Traveling with Pets
The transportation of animals (hereinafter — including birds) is carried out:
- by prior agreement with the airline you are flying with;
- in case of an international flight, with the permission of the countries of arrival or transit (information is clarified at the consulate of the destination country).
The possibility and conditions of carriage of animals (including the possibility of carriage in the aircraft cabin, rates and restrictions on types and breeds of animals) are determined by the airline. When booking or purchasing a ticket, you shall inform the airline or ticket agent that you are planning to fly with an animal and be sure to obtain approval from the airline.
Animals can be carried:
- inside the aircraft cabin, if permitted by the airline rules;
- in an aircraft’s baggage compartment, if the type of aircraft provides ventilation and heating of the baggage compartment.
When carrying an animal to the veterinary control office at Vnukovo Airport, the following documents are required:
- pet passport of the established form;
- health certificate (veterinary certificate) (form No. 1, issued only by state veterinary clinics no earlier than 5 days prior to departure, including (for dogs, cats and domestic ferrets);
- mandatory rabies vaccination certificate (the vaccination shall be made no earlier than 30 days and no later than 12 months prior to departure).
An animal shall be placed in a carrier (cage) when transported by plane. Carriers (cages) shall meet the following requirements:
- sufficient size (allowing the animal to stand up fully and turn around 360 degrees);
- access to air and a strong lock;
- waterproof bottom of the carrier (cage) covered with an absorbent material;
- the bottom perimeter shall have a skirting board that prevents spillage of absorbent material;
- bird cages shall be covered with a dense blackout fabric;
- place inside the cage or carrier for securing containers with water and dry food for the entire duration of the flight (from delivery at the departure airport to receipt at the destination airport).
The food shall comply with all standards of the destination or transiting country. Meat and meat-containing products are not allowed to be transported inside the carrier.
The free baggage allowance does not apply to animals. Guide dogs accompanying passengers with impaired vision/hearing are carried free of charge in excess of the established free baggage allowance, subject to appropriate training, which is evident in the certificate. Guide dogs shall wear a collar and a muzzle and be tied to a seat at the owner’s feet.
Moving Pets within the Territory of the Russian Federation
The movement of pets within the territory of the Russian Federation is performed on the basis of Order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia No. 862 dated 13.12.2022 «On Approval of Veterinary Rules for Organizing Work on Registration of Veterinary Accompanying Documents, the Procedure for Registration of Veterinary Accompanying Documents in Electronic Form and the Procedure for Registration of Veterinary Accompanying Documents on Paper» (hereinafter referred to as the Order).
According to Clause 21 of the Order, registration of veterinary accompanying documents is not required when moving domestic, service, or decorative animals within the territory of the Russian Federation without a change of the owner and not related to business activities, excluding their movement to exhibition events.
Moving Pets within the EAEU
The movement (carriage) of domestic animals within the EAEU (Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic) from the territory of one Party to the territory of the other Party during the entire period of movement (carriage) is accompanied by veterinary certificates form No. 1 of the Customs Union, issued by the authorized bodies of the Parties in veterinary medicine.
When moving (carrying) live animals within the customs territory of the Customs Union, APPROVAL from authorized bodies is not required.
Program to Simplify the Pet Certification System and Unify the Procedure for Filling in the Veterinary Accompanying Documents
Currently there is an increase in the number of pet check-ins (cats and dogs) to third countries at the Veterinary Border Control Point of the Moscow Air Cluster.
In this regard, on behalf of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for Moscow, the Moscow region and the Tula region (hereinafter referred to as the Administration) together with the Federal Center for Animal Health (FSBI All-Russian Research Institute for Animal Health), a program is being developed to simplify the certification system for pets and unification of the procedure for filling in veterinary accompanying documents to reduce barriers and make this procedure more accessible.
There is also a program in development for preliminary registration of an international veterinary certificate form No. 5 and a veterinary certificate for the non-commercial movement of cats and dogs to any EU and international countries during the registration of a veterinary certificate form No. 1 in a veterinary clinic of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
Up-to-date information, as well as Instructions on the procedure for obtaining a veterinary certificate, are posted on the official website of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance at www.fsvps.ru in the section «For citizens» — «Traveling with a pet (import/export)». In this regard, the animal owner can independently fill in and print the veterinary certificate form, including the Eurocertificate online in the Rosselkhoznadzor eCert information system.
Please contact the Veterinary Border Control Point at Vnukovo International Airport by vkargo@inbox.ru
Exporting Animals Abroad
To export an animal abroad, you may need a certificate stating that the animal does not have breeding value (when transporting dogs, a certificate from the Union of Cynological Organizations of Russia or the Russian Cynological Federation).
The veterinary health certificate of the animal can be exchanged to an international veterinary certificate at the Veterinary Control Office.
Some countries have restrictions or bans on the import of certain types of animals. Information can be clarified at the consulate of the destination country.
Procedure for Pet Registration upon Export:
- Apply with your animal in advance to a state veterinary service in the area where the animal resides or if it is temporarily housed, a district animal disease control station.
- The animal’s owner shall obtain a veterinary certificate form No. 1 or a veterinary certificate form No. 1 of the Customs Union at a district animal disease control station 5 days prior to traveling (this veterinary certificate is issued on paper or in electronic form with a 32-character code in the Mercury Electronic System):
- The «special notes» column of the veterinary certificate form No. 1 issued for the export of animals shall contain information about the fulfilled veterinary requirements of the importing country;
- In the «points of route» column, you need to specify the main points of the route: point of departure — point of destination — point of return (in the case of returning animals).
- When crossing the state border of the Russian Federation, employees of the Rosselkhoznadzor Territorial Administration shall exchange your veterinary certificate form No. 1 for an international veterinary certificate form No. 5a free of charge.
- If you export an animal to the countries of the European Union, you shall also obtain a health certificate. Additionally, animals shall be microchipped with the number and date of microchipping indicated in the veterinary accompanying documents.
Legislation of Other Countries
Please note that when traveling abroad, in addition to the transport restrictions for certain items and substances imposed by the legislation of the Russian Federation, other restrictions may apply in accordance with the customs laws and aviation security rules of other countries.
Items permitted for carriage in Russia, but prohibited in other countries, may be seized at destination airports when entering the country or during transfer (transit).
Aviation security services of Russian airports, as well as customs authorities of the Russian Federation do not check the baggage or carry-on baggage of departing passengers for compliance with the laws of other countries.