Flying with a Dog or Cat via Zurich Airport

More and more travellers bring their dog or cat to Switzerland – for a ski holiday, for hiking, for a longer stay or simply because the animal is part of the family. At Zurich Airport a series of questions then begins, all of which can be answered with a little preparation: where do I collect the animal? What does it need for entry? And how does it get from the airport to the hotel?

We regularly drive guests with pets, and the rules are simpler than feared. This article describes entry, pickup, transport in the vehicle and onward travel – with what we experience in practice. For the binding entry regulations we refer to the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO); they change occasionally.

The chapters follow the journey: documents, arrival in the cabin or hold, animal terminal, transfer, vehicle choice, destinations, hotels, return flight and a checklist. If you only want to know whether we take dogs: yes, at no extra charge, in a carrier or with a seat-belt harness – chapter 5.

1. Entry: chip, vaccination, pet passport

For dogs, cats and ferrets from the EU and most European countries three basic requirements apply: a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination administered at least 21 days before entry, and an EU pet passport recording both. For animals from third countries – USA, Canada, Gulf states, Asia – additional requirements apply depending on the country, sometimes a rabies antibody test and an official health certificate.

Puppies under twelve weeks and certain dog breeds are subject to special rules; some cantons keep breed lists. Check the regulations for your origin and your animal on the FSVO website before booking the flight, not just before departure. What is missing cannot be made up at the airport.

For entry from an EU country the check is usually uncomplicated: you declare the animal at customs, show the passport, done. From third countries, animals must be processed at Zurich Airport's animal terminal, where the papers are checked. Allow time for this – and tell us, so the driver waits accordingly.

• Microchip (ISO standard)
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days old
• EU pet passport or official certificate
• From third countries: antibody test and health certificate where required

2. Cabin or hold?

Small dogs and cats up to the airline's weight limit travel in a soft bag in the cabin under the seat in front. Larger dogs travel in the climate-controlled hold in an IATA-compliant crate. The airline decides by weight, crate size and aircraft type; book the pet place early, because the number per flight is limited.

For the arrival in Zurich the difference matters a lot. Cabin animals come with you through passport control and baggage claim and stand with you in the arrivals hall; the transfer runs like any other ride. Hold animals are unloaded separately and handed over either at the oversized-baggage counter or – from third countries – at the animal terminal.

Allow extra time after landing for hold animals: unloading, transport to the handover point, document check. 60 minutes of waiting are included with us; if it takes longer, a short message to the driver is enough. After a long flight the animal is usually restless – a calm driver and a quiet vehicle help more than haste.

3. The animal terminal at Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport operates its own animal station in the cargo area, where animals from third countries are checked by the veterinary authority. It is not in the passenger terminal but in a separate building reachable by car. This is exactly where a private transfer is a real advantage: the driver collects you in the arrivals hall, drives with you to the animal terminal, waits, and then continues to the destination.

With a taxi from the rank this is more cumbersome: you have to explain the trip to the cargo area, the driver is reluctant to wait, and the meter runs. By train it is practically not feasible. Anyone collecting their animal at the animal terminal should therefore book the transfer in advance and note "pickup at animal terminal" in the remarks field.

The animal station's opening hours and the exact procedures for your origin are available from Zurich Airport and the FSVO. In practice the check takes a few minutes with complete papers; with missing documents the animal can be placed in quarantine – another reason to check the papers before the flight.

4. Who collects: driver, you, or both?

The simplest procedure: you land, collect your cabin animal, and the driver waits with a name sign in the hall as on any other ride. For hold animals from the EU you collect the animal at the handover point and then come to the hall. For animals from third countries you drive with the driver to the animal terminal.

We do not collect animals without you – for good reason: the handover requires your papers and your signature, and after a long flight the animal should see a familiar face, not a stranger. What we do: wait, drive, help, carry the crate, keep water ready.

State the animal's species, size and transport route when booking. A Chihuahua in a cabin bag and a St. Bernard in a hold crate are two very different rides – vehicle choice and preparation depend on it. How arrival works in general is shown in Arriving at Zurich Airport: finding your driver.

5. In the vehicle: crate, belt, blanket – at no extra charge

We take dogs and cats at no extra charge. The rule is the same as everywhere in Switzerland: the animal must be secured so that it does not endanger driver and passengers – in a carrier, with a seat-belt harness or behind a partition in the load space. A dog on the lap or loose on the back seat is not permitted and would be dangerous under braking.

Small animals travel in their cabin bag or carrier on the floor in front of the back seat. Medium dogs with harness and belt on the back seat, on a blanket we keep ready. Large dogs in the hold crate in the load space of the V-Class – an IATA crate of the largest standard size fits there next to two suitcases. Bring your dog's belt harness if you have one; otherwise we have one on board.

The vehicle is cleaned after every animal ride; that is included in the price. For wet fur after a winter walk or travel sickness a blanket helps, and the driver is happy to stop for a break – just say so. On longer routes such as to Davos or St. Moritz we plan a stop with a meadow if you wish.

6. Which vehicle class

For a cabin animal and two people with luggage, the Business Class (E-Class) is enough. For a large dog in a hold crate or for two dogs, the Business & Family Class (V-Class) is the right choice: the load space takes the crate, the suitcases fit next to it, and the dog travels in its familiar crate, which calms it.

For families with children and a dog the V-Class is used anyway – child seats, pushchair, suitcases and dog crate need room, and the facing seats allow someone to sit with the dog. What fits in which class, counting luggage, is in How many suitcases really fit?.

State the animal in the remarks field when booking: species, size, crate yes or no. The driver prepares blanket, belt and load space, and there is no surprise at the vehicle. All classes on the vehicles page.

7. Destinations with a dog: mountains, lakes, cities

Switzerland is a dog-friendly travel destination. Hiking trails are open to dogs, many mountain railways take them – usually on a lead, sometimes muzzled – and most restaurants allow dogs on the terrace. In the mountains: keep the lead on alpine pastures with cattle, respect livestock guardian dogs, carry water in summer.

For ski holidays with a dog, Davos, Engelberg and the Bernese Oberland are popular; for hiking holidays Appenzell and the Engadin; for city breaks with a dog Lucerne and Bern with their lakeside paths. Car-free places like Zermatt and Wengen are perfectly feasible with a dog – the transfer ends at the valley station, and the railway takes dogs.

A practical note: in Zermatt (to Täsch) and Wengen (to Lauterbrunnen) your dog rides the last section by train; a ticket for the dog is required. How these transfers work is in Zermatt: why the transfer ends in Täsch.

8. Hotels and accommodation

Many Swiss hotels accept dogs, often for a fee per night; cats less often. Ask explicitly when booking the hotel and get the confirmation in writing. Holiday flats are usually the more relaxed choice with an animal – own entrance, no breakfast room, garden.

For the drive to the hotel one detail helps: give us the exact address and, if possible, the hotel entrance. The driver stops as close as permitted, carries the crate, and you walk in with the dog on a lead. For hotels in pedestrian zones – in the old towns of Bern or Lucerne, for example – the last stretch is short but on foot.

If you have several accommodations in different places, book the journeys between them at the same time. For addresses outside our fixed routes we confirm the price before booking; the overview of routes is under Routes.

9. Return flight: allow time for the animal

On departure the order is reversed: cabin animals go with you through check-in and security, where the animal is briefly taken out of the bag. Hold animals are handed in at the oversized-baggage counter or – for flights to third countries – as specified by the airline, often well before the normal check-in deadline.

So plan more lead time than without an animal: an extra hour for hold animals is realistic, plus the usual buffer for the drive. How to calculate the pickup time is explained in When to leave for Zurich Airport?. The driver helps with the crate to the counter at the airport.

Before the return flight abroad, the entry regulations of the destination country apply again – for example a tapeworm treatment for the UK, Ireland, Malta and Norway, which must be carried out within a specific window before entry. A vet in Switzerland can record it; plan the appointment.

10. Checklist for travelling with a pet

The following list covers everything in this article. Anyone who goes through it before the flight has only one task at Zurich Airport: collect the animal and get into a vehicle where everything is prepared.

With us you state the animal in the booking's remarks field – species, size, crate, animal terminal yes or no – and choose the vehicle class according to chapter 6. The rest is our job: blanket, belt, waiting time, break on the way, a calm driver.

And if you have a question not answered here: message us on WhatsApp. We have driven dogs and cats for years and know what works. Book a transfer with a pet.

• Entry regulations checked with the FSVO (chip, rabies, passport, antibody test where required)
• Pet place booked with the airline, crate IATA-compliant
• Transfer booked with species, size, crate and animal terminal in the remarks field
• Vehicle class chosen by size (V-Class for hold crates)
• Belt harness, water, blanket, lead in hand luggage
• Hotel confirmed in writing that animals are welcome
• Return flight: extra hour for hold animals, destination-country rules checked