Flying with a pet
on Viva.

Cabin pets and separate capacity limits

Dogs and cats: maximum 12 kg including a rigid/semi-rigid carrier measuring at most 44 × 35 × 21 cm (length × width × height). The pet must be older than eight weeks and able to stand and turn inside. Keep it enclosed from check-in presentation through departure from the destination airport; place the carrier under the seat during flight.

Flightwide capacity is six cabin pets plus five hold pets. Separately, each passenger may bring one pet. Animal-carrying passengers use window seats away from emergency exits; animals cannot occupy adjacent seats or rows.

No aircraft-specific additional quota or blanket aircraft-wide dog/cat mixing ban was verified. This does not authorize sharing a carrier. Confirm every sector and return flight.

Sources: Viva cabin pets.

Hold carriage: dogs only, without connections

Dogs must be older than sixteen weeks, with combined dog/crate weight no more than 45 kg. Use a rigid crate totaling at most 319 cm in length + width + height. Viva describes a pressurized, temperature-controlled hold.

Hold pets are prohibited on connecting and Escala Express itineraries. Brachycephalic breeds are excluded; consult Viva’s extensive, non-exhaustive list for the exact breed or cross. These restrictions do not establish a blanket prohibition on cabin-pet connections.

This accompanied service is not a separate cargo-shipment booking. Do not assume cargo acceptance for an oversized dog.

Sources: Viva dogs in the hold.

Booking, contacts and fees

Buy the pet service through Viva’s website or official sales channels early, subject to availability. No universal booking cutoff was verified. Viva advises arrival two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.

Customer service: Mexico 81 82 150 150; United States 866 359 8482. Use the official contact page to verify your submission channel.

Current numeric pet fees were not verified in the dynamic charges table. Obtain a quote covering each sector, cabin/hold, currency, taxes, sales channel and change/refund conditions before paying.

Sources: Viva cabin pets · Viva contacts · Viva service charges.

Declaration and domestic documents

Viva’s March 3, 2025 declaration requests veterinary vaccination evidence including rabies and deworming, and a health certificate issued less than five days before travel. It also describes service-function evidence and a mental-health professional’s letter within one year for emotional support. Read its liability provisions before signing.

The domestic webpage instead says no more than five days. Resolve edge-case timing before departure. Ordinary-pet declarations may be signed through the booking or supplied as two signed copies.

International documents depend on direction and origin. The declaration does not override hold breed exclusions.

Sources: Viva animal transport declaration · Viva cabin pets.

Service dogs: evidence, seating and conflicting limits

Viva recognizes dogs only as service animals, free of charge. They may travel without a carrier, wearing leash and collar; guide dogs also need a harness.

Its non-U.S. checklist gives alternative evidence examples: recognized identification, treating-professional documentation, evidence of assistance need, training/handler capability, or specialist prescription. Confirm acceptable evidence and route-specific health paperwork; these examples are not a demand to produce every item. It requests two signed declaration copies.

The service page repeats the animal-number limits above. Resolve their U.S. application with Viva’s accessibility team. Its carrier conditions are labeled for animals traveling in carriers, not a universal uncrated service-dog cap.

No universal uncrated weight ceiling, floor-space measurements, muzzle rule or advance-request cutoff was verified. Record the dog’s dimensions, seating, control arrangements and accepted documents before travel.

Sources: Viva service dogs.

U.S. service-dog rules and airline confirmation

Viva’s Mexico-to-U.S. checklist links a DOT air-transport form alongside broader evidence requirements.

U.S. rules allow required DOT forms, plus documents demanded by relevant governments, rather than additional airline certification. A relief form may be required for segments scheduled for eight hours or longer.

For bookings made more than 48 hours ahead, airlines may require forms up to 48 hours before the first originally scheduled itinerary departure. Later bookings permit gate submission. This is not a verified universal Viva deadline.

U.S. rules accommodate up to two qualifying service dogs per disabled passenger, subject to applicable conditions; Viva’s generic one-animal wording is not the U.S. legal maximum.

Task-trained dogs, including psychiatric service dogs, qualify under U.S. rules; emotional-support animals and dogs still in training do not.

For unresolved U.S. accommodation or documentation conflicts, request Viva’s Complaints Resolution Official (CRO).

Sources: Viva service dogs · U.S. service-dog document rule · U.S. service-dog number rule · U.S. service-animal definition · U.S. DOT service animals.

Viva’s separate emotional-support pathway

Viva describes free emotional-support carriage for dogs and cats. Dogs need leash, harness and identification tag; cats remain in carriers. Its prescription requirement includes passenger name, professional credentials, signature and issue date within one year. Route-specific health documents and two signed declaration copies are additional.

The domestic-Mexico checklist requires notification at least 48 hours ahead for medium or large dogs. Confirm other routes separately. Viva’s U.S.-bound ESA listing is voluntary airline treatment, not U.S. service-dog status.

Do not rely on paid hold carriage as a guaranteed fallback after an assistance-document problem: species, breed, size, connections or capacity can prevent acceptance.

Sources: Viva emotional-support animals.

Directional U.S.–Mexico animal-health checks

For domestic dogs originating in and proceeding from the United States to Mexico, NWS inspection documentation has been required since August 3, 2026. A USDA-accredited veterinarian issues it without APHIS endorsement; SENASICA arrival inspection remains. Cats on that route need neither a health certificate nor NWS document for entry, but are inspected. Never add cats to the dog form.

The dog certificate and inspection must both be within five days before entry into Mexico. The form requires an original handwritten veterinarian signature, not a digital signature.

Mexico-to-U.S. dogs separately need screwworm-freedom certification following inspection within five days before shipment. APHIS permits authorized Mexican clinical veterinarians to sign on behalf of the official government veterinarian. CDC entry requirements are additional.

Viva currently rejects U.S.-bound dogs with a high-risk rabies-country stay during the preceding six months. Check the complete airline and CDC entry pathway before booking.

Airline acceptance, government entry and local service-dog access are separate decisions. Check transit and return countries too; assistance status is not a blanket animal-health exemption.

Sources: APHIS dogs and cats from the U.S. to Mexico · U.S.–Mexico dog inspection form · APHIS dog import requirements · Viva dogs in the hold.

Before paying

Keep written confirmation of animal space on each flight, breed, species, weight, carrier dimensions, seating or floor space, assistance recognition, forms, deadlines, fees and entry pathway. Recheck after schedule or aircraft changes.

Use the journey worksheet, connection guide and service-dog reference. Send personal documents only through verified airline channels.

Related planning

Related reading: Service-dog reference · Carrier planning.

Official sources and scope

• Viva cabin pets
• Viva dogs in the hold
• Viva service dogs
• Viva emotional-support animals
• Viva service charges
• Viva contacts
• Viva animal transport declaration
• U.S. DOT service animals
• U.S. service-dog number rule
• U.S. service-dog document rule
• APHIS dogs and cats from the U.S. to Mexico
• APHIS dog import requirements
• U.S. service-animal definition
• U.S.–Mexico dog inspection form

Official sources checked October 18, 2026. Confirm current operating-carrier acceptance and government requirements for every sector before departure.