I've shipped Koda cargo fourteen times, so I go straight to the hold rules — and Saudia carries pets, but the fine print is where the trip is won or lost. Documents, minimum age, and the fee structure all sit outside the ticket price. For a big dog, that's the real planning surface, and it's worth reading before you fall for a fare.

Saudia'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 Saudia 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

Cabin policy

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-08-28
One-way fee250 USDverified 2026-08-15
Max weight (pet + crate)5 kgverified 2026-08-13
Crate must have/beventilated, a carrierverified 2026-08-15

Hold & cargo policy

Hold: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-08-28
Hold: One-way fee300 USDverified 2026-07-20
Hold: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-07-14
Hold: Booking methodOfficeverified 2026-07-20
Hold: Crate must have/beventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, live-animal labelverified 2026-08-15
Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-08-28
Cargo: One-way fee100 USDverified 2026-07-14
Cargo: Minimum age6 weeksverified 2026-08-28
Cargo: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-08-28
Cargo: Crate must have/beventilated, IATA-compliant, absorbent liner, live-animal label, a carrierverified 2026-08-15

Health & documents

Health certificate required Yesverified 2026-08-14
Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-08-11
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-07-20
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-07-14

Other rules

Assistance animals accepted Noverified 2026-08-28

Service & assistance animals

Fee waived Yesverified 2026-08-13
Recognized Yesverified 2026-08-27
Cabin allowed Noverified 2026-08-28
Max pets per passenger1verified 2026-07-20
Advance notice hours48 hoursverified 2026-08-15
Documentation required Yesverified 2026-07-20
Saudia sets a minimum age of 6 weeks for a dog to travel in the hold. Confirm the dog clears that 6 weeks threshold on the travel date, not the booking date, and keep vaccination records that match the age. A puppy under the limit gets turned away at acceptance, and no cargo booking overrides the minimum-age rule.
Saudia charges around 100 USD to move a pet, separate from the passenger fare, and the hold rate can run higher than the cabin figure. Budget the 100 USD as a distinct line, confirm it against the current routing, and carry a payment method that works at acceptance. The fee is per direction, so a round trip doubles it.
Saudia works for a big dog if you plan the boring parts early — age cleared, documents sequenced, the fee budgeted and confirmed. That's fourteen cargo trips of caution boiled down to a checklist. Let Pawgo turn it into a personalized plan around your dates and Koda-sized dog, so the hold booking rests on facts instead of a hopeful phone call.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Saudia →

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.