Flying with a pet
on Turkish Airlines.

1. Choose the booking channel first

Turkish Airlines uses PETC for pets in the passenger cabin and AVIH for pets traveling with a passenger as checked animals in the hold. Turkish Cargo handles separate live-animal shipments, also described as AVI. The word “cargo” in a passenger-page heading does not make these services interchangeable.

For a pet traveling separately from its owner, or outside the passenger service’s eligibility, request a distinct cargo assessment. A cargo possibility is not a confirmed route.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: accompanied hold transport · Turkish Cargo: TK Live.

2. Cabin limits: include the bag in the weight

The published cabin allowance is 8 kg maximum for the pet and carrier together. A purpose-made soft-sided carrier must be no larger than 40 cm long × 30 cm wide × 23 cm high. It stays closed beneath the seat ahead. The cabin page specifies window seating, excluding emergency-exit and infant-bassinet rows.

The acceptance page additionally specifies ventilation openings of at least 2.5 cm diameter on at least three sides. Check the actual design with the airline before buying. Your pet must still have room to stand, turn and lie comfortably; the numerical maximum alone cannot establish fit.

Use our carrier measurement and fit guide to prepare the pet’s measurements and photos.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: cabin transport · Turkish Airlines: reservations and acceptance · Turkish Airlines: pet transport terms and changes.

3. Accompanied hold limits and crate checks

The main passenger page and general terms publish a maximum of 50 kg including the pet and crate, with outer dimensions no greater than 125 cm long × 75 cm wide × 75 cm high. The separate English hold page says “less than 50 kg”; have the airline resolve an exact-50-kg case before booking.

Hold transport requires a rigid, ventilated, watertight crate with lateral locking and enough room for natural posture and movement. A soft cabin bag is unsuitable. The airline also has food, water, identification and care-instruction requirements for longer flights or waits. Confirm the setup for the full itinerary.

Send the loaded crate weight and dimensions with your request. Do not assume that meeting these limits overrides breed, route or aircraft restrictions.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: traveling with pets · Turkish Airlines: accompanied hold transport · Turkish Airlines: hold rules in Turkish.

4. Reserve the pet, then confirm each flight

For ordinary cabin or accompanied-hold pets, the public acceptance page requires the reservation to be completed and confirmed at least six hours before departure. Document review and route-specific approval can require earlier action. This is a general minimum, not a sensible starting point for an international move: space depends on the aircraft, and acceptance can still be refused at the airport.

For a dog flying to the United States, follow the Feedback document-review steps below before completing the pet reservation.

The airline’s website and app allow pet booking using a passenger reservation code. Ask for the pet’s confirmed travel format on every segment. If another airline operates a connection or codeshare flight, obtain its own pet acceptance rather than applying this guide to it.

Tell the airline about every animal in the booking. The usual passenger allowance is up to two carriers, with only one in the cabin; specific route exceptions apply.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: traveling with pets · Turkish Airlines: reservations and acceptance.

Flying to the U.S. with a dog: request document approval

Start the document review early, before relying on a pet place in your booking. Turkish Airlines has a specific Feedback route for dogs entering the United States.

1. Open the airline’s official Feedback form. Choose Create new feedback, then Create under Feedback and complaints. For the guest route, select Continue without logging in.
2. Under Other, choose Pet transportation request on U.S. flights. Read the U.S. dog-entry notice and continue to applicant selection.
3. Choose the applicant type that accurately describes you. In the own-behalf route, the next screen asks for the passenger’s booking reference or ticket number, first name and surname. If an agency or another person is applying, follow the form’s representation and authorization requirements.
4. Submit the U.S. entry documents applicable to your dog through the airline’s process. Use the current CDC dog-entry instructions for its vaccination and travel history, alongside the airline’s requirements.
5. Wait for the airline’s document review and approval. Its policy says the dog’s reservation cannot be completed before that approval.
6. Keep the airline’s response and ask it to confirm the pet’s travel format and place on every actual flight, including connections.

Submitting the request is not a confirmed pet reservation. If you cannot find the category or the reply leaves the booking unclear, use Turkish Airlines’ official contact channels to resolve it. The general six-hour reservation minimum above is not a document-review turnaround time.

This U.S. branch is specifically published for dogs; do not automatically apply it to cats. For UAE routes, the airline publishes a separate pet-request category for all pet reservations. Genuine service dogs also need the separate assistance-dog arrangement; document approval alone does not complete it.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: U.S. dog and UAE pet document-review instructions · official Feedback interface. The opening guest steps and category wording were checked October 11, 2026. Later document fields and booking outcomes depend on the individual request; they were not tested by submitting passenger data.

5. Breed and health checks can change the route

Listed short-nosed or respiratory-risk dogs and cats are not accepted as accompanied hold baggage. Some may qualify for cabin travel within all cabin conditions. Others require separate Turkish Cargo consideration, where permitted.

The passenger terms distinguish breeds excluded from passenger baggage, such as Rottweilers and Dobermans, from a prohibited list that includes American Bullies, Dogo Argentinos and specified bull-terrier breeds and mixes. Check the complete list for the actual breed; it is unsafe to infer permission from a similar name.

Pregnant pets are not accepted in the passenger service. Turkish Airlines also rejects pets given sedatives before the flight. Discuss health and travel fitness with your veterinarian.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: pet transport terms and changes · Turkish Airlines: accompanied hold transport.

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.

6. Resolve young-pet eligibility before paying

The official pages do not give one consistent young-animal rule. The English acceptance page discusses veterinary approval for very young or unweaned animals, while its Turkish counterpart describes a limited under-three-month exception on European flights with the mother and a veterinary certificate. Other terms prohibit unvaccinated dogs and cats.

For a puppy, kitten or nursing mother, send the exact age, weaning status, vaccination record and route to the airline and request written eligibility confirmation. Government age and vaccination requirements must be checked separately; a veterinary letter alone does not establish entry permission.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: reservations and acceptance · Turkish Airlines: acceptance rules in Turkish · Turkish Airlines: pet transport terms and changes.

7. Check destination restrictions separately

• United Kingdom: the passenger pet policy excludes flights ending at UK stations, including connections. Do not use a cabin or AVIH reservation as the plan for an ordinary pet on this route.
• Bilbao: the country page states that pets are not accepted on flights to Bilbao.
• USA dogs and UAE pets: the airline requires documents to be submitted through the relevant category of its feedback process and reviewed before those pet reservations are completed.

These are airline acceptance checks. The destination’s veterinary, import and transit rules remain a separate part of the journey. Start with our destination guides and the relevant government instructions, rather than treating an airline’s document summary as the whole entry process.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: country-specific restrictions.

8. Separate cargo acceptance and temperature checks

Turkish Cargo’s live-animal rules are a separate service. Its current FAQ places additional conditions on short-nosed animals, including a larger crate, four-sided ventilation, a shipper’s indemnity letter and temperatures below 27°C at both origin and destination.

Those are cargo-specific conditions, not a universal temperature rule for every Turkish Airlines pet. Ask the cargo team to confirm breed eligibility, the planned flight and stations, care during transit and any temperature restrictions for the shipment. Do not move a rejected passenger-baggage booking into cargo without a new assessment.

Sources: Turkish Cargo: live-animal questions · Turkish Cargo: TK Live.

9. Price and flight changes

Use the airline’s pet fee calculator and obtain a quote for the actual itinerary. Pet transport is charged separately from the passenger’s baggage allowance; a single published price would not represent every route.

The current passenger terms say the pet service cannot be transferred to another traveler or flight. Voluntary changes or cancellations do not refund the pet fee; a new service must be purchased if available. The terms provide an automatic pet-fee refund for involuntary flight changes or cancellation. Check the applicable conditions before changing the passenger ticket.

Sources: Turkish Airlines: pet transport terms and changes · Turkish Airlines: traveling with pets.

Service dogs: check each flight segment

Service-dog travel is for disability-related, task-trained assistance. Under U.S. air-travel rules, emotional support or companionship alone does not qualify. A purchased certificate or vest does not replace the required training.

Turkish Airlines publishes a requirement for service-animal reservation confirmation at least 48 hours before departure. On Istanbul–U.S. flights, it applies U.S. DOT rules. Its psychiatric service-dog acceptance is limited to those legs; other connections use the ordinary PETC/AVIH conditions, with a suitable crate required. Obtain confirmation for every segment.

For other service-dog travel, Turkish lists professional training and certification, vaccination records, identification and destination documents. Dogs must remain controlled at the passenger’s feet, without occupying a seat or obstructing other passengers. Carry a muzzle as instructed. On non-U.S. flights, it also asks for documentation addressing the dog’s toileting needs.

For U.S.-covered service-dog travel, airlines may request the DOT transportation form and, for a segment scheduled for eight hours or more, the relief attestation. DOT permits up to 48 hours’ advance submission for bookings made earlier; for bookings made within 48 hours, forms may be provided at the gate. Confirm any route-specific airline document review as well; DOT service-dog form timing does not replace import-document approval.

U.S. entry approval remains separate: service dogs must meet applicable CDC requirements, and a DOT form does not replace the CDC Dog Import Form receipt or other required import documents.

Sources: Turkish Airlines service animals · U.S. DOT service-animal guidance · 14 CFR 382.75: forms and notice · CDC dog-import FAQs: service dogs. Checked 11 October 2026.

Prepare a route review

Send the departure and destination cities, dates, each operating flight if known, whether you will travel together, and your pet’s breed, age, weight and measurements. Include the carrier’s outside dimensions and total loaded weight. Tell us about any prior airline response or unresolved restriction.

Pets Delivery Expert can coordinate a route assessment, container planning, document preparation and agreed handovers. Request a route and quote, or read about pet transport without the owner and large-dog transport.

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

• Turkish Airlines: traveling with pets
• Turkish Airlines: cabin transport
• Turkish Airlines: accompanied hold transport
• Turkish Airlines: reservations and acceptance
• Turkish Airlines: pet transport terms and changes
• Turkish Airlines: country-specific restrictions
• Turkish Airlines: pet fee calculator
• Turkish Cargo: TK Live
• Turkish Cargo: live-animal questions
• Turkish Airlines: service animals
• Turkish Airlines: acceptance rules in Turkish
• Turkish Airlines: hold rules in Turkish
• U.S. DOT: service-animal guidance
• 14 CFR 382.75: service-dog forms and notice
• 14 CFR 382.79: individual assessment and entry requirements
• CDC: dog-import FAQs, including service dogs
• Turkish Airlines: official Feedback form
• Turkish Airlines: official contact channels
• CDC: current dog-entry requirements

Official sources checked October 11, 2026. This guide highlights material differences between the airline’s published pages instead of treating them as interchangeable. Reconfirm the actual animal, carrier, itinerary and service before payment.