Flying with Pets - Complete Guide

TL;DR: The requirements for leaving Israel with a dog or cat are set by the destination country, and the Ministry of Agriculture's service routes you by destination. Each airline decides whether and how it carries pets: El Al up to 9 kg in the cabin, Israir and Arkia up to 8 kg, and easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz do not carry pets. A hold crate meets the IATA requirements. Importing into Israel has fixed Ministry of Agriculture conditions, listed below.

Leaving Israel with a Dog or Cat

The requirements for leaving with a dog or cat depend on the destination country. In the Ministry of Agriculture's "export of dogs and cats" service you choose the destination and get the instructions and application that apply to it. The Veterinary Services import-export unit answers on 03-9688986, Sun-Thu 9:00-10:00 and 13:00-14:00.

Airlines also set their own document conditions. Arkia, for example, requires on its flights a veterinary document issued no more than 10 days before the flight, and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before the flight.

Airlines

Each airline sets its own rules. These are the rules the airlines publish on their websites:

El Al

• In the cabin: dogs, cats and exotic birds up to 9 kg including the carrier, subject to El Al's approval and space. Places are limited.
• In the hold as baggage: over 9 kg and up to 100 kg including the carrier. Over 100 kg, as registered cargo.
• London and Dubai: no cabin carriage, cargo with a bill of lading only.
• Snub-nosed: snub-nosed dogs and cats are not approved in the hold, neither as baggage nor with a bill of lading.
• Airports with no cargo shipment of animals: Bangkok, Amsterdam, Boston, Mumbai, Brussels, Larnaca, Frankfurt, Moscow, Munich, Madrid, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Toronto, Vienna, Budapest, Kyiv and Rome.
• In one crate: up to two adult animals, up to 14 kg each.

Price as baggage: up to 9 kg: $100 to Europe and the Middle East, $150 to North America and the Far East, 50 NIS to Eilat. 9-50 kg: $200 / $250 / 150 NIS. 50-100 kg: $400 / $450 / 200 NIS. The weight includes the animal, the carrier and the food, and payment is made at the airport after weighing.

Approval: the Veterinary Services flight approval is sent to El Al no later than 2 business days before the flight. El Al writes that anyone who sent documents to the Veterinary Services and had no reply within 4 hours can call 03-9792240. El Al customer service for this: 03-9771177 extension 3.

Israir

• Dogs and cats only, up to 8 kg including the carrier, in the cabin only, in a soft carrier no larger than 40x40x21 cm.
• Up to 2 pets per flight in the cabin.
• A pet over 8 kg is not carried, not even in the hold. On flights to New York it is carried in the hold under the procedures.

Contact: bookings 1-700-700-186, WhatsApp 03-7955777.

Arkia

• Dogs and cats only. In the cabin up to 8 kg including the crate or bag.
• Hold: only on flights to the USA, up to 32 kg.
• Snub-nosed dogs are not carried.
• Prior approval from the booking centre for the specific flight is required. Service WhatsApp: 03-6903712.

easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz

All three state on their websites that they do not carry pets, except guide and assistance dogs (on Ryanair only on certain routes). Wizz does not accept emotional support animals either.

Other airlines publish their rules on their own websites, usually on a page called "Pets" or "Travelling with pets".

The Crate (IATA Requirements)

Under IATA's requirements for a dog or cat crate in the hold (Container Requirement 1):

• Size: the animal can stand, sit erect, lie in a natural position and turn about while standing. The crate is at least the animal's length from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, plus half the height from the ground to the elbow. Its height is at least the animal's standing height to the ear tip, plus bedding.
• Material: fiberglass, metal, rigid plastic, welded wire mesh, solid wood or plywood.
• Ventilation: at least 16% of the surface of the four sides.
• Door: one whole end of the crate, which can be the door, is welded wire mesh.
• Water and food: a water container open at the top and fixed inside. A water bottle does not count as an open container. A food container inside the crate, or attached to it.
• Labels: a green "Live Animals" label, and "This Way Up" on at least two opposite sides.
• Snub-nosed breeds: a crate 10% larger is required.

IATA also does not encourage giving animals sedatives for transport, in the cabin or in the hold.

The Dog Service Room at Ben Gurion

In Concourse E, near an accessible restroom area, there is a service room for guide dogs and emotional-support dogs, open 24/7. It has a sink, a rinsing hose, a waste unit, artificial grass and seating.

Entering Israel with a Dog or Cat

If you're returning to Israel from abroad with your pet, or bringing a pet from abroad - you must meet Ministry of Agriculture requirements.

Mandatory Requirements

• Age - over 4 months on the day of arrival in Israel
• Microchip - 134.2 kHz, ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 (Annex A), implanted before the rabies vaccination and the blood test
• Rabies vaccination - at 3 months of age or older, no more than one year and no less than 30 days before arrival. A pet vaccinated more than once does not need the 30 days
• Rabies antibody test - at least 0.5 IU/ml, in a sample taken at least 30 days after vaccination, at a laboratory approved by WOAH or the EU. The test is valid for the animal's life if the vaccination sequence is kept
• Veterinary health certificate - on the Israeli model, signed by a government veterinarian in the country of origin, issued within the 10 days before import

From rabies-free countries (Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Cyprus, Singapore, Japan, the UK and Ireland), for a pet born there and kept there continuously, or that lived there continuously for over a year: over 3 months of age, microchip and health certificate, no antibody test. An unvaccinated dog is vaccinated within 5 days of arrival.

Not allowed: a dog or cat with a docked tail or ears, or a cosmetic tattoo. A tattoo for identification or to mark neutering is allowed.

Import Permit Exemption

You can import up to 2 dogs or up to 2 cats per year without an import permit, provided they:

• Are over 5 months old on arrival in Israel
• Arrive with the owner (aged over 18) on the same flight
• Were in the owner's care for at least 90 days before the flight
• Are not a restricted breed

Collecting Your Pet at Ben Gurion

• As baggage (in the cabin or in the hold): according to El Al, the pet is released in the arrivals hall.
• With a bill of lading: the pet is released at the cargo terminal. A pet imported under an import licence is not released through the passenger terminal.

Ben Gurion has two cargo terminals, Maman and Swissport, and both handle live animals. Maman has a dedicated live-animal area. The airline knows which terminal the flight arrives at.

Useful Contacts

More Information

Ministry of Agriculture Website: Importing Pets | Exporting Pets

Online Application Form: Personal Import Application for Dog or Cat

Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Israel Airports Authority, IATA, El Al, Israir, Arkia, easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Maman, Swissport.