How traveling with a pet on Viva generally works
Verified from Viva's published pet rules. Confirm the details for your exact trip, they change.
Cats and dogs travel in a carrier of up to 44 x 35 x 21 cm, and the 12 kg cap is pet plus carrier combined, not the pet alone. Weigh them together at home, that's the number the counter sees. The minimum age is 8 weeks.
A dog that doesn't fit the cabin can travel in cargo with a combined cap of 45 kg including the carrier, and a carrier up to 319 linear cm. This is a paid service either way, and we quote the current figure before anything is charged.
Viva allows a maximum of 11 animals per flight across the whole aircraft, split 6 in the cabin and 5 in cargo, and one pet per passenger. When the cap is reached, no amount of arguing at the counter creates a twelfth spot, secure the pet's place before or with the ticket.
Brachycephalic breeds, the flat-faced dogs and cats, are restricted and listed by name in Viva's rules, because of the real breathing risks they face in flight. If your pet is one of these, don't plan around it until you've confirmed with us and Viva, this is a common refusal.
If your itinerary uses Viva's Escala Express self-connect, pets are not permitted on it, full stop, the same way minors can't fly alone on it. A pet trip has to be built on flights that aren't self-connections, which can shape your whole routing.
This is the bright spot. Viva continues to carry emotional support animals, dogs and cats, free of charge, with a medical prescription or signed letter plus vaccination and health certificates, they are not treated as paid pets. That's a real difference from US carriers, which no longer accept ESAs. Service animals also fly free, and Viva states no weight cap for them, so don't let anyone invent one.
Pet travel is a paid service and the figures above change, so we never quote fees here, an agent confirms the current cost before anything is charged. Spots are capped per flight and do sell out, so call before you buy the ticket, not after. Viva's own pet pages at vivaaerobus.com are free to check.
Pet travel on Viva at a glance
Verified figures from the airline's published rules; confirm for your exact trip.
Pet, ESA or service animal, three different doors
The same animal can be admitted through one door and refused at another.
Pet (paid service)
Most trips
- Cabin to 12 kg combined, larger dogs in cargo to 45 kg
- Age 8 weeks up; snub-nosed breeds restricted
- Capped at 11 per flight, spots sell out
- Not allowed on Escala Express connections
ESA or service animal (free)
The bright spot
- ESAs fly free with a prescription plus vaccination and health certificates
- Not treated as paid pets, unlike US carriers
- Service animals free, no stated weight cap
- Bring the paperwork, confirm current rules first
Call before you buy the ticket. Three Viva pet facts regularly ambush people: the 12 kg figure includes the carrier, the 11-spot per-flight cap sells out, and pets can't ride Escala Express at all. Tell us the breed, the weight with carrier and the route, and we'll confirm the whole picture before any money moves.
Frequently asked
Can my dog fly in the cabin with me on Viva?+
How big a dog can travel in cargo?+
Does Viva take emotional support animals?+
Can I bring my pet on a connecting Viva flight?+
When should I book my pet's spot?+
Contact options
Reach Viva directly, or let us handle it.
Contact Viva Aerobus directly
The airline's own official channels, free.
More Viva Aerobus help
Related guides.