How I Flew My Dog to Europe & Japan In Cabin! ✈️🐩
🧳 “How ah?” / “Can really bring dog on plane meh?”
are the kind of questions I often get.
Hi! I’m a Singaporean dog mama who brought my dog on an 8-month overseas adventure.
When I first started planning long-term travel with Duffy (A teacup poodle in Singapore) back in 2019, there was barely any real info from fellow pet owners.
Since then, Duffy has flown in cabin from Singapore to Japan and across Europe. We’ve travelled abroad for months at a time and we handled everything ourselves: paperwork, airlines, requirements. No agent. No quarantine.
If you’re wondering what it’s really like to travel internationally with a dog from Singapore, this post shares exactly how we did it.
2. Where we went
・33 of 47 prefectures of Japan 🇯🇵
・Switzerland 🇨🇭
・Italy 🇮🇹
・Austria 🇦🇹
・Germany 🇩🇪
・Liechtenstein 🇱🇮
3. Airlines we used + Tips
We flew Swiss Air to Europe and Korean Air to Japan. Both allow in-cabin dogs under certain size and carrier limits.
🎒 Tip: Always confirm pet policies directly with the airline before booking, they can change!
4. ‼️FAQ‼️
“Do you need to quarantine?” → No!
Singapore allows pets to re-enter without quarantine if you’re returning from Schedule 1 or 2 countries (low rabies risk) and you’ve met all the documentation and timing requirements.
This means yes- your dog can go on holiday with you, and come back home with no quarantine, as long as you plan properly.
5. Tips for others who want to try this
✈️ Start planning early
📖Look for inspiration from pet travel accounts @duffytheteacup is one 😉
💉 Stay on top of vaccinations, microchip, and parasite treatments.
🧾 Follow AVS guidelines for export/import closely — one mistake can delay everything.
🐾 Prioritise your dog’s temperament and comfort with travel. Not every pup enjoys long flights or busy cities.
I’m sharing all this because I used to search endlessly for stories like this when we first started.
If you’ve ever dreamt of travelling with your dog, I hope our journey shows that yes the dream is possible!
📩 Drop your questions below or save this for future planning, I’ll be sharing more detailed breakdowns soon!
If you’re considering flying your dog internationally, it pays to be thorough with airline pet policies ahead of booking—airlines like EVA Air, ANA, and Air France have varying rules, and not all allow in-cabin pets. For example, while Korean Air and Swiss Air (which I used) allow small dogs in-cabin under strict size and carrier regulations, Zipair’s pet policy is less clear, so always double-check. When planning such long stays abroad, I also learned the importance of preparing your dog for the journey emotionally and physically. Not every dog enjoys long flights or busy airports, so spend time acclimatizing them to their travel carrier prior to departure. I made sure Duffy was up to date on all vaccinations, microchipped, and treated for parasites to meet the Animal & Veterinary Services (AVS) requirements of Singapore and the overseas countries we visited. Additionally, different countries have different quarantine laws, but Singapore allows re-entry without quarantine for pets from approved low rabies-risk countries if you follow documentation and timing guidelines carefully. This made our return much smoother. Traveling with your dog on airlines like ANA or EVA Air might differ from the experience I had with Swiss and Korean Air, so gathering stories from fellow pet parents and trusted pet travel forums can provide valuable insights. Start planning months in advance, and keep an eye on airline updates related to pet travel policies. Overall, with patience and proper preparation, bringing your dog in-cabin on international flights is achievable. My 8 months traveling with Duffy across Japan and Europe proved that love and diligence can turn your dream of exploring the world with your pup into reality.
See more comments