Flying with a pet to and from India.

India ↔ Europe and Asia in cabin — but the USA still needs a European hub

Air India's Paws on Board makes India ↔ Europe and India ↔ Asia routes genuinely workable in cabin. The long-haul Americas trip still needs the via-Europe pattern.

Air India's Paws on Board programme allows cabin pets up to 10 kg (combined pet plus carrier weight) on 80+ sectors. Cabin is permitted on domestic Indian flights, India ↔ Europe (excluding the UK — Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Israel etc.), and India ↔ Asia (UAE, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and many more). The carrier sits at your feet in the last economy row. Booking is via Air India customer support at least 48 hours before departure (reduced from 72 hours in 2026).

The exclusions matter. Air India does NOT allow cabin pets on flights to or from the USA, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom — per their own published policy, pets to/from these four countries can only travel as checked baggage or cargo on direct Air India flights, never in cabin. The UK is further restricted to London Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW); there is no pet service at all from Birmingham (BHX). And cabin is barred on flights departing India and arriving in the UAE — though UAE → India in cabin is permitted. There's also a separate Ultra Long Haul cabin ban that rules out cabin on Air India's longest sectors even when the destination is otherwise eligible.

For the USA, Canada or the UK: route via Europe on a single carrier. Lufthansa end-to-end via Frankfurt or Air France end-to-end via Paris is the workable pattern. A single-carrier through-ticket matters because Air India explicitly does not accept pets connecting from other airlines, so any path that puts Air India on the second leg won't work. For the UK, you'll add the Paris-pivot — fly to Frankfurt or Paris first, then Eurotunnel.

Other cabin options out of India: Lufthansa cabin pets to/from FRA on most Indian routes (but specifically excludes Bangalore — BLR is not eligible for Lufthansa cabin). KLM and Air France to AMS/CDG. Etihad direct DEL/BOM/BLR/MAA/CCU/HYD ↔ AUH (Abu Dhabi only — not Dubai). Air Canada direct YYZ ↔ DEL (Air Canada accepts cabin to India in both directions). Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. All require their own paperwork plus India's AQCS NOC.

Air India's 10 kg cabin allowance is more generous than the 8 kg most European carriers offer — useful for slightly larger small dogs and most cats with carrier, on the routes where Air India cabin is actually available.

No pet enters India without an AQCS No Objection Certificate

This is the single biggest piece of paperwork — and it has to be in order before the airline will let you board.

Every dog or cat entering India must have a No Objection Certificate from the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS) at the destination airport. The certificate is issued by the Regional Quarantine Officer based on advance-submitted paperwork: vet health certificate, vaccination records, microchip certificate, passport copy, ticket copy, and two postcard-sized photos of the pet.

Apply roughly 7 days before arrival — the NOC has a limited validity window so applying too early doesn't help. It can be submitted by email, fax, or in-person. Processing takes about 5 working days. The fee is Rs 1,000 per application.

The original NOC has to be physically affixed to the pet's carrier during travel, with a duplicate carried by you. Don't lose either.

An in-country representative is strongly recommended, especially at Delhi airport — there's a logistics step on arrival (taking the pet to the AQCS office at the airport for clinical examination before release) that benefits from someone who's done it before.

Less than 2 years abroad? You need a DGFT licence too

This is the most easily missed rule and the one most likely to derail a relocation.

India allows pets to enter as accompanied passenger baggage — without a separate import licence — only if the owner has been continuously resident outside India for two years or more. This is the "transfer of residence" rule. If you've been abroad less than two years and you're bringing a pet in, you also need an import authorization from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The DGFT licence process is its own thing — applications go to an Inter-Ministerial Committee that meets once a month. Plan for 6–8 weeks minimum. Apply at dgft.gov.in.

Re-import (returning to India after travel): if you've previously exported the pet from India and have the old AQCS export certificate, you can use it as proof of identity and skip the DGFT licence. Find that old certificate before you start.

Pets can only enter India at six airports

All six have AQCS stations. Anywhere else, you'll be turned away.

The approved entry ports for pets are:

• Delhi (DEL) — Indira Gandhi International. The busiest pet-arrival airport; most agents/in-country reps work here.
• Mumbai (BOM) — Chhatrapati Shivaji International. Strong cabin connections to Europe and onward to the US: Lufthansa to FRA, Air France to CDG, KLM to AMS.
• Bengaluru (BLR) — Kempegowda International. Important: Lufthansa specifically EXCLUDES Bangalore from cabin pets — for BLR cabin to/from Europe, use Air France via Paris (CDG) or Etihad via Abu Dhabi.
• Chennai (MAA) — direct cabin options via Lufthansa (FRA) and Etihad (AUH).
• Kolkata (CCU) — direct Lufthansa to/from Frankfurt.
• Hyderabad (HYD) — direct cabin to Europe via Lufthansa (FRA), and to Abu Dhabi via Etihad.

If your final destination is elsewhere in India, you'll arrive at one of these six and continue with a domestic flight (IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara — note IndiGo only does pet cargo, no cabin). Or by road/train.

India is on the CDC high-risk rabies list

This adds paperwork. Plan ahead.

The US Centers for Disease Control classifies India as a high-risk country for rabies. This means the standard CDC Dog Import Form alone is not enough — you also need either:

• A Certification of US-issued Rabies Vaccination form, completed by a USDA-accredited vet before you left the US (only applicable if your pet is returning to the US after a trip to India)
• OR a foreign-vet rabies titer (FAVN) test, with a reservation at a CDC-registered Animal Care Facility on arrival

The FAVN titer needs to be sent to an approved lab, takes weeks for results, and the blood must be drawn 28+ days after the rabies vaccine. Plan at least 3 months ahead.

The cabin route to the USA: there is no direct cabin option — Air India does not transport pets to or from the USA at all, and no other airline offers a direct India ↔ US cabin pet flight. The workable pattern is a single-carrier through-ticket via a European hub: Lufthansa end-to-end via Frankfurt (Lufthansa excludes Bangalore, so route via Paris for BLR), or Air France end-to-end via Paris. A single-carrier ticket matters because Air India explicitly does not accept pets connecting from other airlines, so any path that puts Air India on a second leg won't work. For Seattle travellers, the European hub option continues with an onward US-domestic flight on Alaska or Delta after arrival.

No cabin pet flights to the UK — fly to mainland Europe and cross

The UK government bans cabin pets on commercial flights. The workaround is fly to mainland Europe, then cross by land or sea.

From India, fly cabin to Paris CDG (Air France or Air India both serve this in cabin), Frankfurt (Lufthansa or Air India), Amsterdam (KLM), or Lisbon (TAP). Then take the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (Calais → Folkestone) or a UK-government-approved ferry (DFDS/P&O Calais → Dover, DFDS Amsterdam IJmuiden → Newcastle, Stena Hook of Holland → Harwich, or Brittany Ferries Bilbao/Santander → Portsmouth/Plymouth). You stay with your pet the whole way. Since the second leg is overland and not another flight, the interline restriction on Air India doesn't bite here — pick whichever first-leg airline suits your origin city.

Paperwork needed for the UK: ISO microchip, rabies vaccine ≥21 days old, Animal Health Certificate from an accredited vet in your origin country within 10 days of UK entry, tapeworm treatment for dogs 24–120 hours before arrival.

This mainland-Europe route also works in reverse (UK → India). See the UK pet travel guide for the full Eurotunnel/ferry detail.

The 15-day rule — and how to avoid it

The default is 15 days. The good news: most pet owners with proper paperwork are exempt.

India's default rule is that imported pets are quarantined for 15 days at the entry airport. But there are explicit exemptions:

• Accompanied baggage pets with full paperwork are released on arrival with a Provisional Quarantine Clearance Certificate — no 15-day stay.
• Short visits (shows, therapy, travellers with pets, assistance and security dogs) are explicitly exempt.
• Re-imports with the old AQCS export certificate are exempt.

The 15-day quarantine only kicks in if there's a clinical health concern, if paperwork is incomplete on arrival, or if the import is via cargo without the owner accompanying. This is why the AQCS NOC needs to be perfect before you fly.