International Pet Transport Costs

I n t e r n a t i o n a l P e t T r a n s p o r t C o s t

Explore average starting cost by country

The pet transport costs below are estimates only and may vary based on your route, airline, kennel size, and other factors. They are provided to give you a general idea of pricing and do not represent an official Starwood quote.

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P a y m e n t O p t i o n s

Flexible pricing options for every pet parent

S e r v i c e T i e r s

What’s included in our pricing options

Economy

A Pet Travel Coordinator to manage your pet's move & communicate with you throughout the process.
Access to Starwood's Pet Travel Knowledge Base, where you will have instant, 24/7 answers to your most pressing pet travel questions.
Access to our Pet Travel Portal, customized for your pet's move, where you can go to easily submit documents & information to us and to see the status of your pet's booking.
Our Operations Team to work directly with the airline to request your pet's flight.
Pick up at your residence or meet & greet at the airport.
Crate labeling, pet comfort break, and all final preparations.
Check-in services at the airport.
Airfare from your pet’s departure location to destination.
Customs clearance & import at the destination airport.

**This does not typically include home delivery but this can be added on. Price is the total for all pets traveling together.

Business

Everything in Economy/Business, plus:

🛡️ A CareTag, adding extra peace of mind as your pet acclimates to their new home and keeping your pet's life organized and accessible. Visit CareTags for more details.
🏷️ An industry-first tracking label with automatic SMS & email updates provided at various transition points along your pet's trip. Powered by CareTags.
🟫 Starwood's Kennel Sizing Kit, ensuring easy measurement of your pet and accurate determination of kennel size. Visit Kennel Sizing for more details.
🖥️ Our Documents Team to liaise directly with your pet's vet clinic to request records & ensure that all documents are correct.
📄 Our Documents Team pre-filling the required health certificate & sending it to your vet for your pet's final vet appointment.
📋 Our Documents Team providing final appointment instructions to your vet.
☎️ Access for your vet to our Vet Hotline where they can quickly get in touch with our Documents Team with any questions or issues at the time of the final appointment.
🏢 Collection from the airport after clearance & import.
🚙 Delivery to your residence.

Premium

Everything in Business, plus:

🏥 Final vet check & health certificate completion at one of our USDA-accredited vet clinics near the export airport.
🏨 Boarding for 1-6 nights while we await USDA endorsement (or return to your residence/hotel if you are near to the export airport).
🔗 Electronic upload of your pet's health certificate to the USDA for their endorsement.
💲 All USDA endorsement fees.
✉️ All FedEx fees for getting the final health certificate back from the USDA.
🖥️ Our Documents Team tracking the status of the endorsement with the USDA.
💊 Administration of final treatments (if required by destination).
👋 One change fee waived, if you need to change the itinerary after we've already requested the flight from the airline.

**The vet services listed here will be done at our partner clinic near the export airport; we cannot use your own vet clinic for the final vet check & health certificate.

Is pet travel safe?

Yes, pet travel is safe with the proper preparation and precautions. Thousands of pets fly every year without issue. You can read more about pet travel safety here.

Should I sedate my pet?

NO. It is not recommended to sedate or tranquilize any pet that is flying on an airplane. This can negatively affect their breathing and respiration when they are up in the air at high altitudes. This can be even more dangerous for pets with pre-existing conditions or snub-nosed (brachycephalic) pets. Starwood will NOT transport any pet that has been sedated or tranquilized. Additionally, if the airline believes that your pet has been sedated, then they can refuse your pet for travel. You can learn more about sedation and air travel in our blog post.

Where do pets travel on the plane?

Starwood only transports pets who are traveling as manifest cargo. This means that they travel on commercial flights underneath the passenger cabin in a space that is temperature controlled, pressurized, and oxygenated. Live animals travel beneath the pilot and the pilot must sign off on a manifest so they are aware of any pets onboard. Your pet’s travel kennel will be held into place by a thin netting that acts like a seatbelt to keep them safe and secure during takeoff and landing. Learn more about where pets travel on a plane.

Will my pet eat or drink?

You should definitely ensure your pet is provided plenty of water prior to and on the day of their big adventure. Our team will also make sure that their water bowls are topped off once we check them in for the flight. Once pets are in the care of the airline after check-in, the airline staff will be sure to top off water as well. However, it is NOT recommended for pets to eat right before takeoff or during the flight. This can cause an upset stomach, which we of course want to avoid. Our team will not provide food for the flight and we do not recommend feeding them less than 4 hours prior to flight departure. If your pet has a layover, they will be provided more water and some food (depending on the length of the layover). Water will also be provided once they have landed as they are clearing through customs. If your pet will be boarding or spending time in quarantine throughout their trip, they will be provided food and water regularly. You can read more about whether you should feed pets who are flying in our blog.

How will my pet go to the bathroom?

If you have a dog that is traveling, our team will provide them with a nice walk and potty break prior to check-in at the airport. Once your pet is checked in, they must remain inside their travel kennel until they arrive at the destination. We do not let cats out of the travel kennel after we pick them up since you know they can be sneaky escape artists. Upon arrival to the destination, dogs will be provided with a walk and potty break before they head home to you. Again, cats will need to remain inside their travel kennels unless there is a safe and secure room to let them out. Litter boxes are not permitted to be inside the travel kennel so please be aware that sometimes your pet may go to the bathroom inside the kennel. As they say, if you gotta go, you gotta go. If your pet has soiled their travel kennel and there is a safe place to let them out of the kennel then we do try our best to clean the kennel when possible prior to delivery. Learn more here.