Flying with a pet
on Lufthansa.

1. Distinguish passenger baggage from air freight

Eligible small dogs and cats can travel in the cabin; larger eligible animals may travel as accompanied excess baggage in the aircraft’s air-conditioned hold. Lufthansa Cargo is a separate air-freight service, including for animals traveling without an accompanying passenger.

Lufthansa’s pet rules apply to flights it operates. For a codeshare or a multi-airline itinerary, identify every operating carrier and obtain each carrier’s pet confirmation.

Sources: Lufthansa: traveling with animals · Lufthansa Cargo: live animals.

2. Cabin size, weight and actual fit

Lufthansa’s current passenger pet page and registration form publish a maximum 8 kg for the animal and soft carrier together, and 55 × 40 × 23 cm for the carrier, totaling 118 cm.

The carrier must fasten securely and be escape-proof, leak-proof and bite-proof, with absorbent lining. A rigid frame, wheels or telescopic handle is not permitted. The pet must be able to stand naturally, lie down and turn inside the closed bag. One cabin carrier is allowed per passenger.

Check the accepted dimensions before buying: an official tariff PDF still gives different cabin measurements in Rule 105. We have not treated those as interchangeable with the live pet page. Ask Lufthansa to confirm the container for your itinerary, especially a U.S. journey.

Our carrier guide explains how to prepare measurements without relying on a product’s size label.

Sources: Lufthansa: animals in the cabin · Lufthansa: cabin pet registration · Lufthansa: published tariff, Rule 105 (PDF).

3. Hold transport needs its own crate assessment

For accompanied hold travel, send the exact crate dimensions and loaded weight. The registration form asks for them and warns that aircraft and country restrictions apply. Its displayed size categories are not a promise that every aircraft accepts the largest crate.

Key published crate requirements include metal screws securing upper and lower parts, a waterproof floor with absorbent lining, secure doors, ventilation on all four sides, and food and water dishes accessible from outside. The pet must have room for natural posture and movement.

Since 4 May 2026, Lufthansa’s hold page specifies ventilation openings no larger than 25 × 25 mm for dogs and 19 × 19 mm for cats, with additional protection where needed to prevent protruding body parts. These are only selected checks; use the complete current specification. Non-compliant crates can be refused.

Sources: Lufthansa: hold pet registration · Lufthansa: accompanied hold transport.

4. Register early and wait for confirmation

The online cabin and hold forms require registration at least 72 hours before departure. The airline checks availability and emails whether the service is confirmed. A submitted form is not the confirmation.

For non-U.S. journeys, the general overview also describes a Service Center route up to 24 hours before departure. Do not plan an international move around that late option. For cabin pets on flights to or from the USA, the English overview requires the online form at least 72 hours ahead and says Service Center registration is unavailable. For accompanied hold travel to the USA, it also requires the online form at least 72 hours ahead. Confirm the process for the return and each connection.

Check both directions and every connection. Carry the pet confirmation; cabin passengers must also present two completed, signed printouts of Lufthansa’s cabin-pet form at check-in.

Sources: Lufthansa: cabin pet registration · Lufthansa: hold pet registration · Lufthansa: traveling with animals · Lufthansa: animals in the cabin.

5. Route, aircraft and weather restrictions

• Munich connections: accompanied hold animals are not accepted on itineraries transferring in Munich. The registration form distinguishes this from direct flights to or from Munich, which can be booked subject to acceptance.
• Frankfurt connections: the hold page says transit and through-checking remain possible; availability still requires confirmation.
• Other routes: national and aircraft restrictions can exclude carriage. Do not assume a permitted route in one direction establishes the return journey.
• Weather: Lufthansa may refuse hold transport because of extreme conditions at the destination, including short-notice or seasonal restrictions.

Ask the airline to recheck the pet arrangement if the itinerary or operating aircraft changes.

Sources: Lufthansa: accompanied hold transport · Lufthansa: hold pet registration · Lufthansa: general animal rules in German.

6. Read the current U.S. dog booking notice

At this check, Lufthansa lists new dog bookings to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Newark is additionally possible only when the dog has not been in a high-rabies-risk area during the preceding six months.

This is an airline booking notice, not a complete statement of U.S. import law. Check the dog’s travel and vaccination history against the government pathway as well as the airline’s conditions. Our U.S. dog-entry guide explains the separate entry preparation.

Sources: Lufthansa: traveling with animals · Lufthansa: general animal rules in German.

7. Age, pregnancy and breed eligibility

The general minimum is 12 weeks, increasing to 15 weeks for travel from, to or through Germany. Dogs traveling to the USA must be at least six months old. Government requirements may set an additional timetable. Pregnant animals are not accepted.

Lufthansa excludes listed short-nosed dogs and cats, including listed crossbreeds, from accompanied hold travel. An eligible small pet may still meet cabin conditions, but breed status must be checked. Other listed restricted dogs require special crates and normally hold transport; specific young-dog exceptions are conditional.

Use the complete airline breed list for your animal and discuss fitness with your veterinarian. A larger crate does not remove a breed restriction.

Sources: Lufthansa: general animal rules in German · Lufthansa: breed and short-nosed-animal restrictions.

These ordinary-pet breed restrictions should not be applied automatically to a qualifying service dog. On flights covered by U.S. DOT rules, refusals based on an alleged direct threat or disruptive behaviour require an individual assessment, independent of breed or type. Destination animal-entry laws still apply, and cabin accommodation is not guaranteed for a dog that cannot be carried safely.

Sources: 14 CFR 382.79: individual assessment and entry requirements · U.S. DOT service-animal guidance.

8. Lufthansa Cargo is a separate service

Private individuals must book Lufthansa Cargo animal transport through a freight forwarder. Its live-animal service has its own station, shipment and container checks. Short-nosed dog transport can be restricted by high temperatures at origin or destination.

Ask for a shipment-specific assessment and quote. The passenger hold restriction does not itself confirm cargo acceptance, and optional cargo services should not be assumed to form part of an accompanied-baggage booking.

Sources: Lufthansa Cargo: live animals.

9. Confirm the complete price and change conditions

Passenger pet charges depend on route; hold charges also depend on container size. The airline describes pricing per direction, with a new charge for the return or a stopover longer than 24 hours. Additional hold-transfer charges can apply.

Use Lufthansa’s baggage information and calculator, then confirm the quote for the actual journey. The pet pages describe payment at airport check-in or a service counter. Request separate confirmation of cancellation, rebooking and refund conditions before committing; this guide does not infer a universal pet-fee refund rule.

Sources: Lufthansa: animals in the cabin · Lufthansa: accompanied hold transport · Lufthansa: baggage information and calculator.

10. Airline documents and government documents are separate

Prepare the airline’s pet confirmation and applicable carrier forms alongside the official veterinary, entry and transit documents. Passing an airline check does not replace the destination authority’s requirements.

Use our country guides for the entry-planning side and confirm any transit requirements for the actual route. Tell the team who will travel with the pet and who will receive it on arrival.

Sources: Lufthansa: cabin pet registration · Lufthansa: hold pet registration.

Assistance dogs: U.S. and other routes differ

Lufthansa carries qualifying assistance dogs without a carriage fee. The dog must be trained for disability-related tasks, controlled and able to fit safely at the passenger’s feet. This is a separate acceptance process from an ordinary pet booking; a certificate alone does not establish eligibility.

On nonstop flights to or from the U.S., this includes trained psychiatric assistance dogs. Lufthansa does not recognise emotional-support animals as assistance dogs. For U.S.-covered flights, the DOT health, training and behaviour form may be required; a relief attestation applies to individual flight segments scheduled for eight hours or more. Submit required forms at least 48 hours ahead when the reservation was made more than 48 hours before the first originally scheduled departure; for later bookings, provide them at the gate. If advance notice was missed, U.S. rules still require reasonable efforts to accommodate without delaying the flight.

For flights outside the U.S., including feeder or connecting legs, Lufthansa requires acceptable evidence of assistance-dog training and its written confirmation form. An obedience certificate, DOT form alone, or teach-yourself/online training site does not meet its published non-U.S. evidence requirements. Register early; its non-U.S. page describes 48 hours as the ideal advance timing.

Keep the dog leashed and follow cabin-space and hygiene requirements. Entry, transit and veterinary paperwork still apply. U.S. DOT cabin rights do not exempt a service dog from CDC import requirements.

Sources: Lufthansa assistance dogs · CDC dog-import FAQs: service dogs. Checked 11 October 2026.

Form scope and timing: 14 CFR 382.75: service-animal documentation.

Prepare a route review

Send your cities, dates, operating flights if known, pet breed, age, weight and measurements, plus the carrier dimensions and loaded weight. Include any airline confirmation and whether the pet will travel with you.

Pets Delivery Expert can coordinate route planning, container assessment, document preparation and agreed handovers. Request a route and quote, or explore dog transport, cat transport and travel without the owner.

Questions before you book

Related reading: Airline pet travel guides · Carrier fit and preparation · More official airline policy links · Pet shipping cost guide.

Official sources and scope

• Lufthansa: traveling with animals
• Lufthansa: animals in the cabin
• Lufthansa: accompanied hold transport
• Lufthansa: breed and short-nosed-animal restrictions
• Lufthansa: cabin pet registration
• Lufthansa: hold pet registration
• Lufthansa: baggage information and calculator
• Lufthansa Cargo: live animals
• Lufthansa: assistance dogs
• Lufthansa: general animal rules in German
• Lufthansa: hold rules in German
• Lufthansa: published tariff, Rule 105 (PDF)
• U.S. DOT: service-animal guidance
• 14 CFR 382.75: service-animal documentation
• 14 CFR 382.79: individual assessment and entry requirements
• CDC: dog-import FAQs, including service dogs

Official sources checked October 11, 2026. These are planning checks for Lufthansa-operated passenger flights, with separate links for Lufthansa Cargo. The cabin-dimension document discrepancy is identified above; resolve the actual container and itinerary before purchase.