Lufthansa Pet Policy 2026: Fees, Carriers and the Rules That Changed

Flying Lufthansa with a dog or cat is very doable, as long as you know where the airline draws its lines. Small pets can fly in the cabin with you, larger dogs and cats travel in an air-conditioned cargo hold on the same flight, and the fees are published rather than left to guesswork.

The rules have also moved quite a bit lately. New crate requirements arrived in May 2026, dogs flying to the US can only land at certain airports, and some connections simply won’t take an animal at all.

Here’s how the Lufthansa pet policy works in 2026, with the numbers taken from Lufthansa’s own pages.

The short answer. Lufthansa carries dogs and cats in the cabin if pet and carrier together weigh no more than 17.6 lb (8 kg) in a soft-sided bag up to 22 x 16 x 9 in (55 x 40 x 23 cm). Heavier pets fly in the cargo hold as checked baggage.

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From the US, cabin fees run USD 80 to 165 per direction and hold fees USD 95 to 445, depending on the route and, for the hold, the size of the crate.

What Lufthansa charges for pets

Lufthansa charges a flat fee per flight direction, and it’s charged only once even if your trip includes Lufthansa connections. A return flight is charged again, and so is any stopover where the journey is interrupted for more than 24 hours.

These are the fees in US dollars as Lufthansa lists them on its US site.

Two extra charges catch people out in the hold. A transfer surcharge of USD 170 applies when a hold animal changes planes in Brussels, Geneva, Frankfurt, Vienna or Zurich, and an overnight stay in Zurich adds CHF 200 per crate.

Lufthansa also publishes its fees in euros, Swiss francs and Canadian dollars. Fees change, so check the current table on Lufthansa’s cabin pets page before you book.

When and where you pay

Cabin fees can be paid online in My bookings, through the Lufthansa service center or at check-in. Hold fees are paid at the airport, either at check-in or at the Lufthansa service counter, once the booking has been confirmed.

Flying with your pet in the cabin

The cabin is for small dogs and cats only. The whole package, pet plus carrier, must weigh no more than 17.6 lb (8 kg), and larger dogs and cats, or any other species, aren’t allowed in the cabin at all.

The carrier can be up to 22 x 16 x 9 in (55 x 40 x 23 cm), or 47 in (118 cm) in total. Lufthansa asks for a soft-sided bag that closes securely, with no sturdy frame, no wheels and no telescopic handle.

Lufthansa’s conditions of carriage also say the carrier has to fit in the footwell of your seat. That’s worth measuring at home, because a bag that is legal on paper can still be a squeeze once the seat in front is occupied.

How many pets you can bring

Each passenger can travel with up to two animals, but only one carrier is allowed per passenger in the cabin.

That carrier normally holds one animal. The exceptions are two young animals of a similar size, or a mother with her young up to six weeks old.

Lufthansa doesn’t accept pregnant animals.

Minimum age

Dogs and cats must be at least 12 weeks old, or 15 weeks if they’re flying to, from or via Germany. Dogs flying to the US must be at least 6 months old, which is also the CDC’s own entry rule.

Dogs flying to the US: airports and the CDC form

This is where most US owners need to slow down. Until further notice, Lufthansa only takes new bookings for dogs flying to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Newark is possible again, as long as your dog hasn’t been in a country at high risk for dog rabies in the past six months. In Washington, Lufthansa flies to Dulles (IAD), not Reagan National.

The airport list applies to dogs, in the cabin and in the hold. Lufthansa doesn’t apply it to cats.

The CDC Dog Import Form

Every dog entering the US needs a receipt from the CDC Dog Import Form, and Lufthansa will refuse transport if your dog doesn’t meet the CDC’s entry requirements. You can show the receipt on your phone or on paper.

The CDC also requires a microchip that a universal scanner can read, and a minimum age of six months. You can fill in the form on the day of travel, and the receipt stays valid for six months unless your dog visits a high-risk country in the meantime.

Dogs that have been in a high-risk dog rabies country in the past six months face much stricter rules, including a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility on arrival. An unvaccinated dog in that situation can’t enter the US at all.

Do the CDC form before you register with Lufthansa. The airline checks for it, and sorting it out at the check-in desk is the last thing you want.

Bigger dogs: flying in the cargo hold

Dogs and cats over 17.6 lb (8 kg) with their carrier travel as checked baggage in the cargo hold, on the same flight as you. Lufthansa describes the hold as air-conditioned.

You register through Lufthansa’s cargo hold registration form, which asks for your booking code, your pet’s breed and age, and the exact size and weight of the crate. It’s a request rather than an instant booking: Lufthansa checks space and replies by email.

The form offers two crate categories, up to 23.6 x 17.7 x 15.7 in (60 x 45 x 40 cm) or up to 49.2 x 29.5 x 33.5 in (125 x 75 x 85 cm), and those match the two fee columns above.

Take a Labrador in a crate of about 39 x 28 x 30 in (100 x 70 x 75 cm), weighing 77 lb (35 kg) with the dog inside. That crate falls in the larger category.

So a flight from Frankfurt to New York JFK would cost between USD 350 and 445 one way, depending on which intercontinental band Lufthansa applies.

Where the hold isn’t available

The service only runs on flights operated by Lufthansa itself. On codeshare flights exceptions can apply, and there’s no availability at all on flights operated by United Airlines, even with a Lufthansa flight number.

Lufthansa also won’t take animals in the hold on connections through Munich, though direct flights to and from Munich are fine. Connections through Frankfurt remain possible, with the transfer surcharge.

Lufthansa Express Bus and Express Rail segments can’t carry animals either.

Sharing a crate

Each crate normally holds one animal. Two can share if they’re about the same size, used to each other, and each weighs no more than 30.9 lb (14 kg).

The crate rules that changed in May 2026

Since May 4, 2026, Lufthansa applies the new IATA Live Animals Regulations to every crate in the hold. Crates that don’t comply are refused at check-in, and Lufthansa warns this hits crates bought before 2024 especially hard.

• Ventilation openings can be no larger than 1 x 1 in (25 x 25 mm) for dogs and 0.75 x 0.75 in (19 x 19 mm) for cats.
• Fastenings must be metal screws. Plastic locking mechanisms aren’t accepted.
• Wire and wire-mesh crates aren’t allowed.
• Wheels aren’t permitted on the crate.
• Bedding can’t be newspaper, cat litter or straw.

Your pet also needs enough room to stand, lie down and turn around inside the crate.

Snub-nosed and fighting breeds

Since January 1, 2020, Lufthansa hasn’t carried snub-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs and cats in the cargo hold, because of the stress that the journey and high temperatures can cause these breeds. The ban covers cross-breeds too.

The dog breeds on Lufthansa’s list are:

• Affenpinscher, American Bully, Boston terrier, boxer, Brussels Griffon
• All bulldogs except the American bulldog, and pugs
• American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terrier, bull terrier
• Bull mastiff, chow chow, Shar Pei
• English toy spaniel, Japanese chin, King Charles Spaniel, Lhasa apso, Pekinese, Shih Tzu, Tibetan spaniel

The cat breeds are British shorthair, Exotic shorthair, Himalayan, Persian and Scottish fold.

The good news is that snub-nosed pets can still fly in the cabin, as long as they meet the cabin weight and carrier rules.

Fighting or dangerous breeds are a separate list: the American bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Kangal, Caucasian Ovcharka and Rottweiler. They can fly only in the hold, in a special crate. Pit bull types aren’t on this list because Lufthansa classes them as snub-nosed, so they can’t go in the hold at all.

Routes where Lufthansa may say no

Some destinations have their own entry rules, and Lufthansa says it may exclude animals from travel on routes such as the UK, Ireland and Bangalore in India. National restrictions can also apply elsewhere, for example in Australia, Bahrain and China.

You’re responsible for the health, entry and transfer documents your pet needs. Lufthansa’s conditions of carriage also say it isn’t liable for quarantine costs or fines if those papers aren’t in order.

Assistance dogs and emotional support animals

Assistance dogs fly free in the cabin on any Lufthansa route, but they must fit in the footwell at your seat. Lufthansa accepts only dogs as assistance animals.

For US flights, you’ll need to send Lufthansa the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, at least 48 hours before departure if you booked earlier than that.

Emotional support animals are no longer recognized. The US Department of Transportation stopped treating them as service animals, and Lufthansa doesn’t accept them as a separate category, so an ESA flies as a regular pet under the same weight limits and fees.

How to book, step by step

1. Book your own ticket. For a hold pet, choose a flight operated by Lufthansa and avoid connections in Munich.
2. Check the airport: for dogs to the US, use one of the seven accepted airports.
3. Complete the CDC Dog Import Form if a dog is entering the US, and check the microchip and age rules.
4. Register your pet as early as you can. Lufthansa confirms the booking no later than 72 hours before departure.
5. Measure everything: carrier or crate dimensions, total weight, and for the hold the May 2026 crate rules.
6. Pay the fee online, through the service center or at the airport, depending on cabin or hold.
7. Bring your paperwork, including, for a cabin pet flying to the US, two printed copies of the signed cabin registration form.

Lufthansa’s own checklist for hold animals mentions a 24-hour registration deadline, while its web pages say 72 hours. I’d plan around the 72 hours.

Cabin or hold: how they compare

Mistakes that get pets turned away

An old crate. A kennel that flew fine a few years ago can now fail on vent size or plastic locks. Check it against the May 2026 rules before the trip, not at the desk.

A hard-sided cabin carrier. Lufthansa wants a soft bag in the cabin, even if a rigid carrier would technically fit the dimensions.

The wrong airport. Booking a dog into Reagan National, or into Newark after time in a high-risk country, won’t work. The list of accepted US airports is short and strict.

A United-operated codeshare. The Lufthansa flight number isn’t enough if United flies the plane, because the hold service isn’t available on those flights.

A Munich connection. It looks like an easy routing until your dog can’t be transferred in the hold.

No CDC receipt. Lufthansa checks it, and without it your dog doesn’t fly.

Other animals and Lufthansa Cargo

Animals other than dogs and cats, or pets that can’t travel as baggage, may be able to fly as air freight with Lufthansa Cargo. The Lufthansa Cargo line is +49 180 6 747 100, which costs EUR 0.20 a minute from a landline and up to EUR 0.60 a minute from a mobile.

The bottom line: small pets have it easy on Lufthansa, with a clear 17.6 lb (8 kg) limit, a soft bag and published fees. Bigger dogs can fly too, but check the crate, the airport and the connection carefully, because that’s where most bookings come unstuck.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Lufthansa charge for a pet?

From the US, Lufthansa charges USD 80 to 165 per direction for a pet in the cabin and USD 95 to 445 per direction in the hold, depending on the route and crate size. A USD 170 transfer surcharge applies to hold animals connecting in Brussels, Geneva, Frankfurt, Vienna or Zurich.

What is the Lufthansa cabin weight limit for pets?

The pet and its carrier together can weigh no more than 17.6 lb (8 kg). The carrier must be soft-sided and no larger than 22 x 16 x 9 in (55 x 40 x 23 cm).

Can I bring two pets on Lufthansa?

Each passenger can travel with up to two animals, but only one carrier is allowed per passenger in the cabin. In the hold, two animals can share a crate only if they’re a similar size, used to each other and each weighs no more than 30.9 lb (14 kg).

Does Lufthansa allow French bulldogs and other snub-nosed breeds?

Yes in the cabin, if they meet the 17.6 lb (8 kg) limit and carrier rules, but not in the cargo hold. Lufthansa has banned snub-nosed dogs and cats from the hold since January 1, 2020, including cross-breeds.

Which US airports does Lufthansa accept dogs to?

New dog bookings to the US are accepted only for Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Newark is also possible if the dog hasn’t been in a high-risk rabies country in the past six months.

Can I book a pet on a Lufthansa flight operated by United?

Not in the cargo hold. Lufthansa’s registration form says there’s no availability on flights operated by United Airlines, and other codeshare flights can have exceptions too.

Does Lufthansa accept emotional support animals?

No. Lufthansa only accepts dogs as assistance animals, so an emotional support animal travels as a regular pet, with the same weight limits and fees.

References

Lufthansa. Animals as carry-on baggage (cabin weight, carrier, fees and payment).

Lufthansa. Animals as excess baggage (hold fees, transfer surcharges, Munich, May 2026 crate rules, age limits).

Lufthansa. Register an animal for carriage in the cargo hold (registration, codeshares, crate categories, accepted US airports).

Lufthansa. Travelling with animals (US airports, Newark, CDC requirement).

Lufthansa. Fighting dogs and snub-nosed breeds (breed lists and the hold ban).

Lufthansa. Assistance dogs (assistance dogs and emotional support animals).

Lufthansa. General Conditions of Carriage, October 2025 (footwell rule, assistance animals, liability).

CDC. Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries (age, microchip, CDC Dog Import Form).

CDC. Bringing a dog into the United States (high-risk country rules).

US Department of Transportation. Final rule on traveling by air with service animals (emotional support animals).

The Nomad Paws is in memory of Woody, a great traveler and, most of all, the best, kindest and wisest friend I have ever had.

By Gio. Gio’s research, sharpened with AI. How we make our guides.