Lufthansa Pet Policy 2026: The 8 kg Cabin Limit, Hold Transfers and Flying a Dog to the US

Lufthansa Pet Policy at a Glance

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, Lufthansa's cabin rules, Lufthansa's cargo hold rules, checked October 11, 2026.

What Most Sites Get Wrong

• "Lufthansa doesn't publish a carrier size."It does: 55 x 40 x 23 cm, 118 cm in total, or 22 x 16 x 9 inches. The carrier can't have a rigid frame, wheels or a telescopic handle.
• "Connect anywhere in the Lufthansa network."Hold pets can't connect via Munich at all. Via Frankfurt, Brussels, Geneva, Vienna or Zurich they can, but each transfer adds $170 (EUR 150).
• "One fee covers the whole trip."The fee is charged per direction, again on the return, and again for any stopover longer than 24 hours.
• "Any IATA crate works in the hold."Since May 4, 2026, vents can be at most 25 x 25 mm for dogs and 19 x 19 mm for cats, the two halves must be joined with metal screws (no plastic clips), and wire crates aren't accepted. A crate that fails is refused at check-in.
• "Book a dog to any US airport."New dog bookings to the US are accepted only for Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC, plus Newark under conditions.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, Lufthansa's cabin rules, Lufthansa's cargo hold rules, checked October 11, 2026.

Flying a Dog to the US

• Arrival airports: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Newark has been possible again since October 2024 if the dog hasn't been in a high-risk rabies country in the six months before entry. Any other US airport means air freight through an animal freight forwarder.
• Age: at least 6 months.
• CDC Dog Import Form: required. Show the confirmation, digital or printed, on departure day and at US entry. Without it, Lufthansa refuses the dog at check-in.
• Registration: online form only, at least 72 hours before departure. The Service Center can't register US flights.
• Cabin pets: bring two printed, signed copies of the registration confirmation to check-in. Assistance dogs on direct US flights don't need this form.
• Costs if refused: Lufthansa doesn't pay for rebooking, boarding kennels or hotels if your pet is refused for not meeting the rules.

Cats aren't covered by the CDC dog rules, but check the import rules of every country you depart from, transit and land in. Our pet entry rules guides cover the paperwork.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Cabin: The 8 kg Rule and Carrier Size

• Dogs and cats only, 8 kg (17.6 lb) maximum including the carrier.
• Carrier up to 55 x 40 x 23 cm (22 x 16 x 9 in), escape-proof, leak-proof and bite-proof, lined with absorbent material (not newspaper, cardboard or straw).
• No rigid frame, wheels or telescopic handle, so it fits under the seat in front. If it doesn't fit, the crew secures it with a Lufthansa Animal Belt.
• Your pet must be able to stand, lie down and turn around. Bring your own carrier; you generally can't buy one at the airport.
• One carrier per passenger. One animal per carrier, except two young animals of comparable size (at least 12 weeks), two adults of comparable size, or a mother with one young animal up to 6 weeks old.
• A pet that barks, growls or misbehaves can be moved to the hold at extra cost, or refused.
• Pets can come into Lufthansa lounges but stay in the carrier.

Snub-nosed breeds have their own Lufthansa rules for the cabin [VERIFY: whether snub-nosed dogs and cats are accepted in the Lufthansa cabin, and on what conditions].

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, Lufthansa's cabin rules, checked October 11, 2026.

Cargo Hold: Crates and Connections

Dogs and cats over 8 kg with carrier travel as excess baggage in the air-conditioned hold of your flight.

• Connections: no hold pets via Munich, and no through-checking there. Via Frankfurt it works, with the $170 (EUR 150) transfer surcharge, as it does via Brussels, Geneva, Vienna and Zurich.
• Breeds: snub-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs and cats aren't carried in the hold. Fighting-dog breeds and mixes need special containers.
• Sharing a crate: two adults of comparable size that are used to each other, each up to 14 kg, or two weaned animals from the same litter, no older than 6 months, each up to 14 kg.
• Weather: Lufthansa can refuse the hold in extreme weather at the destination, at short notice or for a season. Large animals can't go to some destinations.
• Drop-off: arrive early; the pet goes to the bulky baggage or service counter [VERIFY: hold pet drop-off deadline, reported as 2 hours before departure and 3 hours at Frankfurt].

Crate rules (from May 4, 2026)

• Vents on all four sides, side and back vents in the top two-thirds; max 25 x 25 mm for dogs, 19 x 19 mm for cats, or covered with a grille.
• Top and bottom joined with metal screws. No plastic locking clips, no wire or mesh crates, solid roof.
• Door hinges and latches protrude at least 1.6 cm above and below the door opening.
• Wheels removed or disabled; spacer bars along the sides and back.
• Waterproof floor with absorbent lining (no newspaper, cat litter or straw); smooth interior.
• One water and one food bowl fixed inside the door, fillable from outside, empty for the flight.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, Lufthansa's cargo hold rules, Lufthansa's hold registration page, checked October 11, 2026.

What It Costs

You pay at the check-in counter or the Lufthansa service counter at the airport, not when you book. Lufthansa's baggage calculator gives an estimate for your route. A connection in Frankfurt on the way out and back adds $340 in surcharges alone, on top of the base fee, so a nonstop is worth a higher fare.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, Lufthansa's cargo hold rules, Lufthansa's cabin rules, checked October 11, 2026.

How to Register and Check In

1. 1
   Pick a routing that works: no Munich connection for a hold pet, and for a dog to the US, one of the approved arrival airports.
2. 2
   Book your ticket, then register the pet at least 72 hours before departure, in My bookings or the registration form. US flights: online form only. Lufthansa confirms availability.
3. 3
   Dog to the US: complete the CDC Dog Import Form and keep the confirmation.
4. 4
   Check in online from 30 hours before departure. With a cabin pet, collect your boarding pass at the check-in counter. With a hold pet, you get it online but can't use self-service bag drop.
5. 5
   At the airport: pay the fee, show the signed printouts (two copies for a cabin pet on a US flight) and the CDC confirmation.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Assistance Dogs

• Fly free in the cabin.
• Confirmation deadline: 48 hours before departure.
• CDC requirements still apply for dogs entering the US, and meeting them is the passenger's responsibility.
• Allowed out of the carrier in Lufthansa lounges.

Source: Lufthansa's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Lufthansa vs United vs American vs Delta

For a dog over 8 kg flying between the US and Europe, Lufthansa is one of the few ways to travel on the same plane as your pet. The trade-off is that you only see the price at the counter.

Sources: Lufthansa's official pet policy, United's official pet policy, American's official pet policy, Delta's official pet policy, checked October 11, 2026.

Lufthansa Pet Policy FAQ

Lufthansa Pet Travel Checklist

• Dog or cat, at least 12 weeks (15 via Germany, 6 months for a dog to the US)
• Cabin: pet plus carrier 8 kg or less, carrier within 55 x 40 x 23 cm, no wheels or rigid frame
• Hold: crate with metal screws, compliant vents, fixed bowls, no wheels; not a snub-nosed breed
• No Munich connection for a hold pet; transfer surcharge budgeted if connecting
• Registered at least 72 hours before departure (US flights online only)
• Dog to the US: CDC Dog Import Form done, approved arrival airport
• Two signed printouts of the cabin form for US flights
• Fee paid at the airport check-in counter

Every rule on this page was checked against Lufthansa's official pet policy on October 11, 2026. Airlines change pet rules without notice, so check the official page again in the week you fly.