EVA Air does not allow pets in the cabin. Dogs, cats and rabbits travel only as checked baggage in the cargo compartment, and the only animals allowed in the cabin are service dogs for passengers with disabilities. The rule that trips up most US travelers is about aircraft: EVA does not accept pets as checked baggage on its Boeing 787 on long-haul flights, including North America, so whether your dog can fly depends on which plane operates your route. Fees are charged as excess baggage units and changed for travel from September 29, 2026, and EVA bans flat-faced breeds for most of the year.
This guide follows EVA Air's travelling with pets page for North America as read in October 2026. Some older EVA pages and third-party sites still describe small pets in the cabin; the current policy does not allow it.
EVA Air pet rules at a glance
The table summarises the rules for pets checked as baggage.
| Rule | EVA Air |
|---|---|
| Pets in the cabin | No (service dogs only) |
| Animals accepted as checked baggage | Dogs, cats and rabbits |
| Minimum age | 4 months |
| Cages per passenger | Up to 2, one pet per cage |
| Cages per flight | 5, except A321 (none) and B787 (none long-haul, 2 short-haul) |
| Notice | At least 48 hours before departure |
| Check-in | 2 hours before (2.5 hours at London Heathrow) |
| Maximum size and weight | 292 cm total dimensions, 45 kg (100 lb) including cage |
| Fee from Sep 29, 2026 | 2 excess baggage units up to 23 kg, 3 units to 32 kg, 4 units to 45 kg |
| Snub-nosed breeds | Refused Apr 1 to Nov 30 at Northern Hemisphere points; year-round via Southeast Asia |
No pets in the cabin
EVA's policy is plain: pets are not accepted in the cabin. This includes small cats and dogs that other airlines allow under the seat, and it includes emotional support animals, which EVA treats as pets under its checked baggage rules. The one exception is trained service dogs that accompany passengers with disabilities. Those fly in the cabin free of charge, with forms submitted in advance; for US flights this means the US Department of Transportation service animal form and, on flights of eight hours or more, the relief attestation form. EVA's service dog page has the details, and our guide to flying with a service dog explains the US rules.
If your pet is a small cat that you hoped to keep at your feet on a transpacific flight, EVA is not the airline for that. Compare our guides to Korean Air, which allows cabin pets up to 7 kg, and Japan Airlines, which does not.
The aircraft rule: why the 787 matters
EVA normally takes up to five pet cages per flight. Two aircraft types are exceptions. On the Airbus A321, pets are not accepted as checked baggage at all. On the Boeing 787, pets are not accepted as checked baggage on long-haul flights, which EVA spells out as including Europe, North America and Oceania; on short-haul 787 flights the limit is two cages.
EVA flies both the 787 and the 777 across the Pacific, and the aircraft on a given route can change by season or even by day. Before you buy a ticket, check the aircraft type on every flight and ask EVA's Customer Service Center to confirm the pet can be accepted. If the flight is a 787 to or from North America, the pet cannot fly with you on that flight, whatever its size. EVA also says some other routes and aircraft have restrictions on pet numbers, so a call is always worth making.
Who can fly in the hold
EVA accepts dogs, cats and rabbits as checked baggage. Pregnant animals and animals younger than 4 months are refused. Each passenger who occupies a seat can check up to two cages (unaccompanied minors cannot), and each cage holds one pet only. If the country you arrive in or transit through has a stricter limit, that limit applies.
Pets are accepted only on international flights operated by EVA Air and its sister airline UNI Air. If your itinerary includes another airline, contact that airline about its own rules. The hold compartment where pets travel has the same pressure and temperature as the passenger cabin.
How to book
Tell EVA's Customer Service Center about your pet at least 48 hours before departure. Download EVA's Passenger's Declaration for Live Animal form, fill in two copies and hand them in at the airport when you check the pet. Check in at the counter two hours before departure, or 2.5 hours at London Heathrow because of the distance to the pet handling area. You are responsible for the health and vaccination certificates required by every country of departure, transit and arrival, and airport staff can refuse a pet if the arrangements do not meet EVA's standards.
Crate requirements
EVA follows IATA rules. The cage must be rigid plastic with a single door, ventilation on more than one side, an absorbent floor, and a design that stops the pet escaping or getting its claws out. All four sides of the door must be secured with zip ties or reinforced with straps or nets. Remove any wheels. Cages made entirely of welded mesh, wire mesh, wicker, cardboard or collapsible materials, and cages with two doors, are not allowed.
EVA uses the standard IATA sizing: the height must let the pet stand without touching the roof; the length is nose to tail root plus half the height from ground to elbow; and the width is twice the width across the shoulders. Food and water containers must be fixed securely. Our guide on choosing a pet transport crate walks through the measurements.
EVA Air pet fees from September 29, 2026
Pets and cages are charged as excess baggage and do not use your free allowance. EVA changed the structure for travel on or after September 29, 2026. The charge now depends on the total weight of pet and cage:
- Up to 23 kg (50 lb): 2 units of the excess baggage rate.
- Over 23 kg up to 32 kg (70 lb): 3 units.
- Over 32 kg up to 45 kg (100 lb): 4 units.
There is no oversize fee. Cages over 292 cm (115 in) in total dimensions, or over 45 kg (100 lb) with the pet, cannot be checked. In exceptional cases EVA specifically approves, a cage over 45 kg is charged one extra unit for every 10 kg or part of it. Before September 29, 2026, the old rule was 2 units up to 32 kg and 4 units above that.
The value of a unit depends on the route and is set in EVA's excess baggage charge table, so the dollar amount for a US to Taipei flight is different from a Taipei to Bangkok flight. Ask EVA or check the table for your route.
Tickets bought before the change
EVA has transition rules for tickets that straddle the change, running to March 31, 2027:
- Ticket issued and travel on or before September 28, 2026: old weight limits and old charges.
- Ticket issued on or before September 28, 2026, travel from September 29, 2026 to March 31, 2027: old weight limits, new charges.
- Ticket issued on or before September 28, 2026, travel after March 31, 2027: new limits and new charges.
- Ticket issued or reissued on or after September 29, 2026: new limits and new charges.
Snub-nosed breed embargo
EVA refuses flat-faced dogs and cats, and any mix of them, from April 1 to November 30 at Northern Hemisphere points and from October 1 to March 31 at Southern Hemisphere points. Travel to, via or from Southeast Asia is refused all year. The dogs are Affenpinscher, Boston Terrier, all Boxers, Brussels Griffon, all Bulldogs, Bull Terrier, all Pugs, Chow Chow, Dogue de Bordeaux, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Chin, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, all Mastiffs, Pekingese, Presa Canario, Shar Pei, Shih Tzu and Tibetan Spaniel. The cats are British Shorthair, Burmese, Himalayan, Scottish Fold, Persian (such as the Chinchilla Persian) and Exotic Shorthair.
The Southeast Asia countries are Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The ban covers the whole itinerary: EVA's own example is that Los Angeles to Taipei to Manila cannot carry a flat-faced breed because of the Manila stop. So a French Bulldog moving from the US to Taipei can fly in December, but not in July, and never onward to Bangkok. Because there is no cabin option, a flat-faced pet has no way to fly with EVA during the embargo. Our guide to snub-nosed breeds and flying explains the risk.
Banned dangerous breeds
EVA does not carry these dogs or their crosses at any time of year: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino and Cane Corso.
Destination rules EVA flags
- United States: dogs must meet the CDC import rules in force since August 1, 2024. See the CDC dog import page and our importing a dog guide.
- United Kingdom: pets cannot fly into the UK with EVA, in the cabin or the hold. They can only fly out of the UK as checked baggage. Our guide to pet transport to the UK covers the cargo route in.
- Hong Kong: pets can leave Hong Kong as checked baggage but cannot fly in.
- Australia: no pets on flights to Brisbane, in either the cabin or the hold, though they can fly out of Brisbane.
- China: one dog or one cat per passenger.
- Taiwan: EVA notes that taking an animal into a Taiwanese airport in a way that interferes with health, order or safety can bring a fine of NT 5,000 to 25,000.
Rabbits on EVA
EVA is one of the few long-haul Asian carriers that lists rabbits alongside dogs and cats as checked baggage. The same rules apply: a rigid single-door cage, one rabbit per cage, at least 4 months old, and 48 hours' notice. Rabbits are sensitive to heat and stress, so talk to a vet who sees rabbits before a long flight, and check that your destination allows rabbit imports at all before you book.
A sample plan: a 12 kg dog from Los Angeles to Taipei
Say you are relocating to Taipei with a 12 kg mixed-breed dog. With a mid-size rigid crate, the total will probably be under 23 kg, which is 2 excess baggage units under the new rules. Start with Taiwan's import requirements and the APHIS export checklist, since testing and waiting periods set the earliest travel date. Once you know the date, look at the aircraft on the Los Angeles to Taipei flights you are considering and choose one that is not a 787. Call EVA to add the dog at least 48 hours before departure, though doing it as soon as you book is safer, because each flight takes only five cages. Prepare two copies of the live animal declaration, zip-tie the crate door, attach water and food bowls, and arrive at the counter two hours early. If your dog were a Boston Terrier, you would also need to fly between December 1 and March 31.
Common mistakes
- Booking a transpacific flight on a 787, which cannot carry pets on long-haul routes.
- Expecting to take a small cat in the cabin.
- Booking a flat-faced breed in the summer embargo window.
- Routing a flat-faced pet through a Southeast Asian stop at any time of year.
- Using a wire crate or a crate with two doors.
- Assuming the old 32 kg pricing applies to a ticket issued after September 28, 2026.
Flying a pet from the US to Taiwan
Taiwan has its own import requirements for dogs and cats, set by its animal health authority, and pets from the US must meet them before EVA will carry them. The export paperwork from the US runs through a USDA-accredited vet and APHIS endorsement; the APHIS pet export page lists the current Taiwan requirements. Start early, since rabies antibody testing and waiting periods can add months. Then pick a flight on an aircraft that accepts pets, outside the embargo season if you have a flat-faced breed.