Pet travel document checklist for Indian trains and flights (printable)
Every trip needs a current vaccination record and a vet certificate dated for your travel window: 24–48 hours before a train, within 7 days for Air India, within 72 hours for Akasa Air 145. Flying also means the airline's indemnity form and a carrier of the right size 345; the train needs your PNR, photo ID and the dog's luggage ticket 12. Tick these off, then see the full guide for your train or flight for the rules behind each one.
- Any trip
- A current vaccination record (rabies up to date) and a vet certificate dated for your travel window145
- Certificate window
- Train: 24–48 hours before; Air India: within 7 days; Akasa Air: within 72 hours1345
- Flying: indemnity form
- Air India wants 2 copies for a direct flight, 4 for a connecting flight; Akasa wants 1 signed form345
Prints on one A4 sheet, without the notes and sources.
If you're going by train
- Confirmed ticket (PNR) and photo ID 12
- Vet fitness certificate from 24–48 hours before the journey 1
- Vaccination card 1
- The whole First AC coupe (2-berth) or cabin (4-berth) on your PNR 12
- Or, without a coupe: a dog-box booking at the parcel office, at least 3 hours before departure 1
- The dog's luggage ticket: emailed if booked online, or your foil of the receipt if booked at the counter 12
- Dog box only: drinking water and a little food for the dog 1
If you're flying Air India
- Vaccination record or pet passport, with vaccinations up to date 4
- Health and rabies vaccination certificate, signed and stamped by a registered vet, not older than 7 days 34
- Air India's indemnity form: 2 copies for a direct flight, 4 for a connecting flight 34
- Soft carrier, 17 × 10 × 9 inches, that fits under the seat 34
- Originals plus photocopies of every paper, for the check-in counter 34
If you're flying Akasa Air
When to get the fitness certificate
What to ask the vet to write on the certificate
- Your pet's species, breed, sex, age and identification marks 7.
- The date and time of the examination 7.
- That your pet was examined, looks healthy, shows no sign of infectious or contagious disease including rabies, and is fit to travel by train or air 157.
- For Akasa Air, that your pet is fit to fly given its age, health and breed 5.
- The vaccines given and their dates, with the rabies vaccination current 37.
- The vet's name, address and qualifications, with signature, stamp and date 37.
Good to know
- One official certificate format exists — Schedule A of the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978 — though the railway notice and the airlines don't refer to it and set their own windows instead 13567.
- A government vet clinic's certificate can cost from about ₹20 (Maharashtra, 2024) to ₹250 (Madras Veterinary College, undated) 89; Maharashtra's state clinics issue it only the day after the exam, so ask your clinic how long it takes 8.
- For the full rules, weights and charges behind each item, see the detailed guide for your train or flight, linked below.
Get the printable checklist (PDF)
One A4 page with this train and flight checklist, ticks for each item, and the certificate window for each. Leave your Play Store Gmail and mobile number below and the download starts right away.
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Not fully clear yet
Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.
- Akasa Air's own page says to get the certificate 'within 72 hours of travel' in one place, and that the certificate is 'valid 15 days from issue' in another; a certificate dated within 72 hours of your flight meets both 5.
- Schedule A of the Transport of Animals Rules asks the vet to examine the pet within 12 hours of departure, but the railway notice allows 24–48 hours and the airlines allow 72 hours or 7 days; follow your carrier's window and ask if in doubt 1357.
Last checked 5 Oct 2026. Facts checked against the official sources below by Thapki. Written with AI help from the sources below and checked against them line by line; the Thapki team reads and approves each page before it goes live.
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Sources
- Know your Railway: Rules for carrying pet dogs in trains and procedure for booking (notice 426/2022-23, 2 Nov 2022) · Southern Railway, Indian Railways · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Online ticket booking of Dogs/Cats: general terms and conditions and user guide (PDF) · IRCTC · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Pet travel FAQs: guidelines and requirements (read in a browser; the page blocks automated fetches) · Air India · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Travelling with pets: guidelines and policies (Paws on Board) · Air India · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Pets on Akasa: fly with your pets onboard (page and FAQs; content last published 28 Jul 2026) · Akasa Air · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Transport of Animals Rules, 1978: Chapter II, transport of dogs and cats, rules 3–4 (PDF) · Animal Welfare Board of India · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, with Schedule A: proforma for certificate of fitness to travel, dogs and cats (PDF) · Animal Husbandry Department, Chandigarh Administration · seen 5 Oct 2026
- Citizen charter (Marathi), paid services: health certificate for animals (Word file dated 4 Apr 2024; PDF, page 55) · Commissionerate of Animal Husbandry, Maharashtra · seen 5 Oct 2026
- MVC Chennai teaching hospital: hospital fee structure · Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) · seen 5 Oct 2026
From thapki.app/pet-travel/checklist/ · facts last checked 5 Oct 2026. Guides share public information; they are not a substitute for your vet's advice.