Cats travel on trains at the luggage rate, whilst guide dogs travel free of charge: the rules for travelling with animals have been compiled in a single guide

Suziria Group, the MasterZoo chain of pet shops and the NGO ‘Bezbar’iernist’ have published the second part of the guide ‘Pet-Friendly Transport’ — on how to travel with pets. In the guide, the authors explain what you’ll need to pay for, when a lead and muzzle are sufficient and when a pet carrier is required, what documents to take with you when travelling within Ukraine and abroad, how to transport your pet safely by car, and what to include in your first-aid kit.

To find out whether you can take a cat on a tram, whether a dog needs a carrier on the underground, and exactly what a passenger pays for on an intercity bus, you’ll have to consult the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution, your city’s underground regulations and the specific transport operator’s terms and conditions. The second part of this guide brings all these requirements together in a single document and adds something that isn’t covered in the regulations: how to prepare your four-legged friend for a comfortable journey.

The basic requirements are set out in Resolution No. 1402 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 16 November 2011, as amended by Resolution No. 806 in 2025. The rest is scattered: for the underground and electric transport, each city adopts its own rules, whilst the conditions of travel, fares and luggage dimensions are set by the transport operator. Consequently, parents often only find out about the rules when boarding the transport.

The guide is organised by pet type, weight and mode of transport: pet owners will find specific recommendations for cats and for dogs weighing up to 10 kg, 10–20 kg and 20–45 kg. Separate rules apply to dogs weighing over 45 kg, and Ukrzaliznytsia determines a dog’s size not by weight but by height at the withers: if this is over 45 cm, the dog is considered large.

A few rules from the guidebook that are worth knowing before you set off:

1. A cat on a long-distance train is charged for as if it were luggage: at the rate applicable to 20 kg. On commuter trains, it is carried free of charge, provided the carrier fits within the hand luggage allowance.
2. If a dog is travelling in a compartment without a carrier, you must book all the available seats in that compartment. In seated carriages, large dogs may only be carried in the end vestibules of the first and last carriages.
3. On an intercity coach, a pet carried on the seat next to you is charged at the adult passenger rate. For a medium or large dog, you must book all adjacent seats that are not separated by an aisle; dogs weighing over 45 kg may not be allowed on a standard coach at all.
4. The carrier is not entitled to require the animal to be carried separately, to charge an additional fee for an assistance animal, or to refuse to allow its owner to board. Furthermore, assistance dogs travel free of charge on trains of any class.
5. You need to start preparing for a trip to the EU at least four months in advance: a blood test to measure rabies antibody titres must be taken no earlier than 30 days after vaccination, followed by a three-month waiting period.

The full guide is available on the website in the ‘Accessibility Guide’ section, created on the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, and a PDF version can be downloaded via the link. The illustrations were created by the artist Oleksandr Grekhov. The first part — a comprehensive guide for businesses — was launched in August 2026 to mark International Dog Day. It contained solutions for catering establishments, offices and co-working spaces, petrol stations, shopping centres and residential complexes, a separate section on challenging situations, and a universal template for rules governing the presence of pets. 

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