Travelling with a pet in India

Train, plane or car: which way should your pet travel?

It turns on your pet's weight, its breed and where you are going: up to 10 kg it can fly in the cabin, heavier pets fly in the hold or as cargo, and on a train it stays beside you only in a whole First AC or First Class coupe or cabin.

1. If your pet weighs up to 10 kg with its carrier

   It can fly in the cabin with you on Air India (Economy only) or Akasa Air. Akasa carries pets on non-stop flights only. By air: airlines compared 4Akasa Air

2. If it weighs 10 to 32 kg

   It flies in the hold: on Air India booked separately as checked baggage or cargo, on Akasa checked in at the airport. SpiceJet takes dogs in the hold on direct flights, up to 35 kg not counting the cage. SpiceJet 3Air India

3. If it weighs more than 32 kg

   Air India books it as cargo, and Akasa takes pets of up to 100 kg from its cargo terminal. Akasa Air 4Akasa Air

4. If it is a flat-faced breed too heavy for the cabin

   Air India's pet page and Akasa do not allow flat-faced breeds in the cargo compartment, and SpiceJet does not accept snub-nosed dogs. A train coupe or your own car keeps it out of the hold. Air India 5SpiceJet

5. If it is a cat

   Air India and Akasa carry cats as well as dogs; SpiceJet's policy covers domesticated dogs only. 5SpiceJet

6. If you want your dog beside you on a train

   Hold the whole 2-berth coupe or 4-berth cabin in First AC or First Class on one PNR. Southern Railway allows one dog per PNR and bars dogs from every other class. By train 6IRCTC

7. If you cannot get a coupe

   Your dog can travel in the brake van's dog box. Southern Railway places the box in the luggage-cum-brake van of conventional ICF coaches, so ask the parcel office whether your train has one. 1Southern Railway

8. If you are driving

   No Indian rule sets how a pet rides in a private car, but carrying any animal in a vehicle in a way that causes it unnecessary pain or suffering is cruelty under the 1960 Act. Road trips 33Animal Welfare Board of India

9. If you are moving to another city

   Your dog licence stays behind and the new city issues its own; Delhi's MCD asks you to surrender its certificate, free, when you leave. Moving city 34Municipal Corporation of Delhi

10. If you are taking your pet out of India

    It needs an AQCS export certificate before it leaves. Taking a pet abroad 2AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

11. If you are bringing a pet into India

    It needs an Advance NOC from the ATITHI 2.0 portal before an airline will fly it. Bringing a pet into India 8AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Which papers does each way of travelling ask for?

The rabies vaccination certificate goes on every trip. The vet's health certificate has a different deadline for each mode: 24 to 48 hours for a train, 48 hours for SpiceJet, 72 hours for Akasa and 7 days for Air India.

What does each way of travelling cost?

A small pet in the cabin costs Rs 7,500 a flight on Akasa, and the same plus taxes on Air India; the railway charges a luggage rate on a fixed weight; and leaving India adds Rs 500 for the AQCS certificate.

How far ahead do you need to plan?

Months for the UK, a week to leave or enter India, and hours to days for a flight or a train within India.

1. About 4 months ahead, for the UK

   The rabies blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after the vaccine, and the pet then waits 3 months from that sample before it travels, at least about 4 months in all, by Petym's count. 36GOV.UK

2. 7 working days ahead, coming into India

   Apply on ATITHI 2.0 for the Advance NOC, which AQCS issues within 1 working day. The SOP says "minimum 07 days" in one place and 7 working days in its flow chart, so allow the longer. 8AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

3. 7 days ahead, leaving India

   Confirm an appointment with your AQCS officer by email or phone before you visit. The export certificate is then valid for 10 days. 2AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

4. Within 7 days of an Air India flight

   Get the health and rabies certificates: they must be issued within 7 days before departure. 3Air India

5. Within 72 hours of an Akasa flight

   Get the health certificate from a registered vet. 4Akasa Air

6. 48 hours before an Air India flight

   The last point at which to book a pet in the cabin. 3Air India

7. 48 hours before a SpiceJet flight

   The oldest the vet's health certificate may be at departure. 5SpiceJet

8. 24 to 48 hours before a train

   Get the vet's fitness certificate, to show with the vaccination card when you book the dog. 1Southern Railway

9. 24 hours before an Akasa flight

   The last point at which to book your pet; Akasa makes it mandatory. 4Akasa Air

10. After the train's first chart

    Book your dog or cat online on IRCTC. The window closes when the final chart is prepared. 6IRCTC

11. 3 hours before departure

    Bring the dog to the station's luggage or parcel office for a dog-box booking, or report at the airport for an Air India flight. 1Southern Railway

When is it too hot to travel with a pet?

India's heat-wave season runs from March to June and peaks in May. Flat-faced breeds are most at risk: IATA advises against moving them in the hot season, and Air India's and Akasa's pet pages keep them out of the hold.

• 40 °C

  Plains: IMD counts a heat wave once the day's highest temperature reaches at least 40 °C 10India Meteorological Department

• 37 °C

  Coast: a heat wave at 37 °C or more, when that is also at least 4.5 °C above normal 10India Meteorological Department

• 30 °C

  Hills: a heat wave from 30 °C 10India Meteorological Department

• 12 noon to 3 pm

  IMD's hours to stay out of the sun. Its advice also says never to leave pets in parked vehicles, and to keep animals in the shade with plenty of water. 10India Meteorological Department

• 18 to 22 °C

  What Akasa says its cargo compartments are kept at, so a pet needs no coat. The RSPCA warns that a hold may not be cooled while the plane is on the ground. 4Akasa Air

Should you sedate your pet for the journey?

No: Air India and Akasa refuse sedated pets, and IATA, the AVMA and Merck all advise against sedating pets to fly. If your pet panics or gets travel sick, talk to your vet well before the trip.

• You may have read

  A sedative will keep my pet calm and make the flight easier.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Air India does not accept sedated pets, and Akasa refuses "dead, unconscious, or sedated pets": it checks each pet before departure, and needs to tell whether it is sleepy or unwell, because a sick pet cannot fly. 4Akasa Air

• You may have read

  A mild sedative is harmless at cruising height.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  IATA's container rules say most common tranquillisers lower blood pressure, as altitude also does, a plane in flight is pressurised to about 8,000 ft, and that the combination is potentially fatal in old, chronically sick or stressed animals. 13IATA

• You may have read

  Vets usually prescribe something to knock a pet out for travel.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  IATA and its airlines have long discouraged sedatives for pets in the hold or the cabin. The AVMA says sedation is not recommended in most cases, though it may help some animals, a matter to discuss with your vet well in advance, and Merck says many vets do not recommend it in case of a bad reaction such as collapse or difficulty breathing. Any medicine is your vet's decision. 15AVMA

What if your pet falls ill on the way?

Call a vet first. No railway or airline page we found offers a vet on board, so the plan is yours to make before you leave.

Should your pet come along, or stay behind?

Some pets should not travel at all, and two UK animal charities advise against flying a pet for a holiday. A boarding stay or a sitter at home keeps it out of the journey.

• If it is fit to travel

  Take it along

  Mind the limits: IATA says puppies and kittens under eight weeks must not be flown and dogs and cats should fly only in the first two thirds of pregnancy; International Cat Care advises against travel for pregnant cats and kittens under three months; Air India does not accept pregnant pets; and India's 1978 transport rules bar a dog or cat in an advanced stage of pregnancy. 13IATA

• Holidays that need a flight

  Leave it in a boarding stay near home

  PDSA does not recommend taking a pet on a holiday that needs a flight, and Blue Cross does not recommend flying any pet. Dog boarding and cat boarding keep it close to home. 22PDSA

• Your pet stays put

  A sitter at home

  Someone looks after your pet in your own home while you are away, so it skips the journey altogether.

• If it comes along

  A pet-friendly stay on the way

  We found no Indian rule that requires or forbids pets in hotels. Each hotel sets its own policy, so ask before you book.

How do other countries handle pets on the road and rail?

The UK's Highway Code asks drivers to restrain pets, and Queensland makes driving with an animal in your lap an offence; India's road rules speak only of the driver's view and of cruelty.

Rule 57 is advice, it does not say "must", but the Highway Code may be used in evidence in court proceedings under the Traffic Acts. New South Wales bars carrying a dog on the open back of a moving vehicle unless it is restrained or enclosed so it cannot fall. On trains, Britain's National Rail lets you take up to two dogs or other small domestic animals free unless a train company sets its own conditions; Eurostar takes only guide and assistance dogs to and from London; and Amtrak takes dogs and cats of up to 20 pounds with the carrier, on trips of up to 7 hours on most routes. In the EU, the pet passport for dogs, cats and ferrets is issued only to owners resident there. In India, a dog rides beside you on a train only in a whole First AC or First Class coupe or cabin.