TAP Air Portugal carries dogs and cats in the cabin and in the hold. Small pets fly in the cabin if the pet and carrier weigh 8 kg (17 lb) or less. Larger pets go in the hold, but on any flight to, from or via the United States the hold limit is 32 kg (70 lb) including the crate, lower than the 45 kg TAP allows on most other routes. On intercontinental flights the cabin fee starts at USD 183 online in low season and the hold fee is about USD 272 to 299, one way. TAP does not carry pets to the United Kingdom at all, and it refuses a long list of flat-faced breeds in the hold.
This guide follows TAP's traveling with pets page as read in October 2026. TAP's fees change by season and by booking channel, so check the exact price in the booking flow or in Manage your Booking.
TAP pet rules at a glance
The table covers the numbers most travelers on US routes need.
| Rule | Cabin | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Animals accepted | Dogs and cats | Dogs and cats |
| Weight limit | 8 kg / 17 lb including carrier | 32 kg / 70 lb on US, Hungary, France, Netherlands flights; 45 kg / 99 lb elsewhere |
| Container | Soft carrier up to 45 x 30 x 23 cm (18 x 12 x 9 in) | Sturdy IATA crate, ventilated on four sides |
| Minimum age | 10 weeks | 12 weeks (10 for Azores, Madeira, Spain) |
| Intercontinental fee, low season | From USD 183 online, 191 by phone, 195 at airport | USD 272 by phone, 275 at airport |
| Intercontinental fee, high season | From USD 206 online, 214 by phone, 218 at airport | USD 295 by phone, 299 at airport |
| Booking deadline | At least 24 hours before the flight | |
| Dogs to the US | 6 months or older, microchip, CDC Dog Import Form receipt | |
How TAP decides cabin or hold
TAP looks at the species, size and weight of the pet, its age, the combined weight of pet and container, the aircraft type, the space available and the entry rules of the destination. Only dogs and cats travel as baggage; every other species goes as cargo. When you book, TAP asks for the species and number of pets, the length, width and height of the carrier, whether it is hard or soft, and the total weight of pets plus carrier. From that it tells you where the pet will travel and what it costs.
Up to five pets can travel on one flight across cabin and hold combined. That cap can be exceeded only for animals going to competitions, exhibitions or sports events, with written proof of registration.
Booking a pet with TAP
The service must be requested at least 24 hours before the flight. How you book depends on where the pet travels:
- Cabin: add it in Manage your Booking once you have a ticket, or book through the TAP Contact Center, a TAP airport desk or a travel agency.
- Hold: book through the TAP Contact Center, a TAP airport desk or a travel agency.
The fee is non-refundable. Online is the cheapest channel for the cabin. Hold pets cannot be booked online.
TAP's rules apply to flights it operates. If your trip includes a connection on another airline, contact TAP to check whether the pet can be carried. TAP does not carry pets on connecting flights within Brazil operated by GOL or Azul.
Flying with a pet in the TAP cabin
The cabin limit is 8 kg (17 lb) for the pet and carrier together. The carrier must be a soft, securely closing bag no larger than 45 x 30 x 23 cm (18 x 12 x 9 in), watertight, and roomy enough for the pet to stand up, change position and lie down. It goes under the seat in front of you. Each passenger can carry one carrier, holding up to two animals of the same species.
Pets must be at least 10 weeks old, clean, healthy and odor-free, and not pregnant. They cannot sit on a seat or move around the cabin, and they must stay fully inside the carrier, head and tail included. Pets are not allowed in the Business cabin on long-haul flights, apart from assistance animals in specific circumstances. If the pet and carrier come in over 8 kg at the airport, TAP moves the pet to the hold.
For a small dog's first flight, our guide to flying with a dog in the cabin covers carrier training and the airport day.
Cabin fees by season and channel
TAP prices the cabin service by route, season and sales channel. In low season, intercontinental flights start at 150 EUR or USD 183 (30,000 miles) online, 157 EUR or USD 191 through the Contact Center and 160 EUR or USD 195 at the airport or a travel agency. In high season the same flights start at 170 EUR or USD 206 online, USD 214 by phone and USD 218 at the airport. Flights within Europe start at USD 86 online in low season and USD 97 in high season, and domestic flights in Portugal start at USD 51.
TAP's high-season dates on its current page are December 11, 2026 to January 4, 2027; March 19 to April 5, 2027; and July 1 to August 31, 2027. Everything else is low season. These are starting prices: the actual amount can vary with how far ahead you book and the specific route.
Flying with a pet in the TAP hold
The weight limit is the detail US travelers most often miss. On flights to, from or with a stopover in the US, Hungary, France or the Netherlands, the pet and crate together can weigh no more than 32 kg (70 lb). On other routes the limit is 45 kg (99 lb). Over the limit, the pet must travel as cargo. A large Labrador or a Shepherd in a size 5 crate can easily exceed 32 kg, so weigh both before you book a US flight.
Each passenger can check up to five crates, subject to the aircraft. Each crate holds one animal, or two adult dogs or cats of similar size up to 14 kg each that are used to each other, or up to three animals aged 6 months or less, up to 14 kg each. Animals must be at least 12 weeks old (10 weeks for the Azores, Madeira and Spain).
TAP says the hold typically runs between 10 C and 19 C (50 F to 62 F). It does not endorse tranquilizers or sedatives, warning that they can lower blood pressure and be fatal. Our guide to sedating a dog for travel explains why most airlines take this view.
Crate rules for the hold
The crate must be sturdy, built for pet transport, with locks and pins on the door and screws and nuts holding the top and bottom halves together. It needs ventilation on all four sides, an absorbent floor lining (blankets, cushions or pads, not straw or newspaper) and no wheels. The pet must be able to stand with its head fully raised without touching the top. Food and water containers must be fixed to the door, reachable from outside, with rounded corners and deep enough to stop spills. No muzzle or leash on the pet or in the crate.
Because pets cannot be fed during stops, pack enough food and water for the whole trip; on long trips TAP suggests adding an external water bottle. See our guide to choosing a pet transport crate for sizing.
Hold fees
For a pet and crate up to 32 kg, the intercontinental hold fee in low season is 227 EUR or USD 272 through the Contact Center, and 230 EUR or USD 275 at the airport or a travel agency. In high season it is USD 295 and USD 299. Within Europe the low-season hold fee is USD 141 to 144, and domestic Portugal is USD 95 to 97.
Long layovers in Lisbon and Porto
If your pet is in the hold and you have a layover of six hours or more in Lisbon or Porto, you cannot check in for all flights at once. You collect the pet during the layover and check it in again for the onward flight. Plan for that time, and for the documents the pet will need to enter Portugal if you leave the airside area. Our guide to connecting flights with a pet covers layover planning.
Banned and restricted breeds
TAP does not accept flat-faced dogs and cats in the hold, because of breathing risks at hold temperatures. The dogs are Affenpinscher, Boston Terrier, Boxer, all Bulldogs, American Bully, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Japanese Chin, Chow Chow, Griffon Bruxellois, Lhasa Apso, all Mastiffs and Cane Corso, Pekingese, all Pugs, Shar Pei, Shih Tzu, Tibetan Spaniel, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and English Toy Spaniel. The cats are Burmese, Exotic, Himalayan, Persian and Scottish Fold. Crossbreeds are included.
TAP will accept these breeds in the hold only with a veterinary certificate stating that the pet has had surgery to improve its breathing and does not show the breed's characteristics, or, for a crossbreed, that it does not show the characteristics of the original breeds. Small examples can still fly in the cabin within the 8 kg limit. Our guide to snub-nosed breeds and flying has more.
Separately, TAP classes the Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler and Tosa Inu as potentially dangerous. From 6 months old they must travel in a CR82 container, a reinforced wooden or metal box.
Route rules: US, UK, Ireland and Brazil
- United States: since August 1, 2024, dogs flying to the US (pets and assistance dogs) must be over 6 months old, microchipped and carry a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Dogs vaccinated outside the US and arriving from high-risk countries can enter only through CDC-approved airports. The CDC dog import page has the rules, and our importing a dog guide explains them.
- United Kingdom: no pets in the cabin or hold on flights to the UK, direct or with stopovers, apart from assistance animals in the cabin. From London Gatwick, TAP does not carry pets as baggage at all.
- Ireland: tell the Irish veterinary authorities at least 24 hours ahead. Dogs with cropped ears need an import permit applied for at least five days before travel.
- Brazil: entry needs an International Veterinary Certificate; the EU pet passport is not valid.
Flying to Portugal from the US
Portugal applies EU rules: a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip, and an EU health certificate, which is valid for 10 days until the arrival checks and then for four months of travel within the EU. The European Commission's pet movement page sets them out. For flights from outside the EU ending in Portugal, TAP says an arrival notification form must be sent no later than 48 hours before arrival. From the US, the health certificate is issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by APHIS; the APHIS pet export page has the current Portugal requirements. Our guide to pet transport to Portugal walks through the whole move.
A sample plan: a 15 kg dog from Boston to Lisbon
Say you are moving to Lisbon with a 15 kg mixed-breed dog. In a mid-size crate the total will likely be around 22 to 25 kg, inside TAP's 32 kg limit for US routes. Confirm the microchip and rabies vaccination, then book your own ticket and call the TAP Contact Center to add the dog to the hold, giving the crate dimensions and total weight. A few days before the flight, your USDA-accredited vet completes the EU health certificate and APHIS endorses it. Send Portugal's arrival notification form no later than 48 hours before landing. At the airport, check the dog in at the desk with its documents and water. Expect USD 272 to 299 one way for the hold depending on season and channel.
If the dog were a 40 kg Mastiff mix, the plan changes: it is over the US-route limit and is also on TAP's restricted breed list, so it would need to travel as cargo with a pet shipper.
Traveling with someone else's pet
The pet's owner must also travel, on TAP or another airline, within five days before or after the pet. At check-in you show proof of the owner's trip, a signed authorization from the owner, a copy of the owner's ID and the pet's identification document in the owner's name.