Taking your dog on an Indian train: First AC coupe or dog box

Your dog can travel with you only in First AC or First Class, and only when the whole 2-berth coupe or 4-berth cabin is on your PNR; otherwise it goes in the dog box of the brake van, under the guard ¹². Dogs and cats are charged at luggage rates, and since the railway's online pet booking opened you can pay on IRCTC after the first chart is ready ¹²⁶. Carry the vaccination card and a vet fitness certificate taken 24–48 hours before the journey ¹.

With you: First AC or First Class only, with the whole coupe or cabin on your PNR; one dog per PNR¹²
Without a coupe: Dog box in the luggage-cum-brake van, under the guard¹
How to book: Online via IRCTC between first and final chart, or at the parcel office at least 3 hours before departure¹²
Charge: Luggage rate by distance, minimum ₹30 per dog; about ₹151 (dog box) or ₹302 (with you) for 1,000 km on the table seen 4 Oct 2026³⁴
Vet certificate: Fitness certificate from 24–48 hours before the journey, plus the vaccination card¹
Cats: Dogs and cats can share your First AC coupe or cabin; puppies and kittens in a basket can go in any class²

Two ways to take a dog

Option	Where the dog travels	Who can use it	How to book	Charged as
With you in First AC or First Class	Inside your coupe or cabin ¹	Only when the whole 2-berth coupe or 4-berth cabin is allotted to your PNR ¹²	Online on IRCTC after the first chart, or at the parcel office at least 3 hours before departure ¹²	Luggage, as if the dog weighs 60 kg ³
Dog box in the brake van	A dog box in the luggage-cum-brake van, under the Train Manager (guard) ¹	A passenger with a confirmed or reserved ticket on the same train ¹	At the luggage or parcel office at least 3 hours before departure ¹	Luggage, as if the dog weighs 30 kg ³

How to take your dog in a First AC coupe

Book First AC (or First Class) tickets. You can't pick a coupe or cabin when booking; ask the Divisional Railway Manager's or General Manager's office to allot one to your PNR. IRCTC says such requests get due consideration, not a guarantee ².
Get a vet fitness certificate saying the dog has no infectious or contagious disease, 24–48 hours before the journey, and keep it with the vaccination card ¹.
When the first chart is prepared, check that the whole coupe or cabin is on your PNR. Without it, the dog can't travel with you ¹².
Book the dog online: on the IRCTC website open Trains, then Dogs/Cats Booking. It takes you to the railway parcel website, where you log in with your mobile number (OTP) and email, enter the PNR, choose the number of pets, add an ID card number and pay ²⁶.
Online booking works only after the first chart and until the final chart. The luggage ticket comes by email and SMS, and the TTE's device shows your pet on the final chart ².
If you don't book online, take the dog to the parcel office at least 3 hours before departure with your confirmed ticket, photo ID, fitness certificate and vaccination card ¹.

How to book the dog box

You need a confirmed or reserved ticket on the same train and proof of identity ¹.
Take the dog to the luggage office at least 3 hours before departure and pay the luggage charge. Give the guard's foil of the receipt to the guard at the starting station, and show your foil at the destination ¹.
Only one dog goes in a dog box at a time ¹.
You bring drinking water and food (biscuits and the like) for the dog ¹.
Southern Railway describes the dog box as part of the brake van of conventional ICF coaches ¹. Ask the parcel office whether your train has one.

How the charge is worked out

Dogs are charged at luggage rates, which depend on distance ¹⁵. Railway parcel rules charge a dog travelling with you as 60 kg and a dog in the brake van as 30 kg, with a minimum of ₹30 per dog ³.

The table below reads those weights off the Scale-L luggage table on the railway parcel website, as seen on 4 October 2026 ⁴. The parcel office or IRCTC shows the final amount when you pay.

Example charges (Scale-L table, seen 4 Oct 2026)

Distance	Dog box (30 kg)	With you in First AC (60 kg)
491–500 km	₹83.27 ⁴	₹166.54 ⁴
976–1,000 km	₹151.16 ⁴	₹302.31 ⁴
1,476–1,500 km	₹213.65 ⁴	₹427.30 ⁴
1,976–2,000 km	₹259.16 ⁴	₹518.32 ⁴

Cats, puppies and other pets

Dogs and cats travelling with their owners can go in First AC or First Class when the whole 4-berth cabin or 2-berth coupe is on one PNR, and both can be booked online ².
Puppies and kittens small enough for a basket can travel with you in any class after you pay the usual booking charge ². Southern Railway asks for the same fitness certificate and vaccination card for puppies in baskets ¹.
Railway parcel rules say small animals such as cats, rabbits and guinea pigs carried with a passenger need the Station Master's permission and the consent of fellow passengers, and are charged as 20 kg in a cage ³.
Birds other than chickens are booked only with permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden or an officer authorised by the state ³.
Dogs are not allowed in AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier, AC Chair Car, Sleeper or Second Class ¹.

Papers to carry

Confirmed ticket (PNR) and photo ID ¹².
Vet fitness certificate, issued 24–48 hours before the journey ¹.
Vaccination card ¹.
The dog's luggage ticket: emailed if you booked online, or your foil of the receipt if you booked at the counter ¹².

Good to know

If fellow passengers object to the dog in the compartment, it can be moved to the guard's van, with no refund ¹.
The pet charge is not refunded if you cancel the PNR, or even if the train is cancelled or runs late ².
Carrying a dog without booking it is penalised: Southern Railway says six times the Scale-L luggage rate, minimum ₹30 ¹.
The railway's liability for an animal is limited unless you declare a higher value on the forwarding note and pay an extra percentage charge ⁷.
You are responsible for the dog's safety, food and water during the journey ¹.

Plan the vet visit

The certificate window is short: 24–48 hours before the journey ¹. A certificate from earlier in the week may not be accepted, so book the vet visit for the day before you travel.

Not fully clear yet

Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.

The 24–48 hour fitness certificate rule comes from Southern Railway's 2022 public notice ¹. IRCTC's online booking terms don't mention the certificate ². Carry it anyway, and ask the parcel office at your starting station.
Southern Railway says a dog in the brake van must be chained 'with a mouth guard' ¹, while North Western Railway's parcel-rule notes say collar and chain, 'not a mouth cover' ³. Ask the parcel office, and carry a muzzle in case.
The 30 kg and 60 kg charging weights come from North Western Railway's parcel-rule notes ³; we did not find a Railway Board circular stating them. The final amount, including any tax, is what the parcel office or IRCTC shows.
Southern Railway says one dog per PNR ¹; IRCTC's online form lets you choose the number of pets ². Ask before booking more than one.
The penalty for an unbooked dog differs: six times Scale-L, minimum ₹30, per Southern Railway ¹; six times Scale-R for 60 kg, minimum ₹50, per North Western Railway's notes ³.
Many trains now run with newer coaches. Whether their brake vans have a dog box is not stated in the sources we found ¹; ask the parcel office.

Last checked 4 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 4 Oct 2026
Online ticket booking of Dogs/Cats: general terms and conditions and user guide (PDF) · IRCTC · seen 4 Oct 2026
Unit VIII: Parcels (parcel rules notes, booking of dogs and small animals) (PDF) · North Western Railway, Indian Railways · seen 4 Oct 2026
Booking of parcel in luggage scale: Scale-L luggage parcel service rates · Indian Railways parcel website (CRIS) · seen 4 Oct 2026
Parcel rules: business rules for booking of parcels (Scale L for luggage) · Indian Railways parcel website (CRIS) · seen 4 Oct 2026
Login for Dog and Cat Booking On Train · Indian Railways parcel website (CRIS) · seen 4 Oct 2026
Indian Railways Commercial Manual Vol. I, Chapter X: Booking of animals and birds · Railway Board, Ministry of Railways · seen 4 Oct 2026