Pets & Live Animals (For International Cargo)
These instructions are for customers transporting pets unaccompanied.
If traveling on the same flight as your pet, please refer to the link below.
To customers who are checking in their pets when boarding the aircraft
Information for passengers traveling with pets (international flights)JALCARGO will ensure that your precious pet is carried safely.
Temperature
From drop off until loading onto the aircraft, your pet will as far as possible be kept in an air-conditioned indoor or shaded location.
The same applies after unloading from the aircraft and until your pet’s condition is checked and they are handed over to you.
Environment
The condition of your pet will be checked when dropped off , when loaded and unloaded from the cargo compartment, and prior to being returned to you.
Animals are kept safely out of the wind and rain in a special cart prior to loading onto the aircraft.
To prevent movement due to in-flight turbulence, the pet crate will be securely fastened to the floor of the cargo compartment.
(Handling may vary depending on the aircraft used.)
Risks of Transporting Pets and Animals by Air
Conditions inside cargo compartment
No lighting is turned on during flight. Moreover, as the air pressure is maintained at about 0.8 atmospheres (equivalent to an altitude of 2,000 m), animals may experience impaired ear function or other effects due to the pressure changes that occur when ascending and descending.
High noise level
When work is taking place on the ground, the noise of engines and of airport vehicle movements will be audible. Similarly during take-off, landing, and cruising, wind noise and the noise of the aircraft engines and mechanical parts will be audible.
Health effects
Adverse health effects may occur due to stress or changes in air temperature and pressure.
Advice
Keeping hydrated
Please provide your own water dispenser in the pet crate. This will help your pet regulate its body temperature.
- Only water dispensers that are not at risk of causing damage or leaking are accepted.
Minimizing stress
Include a towel or other familiar object in the pet crate. The familiar odor will be reassuring to your pet. Note, however, that staff may decline to allow such objects if they pose a risk such as of the animal getting caught up in them.
Sequence of Steps
When Using International Cargo
As various procedures need to be completed, bookings are usually made through a freight forwarder and advance bookings are required for all legs of the journey.
The required documentation and procedures for quarantine and other requirements will be different depending on the destination country. Customers must contact the quarantine service themselves prior to traveling to determine what is needed.
Typically, the following documents will be required.
- Live Animal Declaration Form (International Cargo) (Declaration made by shipper to JAL Group)
- Export quarantine certificate (issued by quarantine office)
- Vaccination certificate (issued by veterinarian)
Please check the information on the Live Animal Declaration Form, sign it, attach it to the air waybill together with all the other required documentation, and submit to JAL.
Information for customers transporting dogs or cats
The Following Animals Cannot be Transported
- Cynomolgus monkeys, African green monkeys, rhesus monkeys
- Dogs or monkeys used for animal experimentation
- Live animals prohibited from being transported under conventions, laws, and regulations
- Live animals in containers (crates) not suitable for transportation
- Other live animals specified by JAL