet service for pups and their humans. In addition, some private jet companies, like NetJets and VistaJet, will gladly roll out the red carpet for pets. Flying private is more expensive, and your carbon footprint will be bigger in most cases, but you may decide that it's necessary for your pet’s comfort.
Most airlines do not allow passengers to buy their dogs a seat on a plane. However, depending on the dog’s size and breed, as well as the specific airline’s rules, you may be able to pay to have your dog fly with you in the cabin.
Usually, only allow small dogs are allowed to fly in the cabin. Some outline specific weight limits, but most simply require carry-on pets to fit comfortably in a soft-sided carrier that can go under the seat in front of you. The carrier must remain under the seat for the entire flight—you can’t get your pup out for snuggles mid-journey, unless you want a stern talking-to from a flight attendant. The pet carrier counts as either your personal item or carry-on bag, and it must be roomy enough for your pup to be able to stand up and turn around when it’s zipped shut.
Airlines typically require a health certificate—issued by an accredited veterinarian following an office visit that includes a physical examination—stating your dog is healthy and up-to-date on her vaccinations. The certificate is only good for 30 days, and you’ll need it for both your departure and return. (Many airlines require that your dog's clean bill of health be no more than 10 days old.) If the duration of your trip is longer than your certificate will be valid for, you’ll also have to schedule a vet visit while on your trip to meet the return flight requirements. Dogs must also typically be at least eight weeks old to fly, says Bruns.
Another important thing to research? Local animal import laws for each airport you’ll be stopping at along the way. This is especially important if you’re traveling internationally or somewhere like Hawaii, which has strict customs rules. Many places have painfully complicated processes and long quarantine periods—which could mean you'd be separated from your pet for most or all of your trip.
Some destinations do not allow pets to fly in the cabin, even if your dog is small enough to be a carry-on; there are even some countries and states that prohibit pets from flying to, from, or through on a connection, period. Others have specific requirements that may take a while to coordinate, so it’s best to start your trip-planning process extra early if you want to bring your dog.
Before your trip, thoroughly research the departing and arrival airports, paying close attention to any pet relief areas. If your pet isn’t crate-trained or you’ve purchased a new travel carrier, spend time training or familiarizing your pup with the kennel well in advance of your trip. You might even consider taking your dog to the airport’s departure area a few times so they become slightly more comfortable with this strange place.
You’ll also want to read up on the TSA’s rules around dog food, especially if you want to bring a little wet food in your carry-on bag. The agency considers both dry and moist dog food as solid food, which means they’re both allowed in carry-on bags. As with all food items, however, a security officer may ask you to remove the food from your bag to get a clearer picture of the other contents in your carry-on.
Service animals, ESAs, and dogs on flights
Let’s lead with what may or may not be good news for you, as someone digging into this topic: I’m a person with legitimate disabilities and a well-trained service dog. If you’re someone trying to game the system, this might not be the article for you.
Here’s the deal with the service animal thing:
So in my case, by the time we began preparations for our move to the Netherlands, our 70-pound Great Pyrenees-mix pup Stella had already successfully graduated from her weeks-long sleep-away training camp. She would be flying with us to Amsterdam, Service Animal vest and all — accompanied by letters from my medical professionals outlining the specific duties Stella has been trained to perform for my health and wellbeing.
Finding dog-friendly flights and airports
Not all airlines still allow service animals in-cabin, so we reviewed a list of the airlines that still do and decided it would make the most sense for us to fly Dutch airline KLM given their policies and the fact that we would ultimately be arriving in the Netherlands.
We completed KLM’s service animal form and emailed it to them several weeks before our flight was scheduled to depart at klmcares@klm.com along with the U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Transportation Form.
KLM confirmed receipt of these documents and advised that I bring printed copies along with me to the airport on the day of our departure as well, which I did (along with copies of all of Stella’s veterinary forms and certificates mentioned in the section below).
We ultimately chose to fly out of JFK because
it wasn’t too far of a drive from my family in Pennsylvania
it offered direct flights to Amsterdam that are only about six hours long, and
it was one of the few airports that had a dedicated pet relief and recreation area where Stella would be able to get some energy out ahead of our flight.
Legal pet relocation procedures and documents
Before she could join us in the cabin of the flight—and let me be clear that if she’d had to ride in cargo, we simply would not have moved abroad in the first place—we needed to go through the following process as designated by law:
Collect a copy of our dog’s medical history from her usual veterinarian, including vaccination dates and confirmation of her ISO-compliant microchip number (should be 15 digits)
Schedule an initial appointment with a USDA-accredited veterinarian in our state
Complete this worksheet and bring it to the initial appointment above, along with an empty copy of this “non-commercial” pet health certificate worksheet for the USDA-accredited vet to fill out
Set up a follow-up appointment for that health certificate to be endorsed, counter-signed, embossed, and sealed by a USDA Endorsement Office (important to note that the endorsement for non-commercial pets must take place within 10 days of the pet’s arrival in the EU) and pay the required fees for said endorsement
Day of travel/flying/moving with our dog
If you want to read allllll the dirty details about how we sold our house and most of our possessions, drove a moving truck from our former Virginia home to my family’s place in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, then rented a car to drive up to New York to complete the timeline below, you can find every exhilarating second outlined here. Otherwise, we’ll focus on the actual moving day(s).
We set our alarms for 6 a.m. on Friday, November 25 and embarked on the following schedule that I’d painstakingly planned for us:
7:30 a.m. My parents drove us to pick up the rental car I’d reserved. We hugged, cried, packed up the rental, and hit the road.
12:30 p.m. We pulled up to the rental lot at JFK, returned the car, then hopped into the airport transfer shuttle I had pre-scheduled with Stella and all of our luggage.
1 p.m. We arrived at the airport and headed to the KLM desk to check in and check our bags.
1:30 p.m. We headed toward JFK’s Wooftop, aka outdoor dog park on the rooftop in Terminal 5 across from Gate 28.
1:45 p.m. At the vet’s recommendation, we fed Stella her “dinner” four hours before our flight so she’d have time to digest and do her business before we departed. We hung out with her at the Wooftop for a few hours, running and tossing tennis balls with her to tire her out a bit. We made sure not to feed her anymore after this in the interest of avoiding any accidents on the plane.
4 p.m. We took the AirTrain to Terminal 4—where our flight would actually depart from—and found our gate. Once there, we gave Stella the medication her vet had prescribed her for the flight (to keep her calm and help her sleep) called Trazadone, and introduced her to the flight staff at the desk.
5 p.m. We walked Stella to the pet relief area in the B concourse between gates B31 and B33 for one last chance to pee before we boarded.
5:20 p.m. We boarded the plane, put our carry-ons in the overhead compartment, and set Stella up at our feet in the bulkhead seats before gathering our in-flight necessities. She greeted passengers as they boarded and gratefully accepted pets and compliments as they were offered.
5:50 p.m. We took off as Stella fell asleep—and thankfully, she stayed asleep for the majority of the flight.
6:50 a.m. Fast forward through the six hours in-flight (and ahead six more hours to Central European Time) and we landed safely in Amsterdam, then headed toward baggage claim to collect our comical volume of luggage with a groggy pup by our side.
7 a.m. We made our way through Customs, who barely skimmed over the (many, many) documents we handed them before waving us through.
7:15 a.m. We found the driver for the taxi I’d reserved to take us from the airport to our new apartment, where our friend and the apartment’s former tenant would meet us with a set of keys.
7:45 a.m. We got the keys, schlepped our luggage and Stella up four flights of stairs, and crashed on the couch that our pal had left for us for a well-earned nap.
Later that day, the first of two IKEA orders I’d placed from back in the States arrived with the essentials we’d need in our first few days, and we unpacked that along with our bags as we familiarized ourselves with our new space.
We took Stella for a walk around the block, taking in the Dutch architecture and all the restaurants and shops within easy walking distance of our apartment. We stopped at the cafe closest to our place and took a seat under the heaters on the patio with our sleepy pup, ordering a beer and raising a glass to a successful move.
Finding a vet abroad
We scheduled an appointment at our neighborhood veterinarian (in Dutch, called a “dierenkliniek”) to establish care for Stella.
Then we finalized her EU Pet Passport paperwork (which did require me to apply for a UBN that legally recognized me as Stella’s owner first, FYI) as required by law, and we set her up on a Happy Pet Health Plan, an annual agreement that covers all necessary visits and medications for her throughout the year.
Questions about moving abroad with your dog(s)?
If you still have questions I didn’t answer above, leave a comment and I’ll answer to the best of my ability (or point you in the direction of someone who can). We pet parents gotta stick together!