Brussels Airlines has one requirement that catches people at the counter rather than at booking: a signed form, in duplicate, handed over at check-in. Nala and I have learned that the paperwork you carry matters as much as the paperwork you uploaded. Everything else about the cabin here is ordinary. The form is the part that stops people.

Brussels Airlines's pet policy splits into cabin and cargo. This page summarizes the weight limits, fees, brachycephalic-breed restrictions, and carrier specifications for both modes — sourced from the airline's official pet pages.

How Brussels Airlines handles your pet

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

In the cabin Accepted
In the hold / cargo Accepted
Snub-nosed breedsAccepted

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-18
Snub-nosed breeds banned Noverified 2026-10-18
Snub-nosed breeds list
  • American Bully
  • Affenpinscher
  • Bulldog (all breeds with the exception of the American Bulldog)
  • Pugs (all breeds)
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • American Staffordshire Terrier
  • Boston Terrier
  • Boxer
  • Brussels Griffon
  • Bull Mastiff
  • Bull Terrier (except Miniature Bull Terrier)
  • Chow Chow
  • English Toy Spaniel
  • Japanese Chin
  • Japanese Spaniel
  • King Charles Spaniel
  • Lhaso Apso
  • Pekinese
  • Pit Bull
  • Shar Pei
  • Shih Tzu
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Tibetan Spaniel
  • Cross-breeds of the above-mentioned breeds
verified 2026-10-18
Minimum age15 weeksverified 2026-10-18
Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-18
Max pets per flight4verified 2026-10-18
Max pets per passenger1verified 2026-10-18
Booking methodonlineverified 2026-10-18
Max pets per carrier1verified 2026-10-26
Pregnant animals accepted Noverified 2026-10-18
Carrier size55 × 40 × 23 cmverified 2026-10-18
Max weight (pet + crate)8 kgverified 2026-10-18
Crate must have/besoft-sided ok, absorbent liner, a carrierverified 2026-10-18

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds banned Yesverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds list
  • American Bully
  • Affenpinscher
  • Bulldog (all breeds with the exception of the American Bulldog)
  • Pugs (all breeds)
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • American Staffordshire Terrier
  • Boston Terrier
  • Boxer
  • Brussels Griffon
  • Bull Mastiff
  • Bull Terrier (except Miniature Bull Terrier)
  • Chow Chow
  • English Toy Spaniel
  • Japanese Chin
  • Japanese Spaniel
  • King Charles Spaniel
  • Lhaso Apso
  • Pekinese
  • Pit Bull
  • Shar Pei
  • Shih Tzu
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Tibetan Spaniel
  • Cross-breeds of the above-mentioned breeds
verified 2026-10-18
Hold: Minimum age15 weeksverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Advance booking notice72 hoursverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Max pets per passenger2verified 2026-10-18
Hold: Booking methodphone_onlyverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Pregnant animals accepted Noverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Carrier size125 × 75 × 85 cmverified 2026-10-18
Hold: Crate must have/behard-sided ok, water bowl, ventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, a carrierverified 2026-10-18
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-18

Health & documents

Downloadable forms📄 Pet in cabin booking formverified 2026-10-18
Downloadable forms📄 Airline formverified 2026-10-18

Service & assistance animals

Esa noteBrussels Airlines does not accept emotional support animals. Only dogs individually trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability count as assistance dogs; emotional support, comfort/companionship and therapeutic dogs do not.verified 2026-10-18
Fee waived Yesverified 2026-10-18
Recognized Yesverified 2026-10-18
Cabin allowed Yesverified 2026-10-18
Esa recognized Noverified 2026-10-18
Forms requiredTwo US DOT forms are required as a precondition of transportation on flights to or from the United States.verified 2026-10-18
Advance notice hours48 hoursverified 2026-10-18
Documentation requiredA training certificate from a school accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), Assistance Dogs Europe (ADEu) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). Self-taught and online training portals are not recognised.verified 2026-10-18
Recognized organizations
  • Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
  • Assistance Dogs Europe (ADEu)
  • International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
verified 2026-10-18
The animal must be older than 15 weeks to travel in the cabin. Older than means the threshold is exclusive rather than a rounding point, so a pet at exactly 15 weeks does not qualify. Count forward from the date of birth, confirm the travel date falls beyond 15 weeks, and check it again if the flight is rebooked.
Taking a pet into the cabin as carry-on baggage requires written confirmation that the animal meets the stated requirements, presented as two completed and signed copies at the check-in counter. There is no brachycephalic ban here; the form is the gate. Print both copies and sign them before leaving for the airport, because the counter is where they are checked.
Brussels Airlines is straightforward once the form is in your hand: older than 15 weeks, inside the cabin allowance, two signed copies at check-in. Put printing that form into your plan as a task with a date against it rather than something to remember at the airport, and confirm the current version on the carrier's own page before you print.
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Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.