Passengers with Pets

Pet Transportation Rules

The transportation of animals (hereinafter — including birds) is carried out:

• By prior agreement with the airline you are flying with;
• with the permission of countries you plan to arrive at or transit through (in case of an international flight).

Passengers should clarify the information and requirements with the consulate of the destination country.

The availability and conditions of animal transportation, including the possibility of transportation in the cabin, prices and restrictions on types and breeds are determined by the airline. When purchasing a ticket, you must inform the airline or travel agent that you are planning to fly with an animal and wait for the airline’s approval.

Animals can be carried:

• Inside the airplanes cabin, if permitted by the airline rules;
• In an airplane’s baggage compartment, if the type of airplane provides ventilation and heating to the baggage compartment.

When transporting an animal to the veterinary control office at Vnukovo Airport, the following documents are required:

• A Pet Passport to the established standard;
• A Veterinary health certificate (Form No. 1 issued only by state veterinary clinics no earlier than 3 days prior to departure);
• For cats, dogs and ferrets, a mandatory rabies vaccination certificate (the vaccination must have been done no earlier than 30 days and no later than 12 months prior to the departure date).

An animal must be placed in a carrier (cage) when transported by plane. The carry cages must meet the following requirements:

• Large enough so that the animal can stand up fully and turn around 360 degrees;
• have access to air and a strong lock;
• have a waterproof bottom that is covered with an absorbent material;
• be spill-proof, the bottom perimeter must have a skirting board that prevents spillage of any absorbent waste;
• bird cages must be covered with a dense blackout fabric;
• have a place for water and dry food that will remain fixed during the entire flight, from delivery to the departing airport to
• collection at the destination airport.

Animal food must comply with all the standards of the destination or transiting country. Meat and/or products containing meat 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 free baggage allowance, with appropriate training as evident in the certificate. Guide dogs must wear a collar and a muzzle and must be tied to a seat at the owner’s feet.

The transportation of pets across the territory of the Russian Federation

The rules of pet transportation in the Russian Federation are outlined in the order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation dated December 27th, 2016 № 589 — «On the approval of veterinary rules for organizing work on the preparation of veterinary accompanying documents, the procedure for processing veterinary accompanying documents in electronic form and the procedure for processing veterinary accompanying documents in paper form», hereinafter referred to as «the Order».

According to paragraph 16 of the Order, you do not have to obtain veterinary accompanying documents when transporting domestic, service and decorative animals across the territory of the Russian Federation without changing the owner or carrying out business activities, excluding their transportation to exhibitions.

The transportation of Pets Within the EAEU

The transportation of pets within the EAEU (the 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 another party during the entire transportation, must be accompanied by a veterinary Form No. 1 from the Customs Union issued by an authorized body of the EAEU.

APPROVAL from authorized bodies to transport live animals within the customs territory of the Eurasian Customs Union is not required.

Program to Simplify the Certification of Pets 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, by the order of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for Moscow, the Moscow region and the Tula region (hereinafter referred to as the Administration) and the Federal Centre for Animal Health are developing a program to simplify the certification system for pets and streamline the procedure for filling in veterinary accompanying documents in order to reduce the processing time and make this procedure more accessible.

There is also a program in development for preliminary registration of an international veterinary 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 Form No. 1 in a veterinary clinic of the Russian Federation.

Prior to the implementation of this program, an animal owner can independently fill in and print out the veterinary certificate form. A sample of this document is posted on the official website of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision at www.fsvps.ru, found in the «Import. Export. Transit» section, «For owners of companion animals», along with information on how to fill in a veterinary certificate.

You must present this document at the veterinary border control point, where it will be certified with the signature and seal of the Administration state inspector.

Contact the Veterinary Border Control point at Vnukovo International Airport: 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.

Exchange your veterinary health certificate at the Veterinary Control Office for an international veterinary certificate.

Some countries have restrictions or bans on the import of certain types and breeds of animals. Please clarify this information at the consulate of the destination country prior to traveling.

Apply with your animal in advance to a state veterinary service in the area where the animal resides or if they are temporarily housed, a district animal disease control station.

How to register pets during export:

1. 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.
2. The animal’s owner must obtain a veterinary Form No. 1 from 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 Merkuriy electronic system:
   1. The column «special marks» of the veterinary Form No. 1 issued for the export of animals should contain information about the fulfilled veterinary requirements of the importing country;
   2. In the column «points of route», you need to specify the main points of the route including details on your departure, destination and on your return (in the case of returning with the animal/s).
3. When crossing the state border of the Russian Federation, employees of the Rosselkhoznadzor Territorial Administration will exchange your veterinary Form No. 1 for an international veterinary Form No. 5a, free of charge.
4. If you export an animal to the countries of the European Union, you must also obtain a health certificate. Additionally, animals must 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 Russian Federation’s transport restrictions for certain items and substances, other restrictions may apply in accordance with the customs laws and aviation security rules of other countries.

Items permitted to be transported 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.