Travel Resources

Two pilots in the cockpit of a plane are smiling at a Great Dane wearing a red assistance dog vest. Individual countries and airlines determine their own regulations about access for assistance dog teams, and some may only allow access for teams that were trained and certified by an ADI Accredited Member organization. Assistance dogs partnered teams which are not trained by an organization accredited by ADI or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) are currently assessed on a case-by-case basis by the individual airlines. ADI does not make these determinations or have any influence over decisions about access for individual teams. If you have the correct information and conduct your research before you schedule your trip, traveling with your assistance dog does not need to be stressful. The following links are provided as a service to assist with your research and information.

If someone has an assistance dog that has personally or privately trained their dog, they may receive certification from an ADI Accredited Member organization if they become a client of an accredited program. Some ADI Accredited Member organizations will accept a privately trained team for evaluation and possible further training/certification if they meet their requirements. ADI standards require that there is a minimum six-month training period for these teams. ADI or any of our member organizations do not just administer tests to verify or certify any type of assistance dog. Check our Member Search to find an ADI Accredited Member program that will consider working with a personally or privately trained dog in your area.

Make sure to check with the individual airlines and countries to learn of their specific requirements.

Australia

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/cats-dogs/assistance-dogs#how-to-complete-the-documents-for-importing-assistance-dogs

Canada

https://travel.gc.ca/air

People driving from CAN to USA:

-no longer essential travel only

-no longer need to do ArriveCan

-no longer need proof of vaccine

-proof of dog vaccine - dogs cannot be less than 6 months old

-need an RM import and export number (is linked with the organization's business number)

From USA to CAN:

-import permit for puppies under 8 months of age (we submit this on our end using My CFIA accounts)

-once we are approved, we contact the CFIA vet at the border to arrange a visit at the time of crossing the border

-need an RM import and export number (is linked with the organization's business number)

-from the exporting organization, we need a bill of sale (we usually do $250, but also list the puppies as a gift in kind, so the sum is $0), vet health certificate within 48 hours of travel (called the United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals), and the important piece is that you need a certificate number, created by the vet who examines the puppy.

Once we arrive at the border, we go through the commercial lanes and the puppy must remain in the vehicle in their transport item (crate usually); we often suggest two people make this trip so one person can stay with the puppy in the vehicle. The vet will process the Animal Import Inspection Certificate (they will confirm microchip, sex, and the transport is humane). After this we fill out a B3 form with the Border Guards and we are off on our way.

Great Britain and Europe

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/services/guide-dog-services/assistance-dog-travel-guide/travel-by-air#.Wa7JsrpFxPZ

From 1st January 2021, the rules for travelling to Europe or Northern Ireland from Great Britain with an assistance dog have changed. ADEu has compiled a Travel Guide and Flow Chart for information on the new regulations for travelling with an assistance dog.

Please click on the links below to access the information:

Travel Guide

Flow Chart

Traveling by Train - Trainline, Europe's biggest train and coach app representing 270 rail and coach companies to offer our customers travel to thousands of destinations in and across 45 countries in Europe.

For Assistance Dogs users flying with Air France and British Airways, dogs are required to be secured to your seat during the flight.

British Airways requires a car seat/safety style harness or equivalent as well as means to tether/attach the dog to your seat.

https://www.britishairways.com/content/en/it/information/disability-assistance/travelling-with-your-assistance-dog

Air France does not specify the type of equipment to be used , but requires the dog to be tethered/attach to your seat.

https://wwws.airfrance.ca/en/information/passagers/acheter-billet-avion-pmr-autres-handicaps/svan

European Commission

Air passengers rights for persons with disabilities - European Commission's guidelines on regulations - Interpretative guidelines on the application of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air.

In summary, the key points are:

5.4.1. Prior notification of the need for assistance.

Pursuant to Article 7(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006, persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility must, in order to be entitled to receive appropriate assistance, pre-notify their assistance needs and, where relevant, the need to transport their mobility equipment and the need to be accompanied by their recognised assistance dog at least 48 hours before the published time of departure of the flight. In such cases, the managing body of an airport is responsible for ensuring that assistance is provided in such a way that the person in question can take the flight for which they hold a reservation.

5.7. Travelling with a recognised assistance dog.

Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 uses the wording ‘recognised assistance dogs’ to make it clear that such dogs (i) have been selected and trained to meet the individual needs of a person with disability; and (ii) use the abilities and the skills they have learned when assisting their owners in carrying out their daily activities. In order to ensure that such dogs do not pose an aviation safety risk, in addition to being trained for the specific tasks involved in assisting their owners, they are also trained to move safely in public spaces and to be obedient to their owner. In the interest of aviation safety, the air carrier can ask the owner of the dog to produce proof that the dog has received the necessary training.

Assistance dogs include not only the guide dogs of blind or visually impaired persons, but also dogs that assist persons with other types of disabilities. Examples include hearing dogs that assist deaf and hard-of-hearing persons or mobility dogs that assist persons with physical disabilities (e.g. providing them with balance and stability).

There are currently no EU-level rules on training or certification of assistance dogs. This could hamper air carriers’ and airport managing bodies’ assessment of whether a dog qualifies as a recognised assistance dog. It would be advisable for NEBs, industry organisations, organisations of persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility and organisations active in the field of training assistance dogs to agree on a harmonised set of rules for assessing whether a dog has received the training necessary to qualify as a recognised assistance dog.

Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council imposes certain requirements before dogs can travel across Member States, in particular with regard to the required identification systems and proof of vaccination. Industry and relevant stakeholders (notably associations of persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility) should actively raise the awareness of those requirements on the part of the owners of assistance dogs

Accommodation of recognised assistance dogs.

Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 states that, where a recognised assistance dog is required, such a requirement is to be met – provided that this requirement is notified to the air carrier or its agent or the tour operator in accordance with applicable national rules covering the carriage of assistance dogs on board aircraft (where such rules exist).

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 stipulates that ground handling of recognised assistance dogs is a responsibility of airport managing bodies.

It is appropriate to provide a well-maintained dog relief area for assistance dogs

8.1 Carriage of recognised assistance dogs in the cabin.

Subject to national and EU legislation regarding animal movement referred to in point 5.7, recognised assistance dogs are to be allowed to travel in the passenger cabin without additional charge in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 and Annex II thereto.

Recognised assistance dogs will normally sit in the space on the floor in front of the seat of their owner.

If an assistance dog cannot sit on the floor in front of its owner’s seat (for example, because it is too big), the air carrier is to offer a suitable alternative arrangement for the accommodation of the dog without charging additional fees, pursuant to Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 and Annex II thereto.

This can include providing a seat for the assistance dog next to the person with disabilities free of charge.

Please keep in mind that these guidelines are not legally binding on airports and carriers.

Through this document the European Commission wants to provide clarity on how to implement Regulation 1107/2006 in practice.

UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Airline Accessibility Guidance

Last year we asked for your help in completing the CAA’s consultation on Airline Accessibility, with special reference to assistance dogs. The CAA have now published their report.

Of special interest to all assistance dog partnerships, the CAA have given the airline industry guidelines on the recognition of a qualified assistance dog.

Whilst this guidance applies to UK based airlines, the CAA is a highly respected authority and it is hoped that other European aviation authorities and airlines will follow their lead and adopt similar guidelines.

Highlights from the report:

Under the Regulation airlines must accept ‘recognised assistance dogs' in the cabin, subject to national regulations. ‘Where use of a recognised assistance dog is required, this shall be accommodated provided that notification of the same is made… in accordance with applicable national rules covering the carriage of assistance dogs on board aircraft, where such rules exist’

The Regulation does not define a ‘recognised assistance dog’. However, the CAA’s view is that a recognised assistance dog is one that has been trained to assist a disabled person either by carrying out tasks on behalf of the owner or performing functions that address the needs of a disabled person arising out of their disability. This does not include dogs that solely provide emotional support.

This definition accords with the definition of an assistance dog set out in the Equality Act.

Assistance dogs are likely to include the following assistance ‘types’ (note, this is not an exhaustive list):

Autism assistance dogs

Guide dogs

Hearing dogs

Medical alert assistance dogs

Physical disabilities assistance dogs

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder assistance dogs or Psychiatric assistance dogs

Allergy alert dogs

Dementia assistance dogs

It is the CAA’s view that airlines should accept an assistance dog in the cabin on request by a disabled person if it meets at least one of the ‘types’ above and meets minimum training standards for access to aircraft. The CAA’s view is that minimum training standards are deemed to have been met if the assistance dog has:

been trained by an accredited member organisation of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF);

received accreditation from the Assistance Dogs Assessment Association (ADAA);

been trained to the same or higher standard as those set out by the organisations mentioned above, if evidence of training can be provided.

This might include dogs trained by organisations in some countries which legislate accreditation methods and / or assistance dogs are trained by government authorised organisations

Owners travelling with their assistance dogs that meet the criteria above should be required to provide the following documentation to the airline they are travelling with:

Evidence of having met the minimum training standards (likely to be certificates provided by ADI, IGDF and ADAA).

Written declaration from the dog owner/handler confirming the task(s) the assistance dog has been trained to perform to assist them with their disability. In addition, documentation for assistance dogs is recommended.

Having proper documentation can make the process smoother for both the passenger and the airline staff by helping to verify that the dog is needed to assist with tasks to help with the needs of a disabled person. Documentation, such as a valid assistance dog ID card, can help establish this.

If an assistance dog requires an extra seat for safety reasons this should be provided for free. Airlines should also consider an extra seat for animal welfare reasons for free or at a discounted rate. For UK airlines, Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 (Air Operations) provides requirements and guidance on carriage of special categories of passengers and for foreign airlines local safety rules provide requirements and guidance. There is no obligation to provide an extra seat for free for comfort.

The full report can be found here:

Airline Accessibility Guidance

The summary of responses can be found here:

Summary of responses and decision document

We are grateful to the CAA for all the work that went into this consultation and are optimistic that this will improve accessibility for guide and assistance dog partnerships travelling by air.

Reposted from the European Guide Dog Federation Newsletter August 8, 2024.

Finland

Guide for Traveling to Finland with an Assistance Dogs

Japan

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is in charge of helping teams of assistance dog (except guide dog) coming to Japan from overseas.

Below is the link to Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s website.

https://www.hearingdog.or.jp/index.php?f=hp&ci=10289&i=10286

Below is the link that explains the system and the law of service dogs in Japan.

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/care-welfare/welfare-disabilities/assistance_dogs/index.html

TravelPaws Facebook Page for Graduates

ADI member organizations have been invited to let their graduates know about a new Facebook page created for service dog handlers to share experiences with traveling with their assistance dog.

Please click here to learn more.

A woman using a black guide dog in harness is crossing the street in a crosswalk.

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