Assistance dogs

When you book a flight, you must send us copies of documents that prove your dog is a trained assistance dog:

A certificate from a school of assistance dogs with a valid registration number. The school must be approved by one of these organizations:

• Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
• International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
• Assistance Dogs Europe (ADEu)
• European Guide Dog Federation (EGDFEF)

If you're a citizen of Latvia or living there – a certificate from the Agricultural Data Center.

If you're a citizen of Germany or living there – special national rules apply. Each federal state has designated authorities that recognize assistance dogs. You can find the list (not complete) of these authorities here.

If you're travelling to the United Kingdom with an assistance dog, please note that there are special rules:

• Your assistance dog’s training certificate must come from a school recognized by either Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF).
• You must contact the UK Animal Reception Center at your arrival airport at least 72 hours before your flight. Here are the contacts:

London Gatwick Airport 
Animal Aircare 
Phone: +44 1293 555580 
Email: office@animalaircare.co.uk  
Website: https://animalaircare.co.uk/

Aberdeen Airport 
ABM 
Phone: +44 1224 725 060 
Mobile: +44 7471 996455 
Email: prmaberdeen@abm.com

• The Animal Reception Center will check if your assistance dog meets the UK government requirements and will give you a pre-approval letter. You must show this letter before boarding the plane. Without it, you cannot fly to the UK with your assistance dog.
• Depending on the country you come from, your dog must have (more information is available here):
  • A pet passport and/or an animal health certificate (AHC)
  • A microchip implanted
  • A valid vaccination against rabies
  • A tapeworm treatment done 1–5 days before arriving in the UK (recorded in the pet passport)
  • Blood tests, if needed
  • A declaration stating the pet is traveling for non-commercial reasons
  • A travel restraining harness
  • When you arrive in the UK, a staff member from the Animal Reception Center will meet you and your assistance dog at the plane and carry out the necessary checks.
  • Before your flight, you must complete the Assistance dog acceptance checklist.

Mandatory documents when travelling within the EU:

If you are travelling within an EU member state, the following documents are required:

• ID-marking microchip
• Pet passport
• Anti-rabies vaccination

Pets may only be accepted for transportation with vaccine protection against rabies. Since the primary vaccination can be administered no earlier than at 12 weeks of age, and it takes 21 more days for immunity to develop, pets may only travel on airBaltic flights starting from 15 weeks of age.

If you are travelling from a non-EU country, additional or different requirements may apply. Please check the destination country’s specific regulations before your journey.

Other things to know:

• Check the entry rules for assistance dogs in the country you're travelling to – some countries don't allow animals, including assistance dogs, to enter or transit through.
• Contact us before your flight if you're unsure which documents you need.
• Book early – space for passengers with assistance dogs in the cabin is limited.
• Emotional support animals are not allowed in the cabin on airBaltic flights. You can fly with an emotional support dog or cat as a pet. For more information, please visit Travelling with pets.

Here's what you need to know if you're flying with an assistance dog:

• Your dog does not need to be in a carrier and there is no weight limit.
• The dog must sit on the floor at your feet and not in the aisle.
• You can't sit in an exit row if you're travelling with an assistance dog.