Heads up — LOT just flipped the rules: brachycephalic cats are now banned from the cargo hold, so snub-nosed felines lost that option overnight. Good news for dog crews though: dogs fly in the cabin on LOT. Nala, my blue-merle Aussie, would approve, since she has strong opinions about layovers. If you're planning a LOT trip, the dog paperwork is where the real work hides.

LOT Polish 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 LOT Polish 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 breedsNot accepted

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-07-14
One-way fee120 USDverified 2026-07-20
Advance booking notice12 hoursverified 2026-08-28
Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-08-26
Max pets per passenger1verified 2026-08-11
Carrier size55 × 40 × 20 cmverified 2026-07-14
Max weight (pet + crate)8 kgverified 2026-08-13
Crate must have/beventilated, absorbent liner, live-animal labelverified 2026-07-14

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-06-24
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds banned Yesverified 2026-08-29
Hold: Snub-nosed breeds list
  • American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • Boxer
  • Boston Terrier
  • Bulldog (all breeds)
  • Bull Mastiff
  • Cane Corso
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • Chihuahua
  • Japanese Chin
  • Chow Chow
  • American Cocker-Spaniel
  • Dogue de Bordeaux
  • Belgian Gryphon
  • Brussels Spaniel
  • King Charles Spaniel
  • Lhasa Apso
  • Mastiff (all breeds)
  • Pugs (all breeds)
  • Pekingese
  • Pinscher Monkey
  • Shar Pei
  • Shih Tzu
  • Japanese Spaniel
  • Tibetan Spaniel
verified 2026-08-27
Hold: Advance booking notice12 hoursverified 2026-06-03
Hold: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-08-25
Hold: Crate must have/bewater bowl, ventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, live-animal label, a carrierverified 2026-07-14
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-08-09
Cargo: Snub-nosed breeds banned Yesverified 2026-08-29
Cargo: Advance booking notice12 hoursverified 2026-07-14
Cargo: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-08-25
Cargo: Sedation needs vet approval Yesverified 2026-07-14
Cargo: Crate must have/behard-sided ok, water bowl, ventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, live-animal label, a carrierverified 2026-07-14

Health & documents

Health certificate required Yesverified 2026-07-14
Health certificate validity10 daysverified 2026-08-28
Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-08-28
Quarantine · Required Yesverified 2026-08-28
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-08-18
Health certificate · Issuera licensed veterinarianverified 2026-08-28
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-08-13
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-08-29
Health certificate valid within days · Health certificate valid within days10 daysverified 2026-08-13

Other rules

Assistance animals accepted Yesverified 2026-08-13

Service & assistance animals

Esa notedoes not recognize emotional support animalsverified 2026-07-14
Fee waived Yesverified 2026-08-13
Recognized Yesverified 2026-08-09
Cabin allowed Yesverified 2026-08-28
Esa recognized Noverified 2026-07-14
Advance notice hours48 hoursverified 2026-08-17
Documentation required Yesverified 2026-07-14
A LOT cabin pet spot is not guaranteed with the ticket. Add the animal on lot.com after booking, up to 12 hours before departure, and confirm availability directly. Cabin capacity is limited per flight, so the 12 hour cutoff can arrive before space opens on busy routes. Lock in the dog's cabin place the moment the fare is booked.
LOT bans brachycephalic dogs from the cabin, and the restricted list is long: pugs, Pekingese, chow chow, Japanese chin, Dogue de Bordeaux, cocker spaniel, and Lhasa apso all appear. Check the exact breed against LOT's published list before booking any cabin segment. A snub-nosed dog on that list cannot fly in the LOT cabin, so plan an alternate carrier if needed.

The brachycephalic banned value for LOT Polish Airlines changed from 'None' to 'True'. Verify against the latest official source.

A LOT cabin pet fee on long-haul flights to North America and East Asia runs 100 EUR, equal to 465 PLN, 120 USD, or 150 CAD. Shorter routes are priced differently, so confirm the fare band for the exact destination before booking. Pay this fee per one-way segment and budget it apart from the passenger ticket.
Here's the real LOT challenge: the dog side stacks up microchip, titer test, health certificate, and even quarantine, and those clocks start months out. Sam and I always map the paperwork backward from the flight date so nothing expires early. Feed your route and dates into a Pawgo plan, and the plan-builder will sequence every deadline for you. Grab it before you book and go.
Get YOUR personalized plan for LOT Polish Airlines →

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.

One more question worth answering

What happens if I forget a document?
At the destination airport: at best, an extended inspection while you produce backup; at worst, the pet is held in quarantine or returned to origin at your cost. Bring printed copies.

What changed recently

The rule for a requirement changed from 'None' to 'True'. Plan accordingly.