Overview
Flying with a dog
We only have a little experience when it comes to flying with a dog as this will be our second time, and the first time was only inside the European Union (Hamburg -> Salzburg). When you want to take your dog on vacation with you, there are two ways: in cargo or the cabin as your carry-on item. Which options are possible for you depends on the Airline you choose. We wanted a direct flight to Israel and took Suki with us in the cabin, and we decided on the Israeli Airline El Al. The Airline flies directly from Berlin to Tel Aviv in less than 4 hours. Additionally, it will take 2-3 hours with the train from Hamburg to reach the BER Airport in Berlin. As we booked tickets for the flight at 10 pm and arrived in Berlin around 2 pm, we will have enough time to walk around the city to make our dog tired for the flight.
Guidelines for taking your dog in the cabin
It's not just the requirements from the Israeli Ministry that you have to think about when bringing the dog to Israel. It would be best to consider that each airline might have different requirements and conditions. I am referring in the following paragraph to the specific ones from El Al, as this is the airline we are flying with to Israel.
✔️ the permission of the Israeli Ministry for Agriculture has to be sent max. 48 hours before departure to an El Al sales office
✔️ max. weight of 8 kg (including the transport box)
✔️ a person has to accompany the dog
✔️ up to two pets in one box
✔️ contact an El Al sales office to apply for the transport of the dog
✔️ the pet has to be stored in a carrying box underneath your front seat
✔️ the carrying box is not supposed to be bigger than 41 cm x 38 cm x 19 cm (in Economy Class)
✔️ the pet has to stay in the box during the whole flight
✔️ the pet has to be healthy and must not disturb the other passengers
This information is more general. There are special transport conditions from/ to the USA, Australia, Hong Kong, and other countries. You can inform yourself regarding these extra guidelines here.
Guidelines for bringing dogs to Israel
To bring your dog into Israel, you have to meet some requirements and rules: 1. At least four months old
2. An implanted chip that is compliant with international standards
3. To be vaccinated against rabies
4. An OK test for rabies antibodies (1 month following the vaccination)
5. An import license must be obtained from the Head of the Veterinary Services in Israel
6. An original health certificate signed by a governmental veterinarian from the country of origin (signed up to ten days before the flight)
- identifiable through a chip
- has been vaccinated against rabies within the twelve months preceding departure & at least one month before the arrival in Israel
- has been tested for rabies antibodies at least one month following the vaccination
- has shown a good antibodies count (accredited laboratory)
- is not sick or infectious
You are not allowed to bring a dog into Israel whose breed is considered dangerous.
If you want to learn more about the requirements of bringing pets to Israel, check out the official website of the Israeli ministry and click here.
Documents & costs
Flight ticket (incl. reservation) With El Al, you can't buy a ticket in advance but reserve a place for the dog. Call the El Al hotline or text them on WhatsApp to make the reservation. If you have all the required documents on the day of the flight, they will charge you 95 € per direction for your dog.
Vaccination against rabies Your dog must be vaccinated against rabies and get the shot at least 31 days but not more than 12 months before arrival. The vaccination cost us 98 €.
Antibodies test You have to do an official antibodies test to prove that your dog's blood antibodies are high. The lab the blood is tested has to be part of an internationally recognized. We paid in total 210 € for the blood test and the certificate.
Health certificate from an official governmental vet When you have the certificate, schedule an appointment with the governmental vet for the last health check. You must pay another 24 € and bring it in cash to the meeting. You also have to send all required documents in advance to the vet. Make sure you print out the newest permit version from the Israeli Ministry and bring it to the appointment.
A permit from the Israeli Ministry for Agriculture Send an email to the Ministry (attached photocopy of the health certificate, antibodies test results, notifying the importation of the dog). Make sure to do this at least two days before your flight. If everything is okay, you will receive the permit at your email address. Important: Make sure to find the latest certificate. It is only accessible on the Hebrew website of the Ministry. We downloaded the document from the (German) website of El Al (our airline), which is not the newest version. Luckily we convinced the Ministry to allow still Suki to enter Israel.
So to bring Suki into Israel costs us a total of 522 €. Besides the fact that it is expensive to get a dog into Israel with us, the whole procedure is also stressful for the dog, and we wouldn't do it if it would just be a very short amount of time.