All terms and conditions

Turkish Airlines passengers can enjoy safe, comfortable flights with their pets. For more information and to review pet transportation fees for various routes, please click here.

• Only ticketed passengers can purchase pet transportation rights.
• Passengers must verify the information provided during the online pet carriage purchase when they check in for the flight.
• Purchases made via online channels can be performed up to six hours before the flight.
• Passengers who purchase pet carriage rights must sit in standard window seats and front row seats.
• Seat selection is provided free of charge at checkout for passengers who have purchased pet carriage rights. If passengers select seats for a fee, and then opt to purchase pet carriage rights via the ticket management or pet carriage purchase page, the prepaid seat fee cannot be refunded.
• In cases where the seat selection is not suitable for transporting pets, passengers must contact the Turkish Airlines sales office or call center.
• Pets are not permitted on Turkish Airlines’ flights to the UK, including connecting flights.
• Online pet transportation tickets are not available for unaccompanied minors.

• Only cats, dogs, and small birds (parakeets and canaries) may be transported with passengers.
• Cats (Burmese, Exotic, Persian, Himalayan, Scottish Fold, British Shorthair, etc.) and dogs (Affenpinscher, Pekingese, Pug (all breeds), Shar Pei, Shih Tzu, Japanese Chin, Lhasa Apso, Tibetan Spaniel, Chow Chow, English Toy Spaniel, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffon, Bull Mastiff, English Mastiff, etc.) can be transported in the passenger cabin (PETC) provided that the total weight of the animal and its carrier does not exceed 8 kg. Carriers may be a maximum of 23 cm in height, 30 cm in width, and 40 cm in length. The animals listed above are not accepted for transport in the aircraft’s checked baggage compartment (AVIH).
• Dangerous breeds such as the American Bulldog, Bandog Tosa Inu, Caucasian Ovcharka, Dogue De Bordeaux, Doberman (Pinscher Doberman and all Doberman breeds), Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Mastiff (except Bull Mastiff), wolf-dog hybrids, Anatolian Shepherd, Boerboel, and their crossbreeds cannot be transported as passenger baggage. They can be transported in the aircraft’s cargo hold only if accepted by Turkish Cargo.
• Unfortunately, due to international aviation regulations, we cannot accept Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Pitbull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Pitbull Terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos, Fila Brasileiros, American Bullies, or their mixes on our flights.
• For flights departing from or arriving in Türkiye, domesticated animals indigenous to Türkiye and under protection (the Angora goat, Sivas Kangal, Ankara cat, Van cat, Kangal Shepherd Dog, Akbaş Shepherd Dog, Kars Shepherd Dog, Çatal Burun hunting dog, and Zağar İzci (hunting and pointing scent hound) must have a Veterinary Health Certificate issued by an official veterinarian authorized to issue certificates at the Provincial/District Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye; this certificate must be presented at the counter prior to the flight.
• Domestic animals are accepted for transport in live animal shipments originating in Türkiye and destined for overseas locations if the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry issues a certificate stating that the relevant species may be transported. However, this applies only to shipments originating in Türkiye and destined for overseas locations; the relevant species are not accepted for shipments originating overseas and destined for Türkiye.
• For domestic flights, when transporting live animals (cats and dogs) as passenger baggage, the animal’s information, the identification document prepared for the registration of the live animal (microchip, tattoo, etc.), and the Pet Passport containing the animal’s vaccinations must be presented before the flight.
• For birds traveling with passengers on domestic flights, no documentation is required.
• For live animal (cat-dog) transportation with passengers on arrival/departure flights to/from Türkiye: In addition to the Pet Passport and a Rabies Titration Test, the animal’s vaccination certificates must be checked and a Veterinary Health Certificate issued. The identification document prepared for the registration of the live animal (microchip, tattoo, etc.) and the Rabies Titration Test must be presented before the flight.
• Pets without rabies vaccinations are not permitted on domestic or international flights.
• Pets must have a microchip (birds are excluded). Animals are imported into Türkiye from many countries where microchipping is not mandatory; this requirement applies only to animals registered in Türkiye.
• For birds traveling with passengers on flights arriving in or departing from Türkiye, a Veterinary Health Certificate, issued by an official veterinarian authorized to issue certificates at the Provincial/District Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, must be presented prior to the flight.
• Booster shots for dogs and cats older than three months are administered 21 days after the initial vaccination, unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. In subsequent years, unless a different period is specified by the manufacturer, the vaccine is repeated once per year, and a Veterinary Health Certificate is issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye. The validity period of the relevant certificate is 48 hours, which may be extended to 72 hours if it falls on a public holiday. Therefore, we recommend that you check the validity period of your certificate according to your flight date.
• As of December 27, 2023, reports containing rabies titration results issued by the Etlik Veterinary Control Center Research Institute can be verified using the QR code found on the reports. However, Rabies Titration Tests issued before this date and without a QR code are still accepted. The report in question is checked by an official veterinarian authorized to issue certificates at the Provincial/District Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, and a Veterinary Health Certificate is issued if deemed appropriate. The relevant certificate must be presented before arrival/departure from Türkiye; the live animal cannot be accepted for the flight without the presentation of the certificate.
• Passengers must provide suitable cages/carriers for transporting their pets.
• Pets who have been given sedatives prior to the flight will not be accepted for the flight.
• The cage/carrier dimensions for live pets must provide ventilation and allow the animal to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably.
• If the weight of the pet and its carrier do not exceed 8 kg and the pet is transported in the aircraft cabin, the animal must be contained in a specially manufactured soft-case carrier/bag. The dimensions of such carriers/bags may be a maximum of 23 cm in height, 30 cm in width, and 40 cm in length. The lids/zippers of pet carriers and bags must remain closed throughout the flight, and the carrier/bag must be placed under the seat in front.
• If the weight of the pet and its cage/carrier do not exceed 50 kg and the cage/carrier dimensions are a maximum of 75 cm in height, 75 cm in width, and 125 cm in length, the animal can be transported in the aircraft’s cargo compartment. Cages/carriers for live animals (AVIH) transported in the cargo compartment must have a lateral locking system and a hard surface.
• If the pet’s cage/carrier dimensions exceed 75 cm in height, 75 cm in width, and 125 cm in length, the animal can be transported via Turkish Cargo.
• Two pets being transported in the aircraft cabin may share a single carrier if a) the animals are the same breed (two dogs, two cats, or two birds); b) the animals are accustomed to each other; and c) the total weight of the two animals and the carrier does not exceed 8 kg.
• Cages/carriers must be made of waterproof material, must be large enough to contain the pet comfortably, and must have a base that is sufficiently leak-proof. Pets (AVIH) transported in the cargo compartment must have a collar around their neck.
• Dogs transported in the aircraft’s cargo hold must weigh no more than 14 kg each; cats must weigh no more than 10 kg each. Up to two adult animals of similar size and/or accustomed to living together and/or of the same breed, or up to three live animals (cats/dogs) born to the same mother and aged between 10 and 24 weeks, may be transported in the same cage/carrier. If one of the animals weighs more than 14 kg, it may require an individual cage/carrier.
• For live animal cages/carriers transported in the aircraft’s hold, water dispensers are required if the flight has layovers of 4 or more hours and/or a duration of 8 or more hours. If possible, automatic water dispensers should be provided in the cages/carriers. We strongly remind you that food must be kept inside the cage/carrier (in a container that can be refilled as needed or that will not spill) for use if the pet needs it.
• A maximum of two pet cages/carriers per passenger are accepted on the aircraft (excluding shipments via Turkish Cargo). However, only one carrier is permitted in the cabin. The other pet must be transported in the hold, or both pets may be transported in the hold.
• Only on flights departing from Moldova and arriving in the US: a maximum of one pet carrier per passenger is permitted (maximum two pets of the same species in one cage/carrier).
• Parakeets and canaries can be transported in the cabin. Pigeons and parrots traveling with passengers (except those listed in the CITES Appendix I) are transported in the aircraft’s cargo hold. Small bird species (excluding parakeets and canaries) can be transported with Turkish Cargo.
• If a passenger declares in a medical report that they have an allergy to cats, dogs, or birds, the pet reservation will be made according to certain conditions. For detailed and up-to-date information, please visit our Pet Acceptance on Flights page.
• On European flights, unvaccinated kittens/puppies younger than 3 months may be accepted on our flights provided they fly with their mother and have a Veterinary Health Certificate.
• Pursuant to a decision made by the US health authority CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), changes have been made to the rules and conditions for accepting dogs into the United States as of August 1, 2024. For more information, please visit our Country-based Situations page.
• Psychiatric Support Animals (PSAN) are accepted only on flights departing from Istanbul to destinations in the United States or departing from destinations in the United States to Istanbul. If traveling with a PSAN on connecting flights before or after these routes, acceptance procedures are conducted according to the rules for traveling with pets. For connecting flights, PETC/AVIH fees are collected at the first point of departure from passengers traveling with PSANs on flights departing from or arriving in the United States. PSAN/SVAN reservations cannot be made through online channels (mobile app and website). For detailed information, please refer to the service animals section.
• Pregnant animals are not accepted on flights.
• Pets must be clean, odor-free, and appear calm. Pets found to have health problems are not accepted on flights.
• If the health condition of a pet accepted on board deteriorates during or after the flight, the responsibility lies with the pet owner; the Company does not accept any liability in this regard.
• We would like to note that pets will not be accepted for flight if a) the conditions of the country of travel are not met; b) the cage specifications or live animal weight limits are not appropriate; c) the animal is not among the breeds permitted for transport; or c) requirements related to microchips or vaccination cards are not met. For detailed and up-to-date information, please visit our website.

Passengers traveling with pets are advised to arrive at the airport in a timely fashion to account for potential additional waiting times before check-in.

• The right to transport a pet cannot be transferred to another passenger or used on a different flight.
• Passengers who change or cancel their flights will not be refunded pet transport fees, but they may repurchase the service for their new flight if available.
• In cases of flight cancellations or changes beyond the passenger’s control (involuntary), the pet transportation fee will be automatically refunded. Refunds are not permitted in cases where the change is at the passenger’s request (voluntary).
• Pet transportation may not be available for safety, security, or operational reasons. In such cases, Turkish Airlines will offer the passenger the most suitable alternative options.