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In the cabin
Only small cats and dogs up to 6 kg (13 lbs) including travel bag or kennel can be taken into the cabin. Your pet should be transported in a hard shell kennel no higher than 20 cm or in an animal travel bag of maximum 115 cm (45 inches) (l + w + h). You can put this under the seat in front of you.
If you wish to take your pet with you in the cabin, you should make your reservation by telephone at least 48 hours in advance. Please note that we allow only a limited amount of kennels throughout the cabin.
Please note that as of 1 April 2011 it will no longer be possible to take a pet in a kennel into Business Class on intercontinental flights.
As check-in baggage
Cats and dogs may travel as check-in baggage in a special ventilated part of the aircraft. Snub-nosed animals such as boxers, pugs, bulldogs, Pekinese and Persian cats can have trouble breathing during the flight due to high temperatures and stress. For the sake of their welfare, we do not transport snub-nosed pets as check-in baggage.
If you wish to transport your pet in the hold, you must make your reservation by telephone at least 48 hours in advance. Please note that we can transport only a limited amount of animals as check-in baggage.
The check-in process for pets at the airport may take some time. We therefore recommend arriving at the airport 3 hours before your scheduled departure time.
We are unfortunately unable to transport animals in the hold on KLM Cityhopper flights which are longer than 2 hours. Between November 1 and March 31 each year, pets cannot be carried in the hold of KLM Cityhopper flights because the baggage hold of our Fokker aircraft cannot be heated.
As freight
Your pet should be transported as freight by AIR FRANCE-KLM Cargo if:
- Your pet and kennel weigh more than 75 kg (165 lbs).
- The kennel is larger than 292 cm/115 inches (l + w + h). On some types of aircraft, the kennel must not be larger than 247 cm/97 inches (l + w + h). Contact your travel agent or call us for advise.
- The pet is traveling to Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom.
- Your pet is not traveling on the same flight as you are.
The only way to transport your pet as cargo is to book this service through a specialized cargo agent. You can find a list of cargo agents in the Netherlands at the AIR FRANCE-KLM Cargo website.
Go to AIR FRANCE-KLM Cargo
Contact KLM Telephone Reservations
Travel documents and health certificates
A number of documents are required when transporting your pet. These should be in English.
- Your pet needs a valid health certificate signed by a qualified vet. The certificate should be issued between two and eight days prior to departure.
- Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old on the day of travel. Extra rules often apply to pups up to 12 weeks. As these may vary from country to country, we advise you contact the embassy of the country you are travelling to.
- The animal must be accompanied by a valid certificate stating that it has been inoculated for rabies at least 21 days before departure.
- Are you travelling to a destination outside the European Union? If so, we recommend you check with the local embassy in plenty of time regarding the rules and health certificates required when importing pets.
- Pets travelling within the European Union must have a microchip and an official EU pet passport. This passport should be issued by a qualified vet. It should contain the following details:
- 1Name and address of the owner
- 2A description of the pet, such as color of coat
- 3Type of identification: microchip
- 4The date and brand of the rabies vaccine
- 5Proof of tick treatment
- 6Proof of treatment for echinococcus
- 7Other vaccinations
Special rules apply to service animals which have been trained to assist passengers with disabilities, or rescue teams. You can request more information from KLM Cares.
Costs
If your pet is traveling as check-in baggage and the transfer at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport lasts longer than 2 hours, you will have to pay an additional EUR 150 (or USD/CAD 200) to cover the animal’s care during the transfer.
Checklist
When you check in, one of our employees completes a checklist to determine whether your pet is allowed on the flight. Read this checklist carefully so that you can be sure of whether your pet is allowed to travel with you.
