Short answer: Turkish Airlines lets cats, dogs and small cage birds fly in the cabin when the pet and its soft carrier weigh 8 kg (17.6 lb) or less, and bigger pets can fly in the hold in a hard crate, up to 50 kg in total.
The fee depends on the route, and when we checked its calculator on 14 October 2026 it quoted USD 200 in the cabin and USD 400 to 550 in the hold from New York to Istanbul, for each flight.
Turkish Airlines connects the US with Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia through Istanbul, so it’s a common choice for pet owners on long international trips.
We checked every rule below on turkishairlines.com, Turkish Cargo, IATA’s 2026 Live Animals Regulations and the US and Turkish government pages in October 2026, and we priced real routes in the airline’s own fee calculator.
| Rule | What Turkish Airlines allows |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Cats, dogs and small birds, up to 8 kg with the carrier |
| Cabin carrier | Soft-sided, up to 23 x 30 x 40 cm |
| Hold | Hard crate up to 75 x 75 x 125 cm, under 50 kg in total |
| Pets per passenger | Two carriers, but only one in the cabin |
| Booking | Add the pet and have it confirmed at least 6 hours before the flight |
| Seat | Window seats only |
| No pets at all | Flights to the UK, including connections, and to Bilbao |
From turkishairlines.com, checked 14 October 2026.
Flying in the cabin
Your pet travels with you in a soft carrier, and Turkish’s cabin rules cap the pet and carrier together at 8 kg, which is about 17.6 pounds.
The carrier can be up to 23 cm high, 30 cm wide and 40 cm long, about 9 x 12 x 16 inches, with ventilation holes on at least three sides, and you’ll be seated by a window, away from exit and bassinet rows.
You can bring two pets in total but only one carrier into the cabin, although two animals of the same species that are used to each other may share it if they weigh 8 kg together.
Turkish won’t carry pregnant or sedated pets, it won’t put cats and birds on the same aircraft, and pets younger than 12 weeks need a vet’s approval to fly.
Flying to the US?
The CDC’s minimum age for any dog entering the US is six months, so a puppy that meets Turkish’s rules can still be turned away on arrival.
Flying in the hold
Pets that are too heavy for the cabin travel as checked pets in the hold, which Turkish calls AVIH, in a hard-sided crate of up to 75 x 75 x 125 cm, with the pet and crate together under 50 kg.
Soft carriers aren’t accepted down there, and for a flight of more than 8 hours or a wait of more than 4, Turkish asks you to pack food, care instructions and an automatic water dispenser.
Two adult dogs of up to 14 kg each can share a crate, while heavier dogs travel alone, and a pet too big for the 50 kg limit has to go with Turkish Cargo as a separate cargo booking.
Our guide to the best dog crates for travel covers the hard-sided crates that pass airline checks.
Not in the hold
Since 1 October 2021, Turkish hasn’t carried snub-nosed cats and dogs in the hold, so a pug, French bulldog or Persian cat has to fit the 8 kg cabin limit or travel with Turkish Cargo under stricter crate rules.
Our guides to flying with pugs and French bulldogs explain the other options.
How much it costs
Turkish doesn’t publish a single price list for its own flights, so we ran three routes through its pet fee calculator for flights on 10 November 2026.
New York JFK to Istanbul
Cabin: USD 200
Hold: USD 400 for a 6 kg dog, USD 550 for a 40 kg dog
Istanbul to Ankara
Cabin: TRY 800
Hold: TRY 1,000
Istanbul to Frankfurt
Cabin: TRY 4,441
Hold: TRY 8,881
Quotes from Turkish Airlines’ pet fee calculator on 14 October 2026, per carrier and per flight. Prices change with the date and currency.
Fees are charged per carrier and per flight, so a trip with a connection costs more, and the calculator on turkishairlines.com is the only reliable way to see the price for your route.
The flat USD 75 and USD 150 figures you may see online come from a table on Turkish’s fees page for journeys involving partner airlines, and they are well below what the calculator charged for Turkish’s own flights.
How to book
- Add your pet when you buy the ticket if you can, because that is the only way to get the window seat for free.
- Or add it later on the website or app with your booking reference, and make sure it’s confirmed at least 6 hours before the flight.
- Check every country on the route, including the one you connect in, because some routes refuse pets altogether.
- Bring the paperwork your destination asks for, such as a health certificate and rabies records, to the check-in desk.
Breeds Turkish Airlines won’t carry
Banned on every flight
Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, American Bully, and mixes of any of these.
Turkish Cargo only, if accepted
American Bulldog, Bandog, Tosa Inu, Caucasian Shepherd, Dogue de Bordeaux, Doberman, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, mastiffs other than the Bullmastiff, wolfhounds, Anatolian Shepherd, Boerboel and hybrids.
Snub-nosed: cabin or Turkish Cargo
Dogs such as the Pug, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Shih Tzu, Pekingese, Shar Pei and Chow Chow, and cats such as the Persian, Himalayan, Exotic, British Shorthair, Scottish Fold, Burmese and Birman.
From Turkish Airlines’ terms and conditions and hold rules, checked 14 October 2026. The snub-nosed list is longer than shown here.
Türkiye also bans six breeds from entering the country under a 2021 law, the American Pit Bull Terrier, AmStaff, American Bully, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Japanese Tosa, so those dogs can’t move there by any route.
Our guide to where you can take a pit bull lists the other countries and airlines with similar rules.
Routes with extra rules
- United Kingdom: no pets on Turkish flights to the UK, including connecting flights, while service dogs flying to Heathrow need approval from its animal reception centre at least 72 hours ahead.
- Bilbao: no pets on flights to Bilbao.
- Canada: you can only fly with your own dog, not one that belongs to someone else.
- Birds: African grey parrots aren’t accepted on any flight.
These come from Turkish’s country rules page, which is worth reading for your own route before you pay.
Flying a dog from Türkiye to the US
Türkiye is on the CDC’s list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, so a dog flying from Istanbul to the US needs more than the basic CDC form, and Turkish may refuse dogs from high-risk countries unless they’re landing in Atlanta, New York, Washington, Miami or Los Angeles.
What your dog needs depends on where its rabies vaccine was given.
Vaccinated in the US
A Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, endorsed by USDA before you leave the US. Your dog can then land at any US airport.
Vaccinated abroad
A rabies titer test from a CDC-approved lab, a vet-endorsed Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip, and a booking at a CDC-registered animal care facility at the airport where you land.
Every dog also needs to be at least six months old, carry a microchip and come with a receipt from the free CDC Dog Import Form.
The CDC lists animal care facilities at eight airports, ATL, DFW, LAX, MIA, JFK, PHL, SEA and IAD, so for a dog vaccinated abroad flying Turkish, the airports that work for both are Atlanta, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Miami and Los Angeles.
Turkish warns that the CDC paperwork can take at least 60 days to prepare, and our guide to the CDC dog rules goes through each step.
Taking a pet into Türkiye
- Up to two pets per passenger.
- A microchip first, then the rabies vaccine, in that order.
- A rabies antibody test of at least 0.5 IU/ml, taken at least 30 days after the vaccine, with a 90-day wait after a first test.
- A health certificate issued within two days before travel.
If you’re only connecting in Istanbul and not entering the country, these entry rules don’t apply to you, according to Türkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Service dogs and emotional support animals
Trained service dogs fly free in the cabin, at your feet rather than on a seat, and Turkish asks for the booking to be confirmed at least 48 hours before the flight.
For US flights, bring the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, and remember that the CDC rules above apply to service dogs too.
Turkish doesn’t accept emotional support animals as service animals, so they fly as ordinary pets, and psychiatric service dogs are accepted only on flights from Istanbul to the US, with connecting flights following the normal pet rules.
Contacting Turkish Airlines
In the US, Turkish Airlines’ official customer service number is 1-800-874-8875, as listed on its customer service plan, and you can also manage a pet booking on the website or app.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to bring a pet on Turkish Airlines?
It depends on the route. On 14 October 2026 the pet fee calculator quoted USD 200 in the cabin and USD 400 to 550 in the hold from New York JFK to Istanbul, per carrier and per flight.
Can my dog fly in the cabin on Turkish Airlines?
Yes, if your dog and its soft carrier weigh 8 kg (17.6 lb) or less and the carrier fits within 23 x 30 x 40 cm. You will sit in a window seat.
Can a French bulldog fly on Turkish Airlines?
Only in the cabin, if it fits the 8 kg limit. Turkish hasn’t carried snub-nosed breeds in the hold since October 2021, so larger dogs have to go with Turkish Cargo.
Can I fly my pet to the UK on Turkish Airlines?
No. Turkish doesn’t accept pets on flights to the UK, including connecting flights.
Does Turkish Airlines allow pit bulls?
No. American Pit Bull Terriers, AmStaffs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bullies and their mixes are banned on its flights.
Can I fly my dog from Istanbul to the US?
Yes, but Türkiye is a CDC high-risk country, so you need the CDC paperwork and, for a dog vaccinated abroad, a booking at an animal care facility at Atlanta, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Miami or Los Angeles.
We rewrote this guide in October 2026 and fixed several errors in the old version, including the fees, the carrier size, the booking deadline, the breed list and a US phone number that doesn’t belong to the airline.
For other carriers, our airline pet policies A to Z compares the rules side by side.
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.
This guide is based on Turkish Airlines, IATA, CDC and Turkish government pages checked on 14 October 2026, not legal or veterinary advice, and fees and rules can change, so confirm with the airline before you book. Here is how I make my guides.
