Volaris Pet Policy: Everything to Know About Flying With a Dog

Volaris is the ultra low cost carrier that ties together most of Mexico plus the United States, Central America, and South America, so if you live in Mexico with a dog like I do with my rescue pug Puglo and want to travel, sooner or later you will be wondering about the Volaris pet policy.

Volaris lets small dogs and cats fly in the cabin as long as your pet plus its carrier weighs no more than 12 kg (about 26 pounds) and fits in a soft, rigid plastic, or bubble carrier no larger than 44 x 30 x 19 cm (17.5 x 12 x 7.5 inches) placed under the seat in front of you. Larger pets can travel as checked cargo up to 45 kg. You add the pet service when you book, and every flight has a limited number of pet spots, so you reserve early.

Volaris also allowes emotional support animals up to 12kg fly for free, which is how me and Puglo fly.

Below is exactly how the Volaris pet policy works in 2026, what it really costs, and how to skip the mistakes I’ve made.

Does Volaris allow pets in the cabin?

Yes. Volaris allows small dogs and cats to fly in the cabin as a paid service called “mascota a bordo.” Your pet plus carrier must weigh 12 kg (26 pounds) or less and fit inside a carrier no bigger than 44 x 30 x 19 cm that slides under the seat in front of you. Only dogs and cats qualify, one animal per carrier and one pet per passenger.

The carrier can be soft sided, rigid plastic, or a bubble style backpack, and your pet has to be able to stand up and turn around inside it. That 12 kg ceiling is the combined weight of the dog and the bag together, not just the dog.

Volaris pet carrier size and weight limits

For cabin travel, the Volaris carrier maximum is 44 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 19 cm high (17.5 x 12 x 7.5 inches), with a combined pet and carrier weight of 12 kg (26 pounds). For pets flying as checked cargo, the combined weight can go up to 45 kg (100 pounds), and the crate must be rigid, waterproof, well ventilated, wheel free, and no taller than 90 cm.

Volaris pet rule	In cabin	Checked cargo
Max combined weight	12 kg (26 lb)	45 kg (100 lb)
Max carrier size	44 x 30 x 19 cm	Height up to 90 cm
Carrier type	Soft, rigid, or bubble	Rigid, wheel free, escape proof
Animals allowed	Dogs and cats	Dogs and cats
Where it goes	Under the seat in front	Climate controlled hold

A carrier that measures right on paper but bulges when your dog lies down will get flagged at the gate, so I always fly Puglo in a soft carrier that squishes to fit. You can browse our carrier here.

How much does it cost to fly a pet on Volaris?

Volaris charges the pet fee per segment, so a connecting itinerary is billed twice. Volaris does not print one fixed number on its pet page, but based on current bookings and its ancillary fee schedule, expect roughly 1200 MXN (about 70 USD) per segment on domestic Mexico routes.

Because it is billed per leg, a nonstop flight is much cheaper for pet travel than a one stop routing. When I am pricing a trip for Puglo, I will pay a little more for a direct flight if it means one pet fee instead of two. If you are weighing carriers against the aggregate cost of flying, my tips for flying with your dog break down where it makes sense to spend and where to save.

Flying Volaris With an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

Puglo has flown with me as an emotional support animal on Volaris more times than I can count, and inside Mexico it is one of the easiest experiences we have had with any airline. The service is free, and he gets to fly right in the cabin with me instead of down in cargo. At the counter I show three things: my letter from a psychiatrist, his health certificate, and his vaccine records. That is the routine, and once you have your folder ready it moves fast.

A few specifics that matter. Volaris wants the mental health letter from a licensed specialist (psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker), issued within the last year, on letterhead with the professional’s license number, stating that you are under care and need the animal to fly. Your dog or cat also needs a current rabies vaccine and a health certificate dated within five days of your first flight, on letterhead with the vet’s license number.

Size-wise, the animal can be no taller than 10 inches from head to paws, and the combined weight of the pet plus carrier cannot go over 26 lb (about 12 kg). Puglo fits under that, so he can ride with a harness and leash or in a soft carrier, and he is allowed out of the carrier during the flight except at takeoff and landing.

The one thing to know before you book: the free ESA service only runs within Mexico, between Mexico and Central America, and between Mexico and South America. It does not apply on flights to or from the United States. So if you are heading back to the US, the ESA route is off the table, and that is where flying as a service dog comes in.

Flying Volaris to the US: Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD)

Because Volaris does not allow emotional support animals on US routes, but they do accept service dogs, including psychiatric service dogs. The US Department of Transportation stopped recognizing ESAs as service animals on flights years ago, but a trained psychiatric service dog still counts, and Volaris carries service dogs at no extra cost on those routes too.

For US flights the paperwork is a little different. Instead of the Volaris pet form, you complete the US DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, which is the standard document airlines require to fly a service dog into or out of the United States.

The PSD route takes more upfront work than the ESA one, mostly around having a properly trained dog. Give yourself extra time at check-in, keep every document printed in one folder, and tell Volaris you are traveling with a service dog when you book so they flag your reservation.

Checking In at Volaris With a Pet

Checking in at Volaris is always a bit of an adventure. Customer service in Mexico is not quite what we are used to in the US and Canada, so my best advice is to show up with every single document ready to go. When you have your ESA letter, health certificate, vaccine records, and forms all printed and organized, you do not give them a reason to say no.

You have to check-in in person with a pet, and the lines can often be long, so I recommend giving yourself lots of extra time.

All that said, Puglo and I have flown Volaris many, many times without any issues. Once you know what they want and you hand it over without them having to ask, check-in is smooth. Come early, keep everything in one folder, be friendly, and have your paperwork in the order they need it. That is how you avoid the stressful back-and-forth at the counter.

Flying Volaris

Volaris is an ultra low-cost airline, so it is very no-frills. The seats are small, not the most comfortable, and there is no service during the flight (though you can buy snacks and water onboard). It is not a luxury experience, and it is not trying to be. Seating is always a bit of a gamble too. Sometimes we get lucky with an entire row to ourselves, and sometimes we are stuck in the middle seat.

But here is the thing: it gets you from point A to point B, and I love that they welcome emotional support animals in the cabin. That alone makes it worth it for me and Puglo. It is a low-cost airline, so you pay for what you get, and if you go in with the right expectations, it does exactly what you need it to do.

Volaris pet seating rules

This is the rule that surprises people. On Volaris, dogs can travel in any window seat except Premium, Premium Plus, and emergency exit rows. Cats are limited to window seats in the last four rows of the aircraft. If you book an aisle seat or a front row with extra legroom, the system may not let you add a pet, so choose a standard window seat when you add the mascota a bordo service.

Space is capped too. Volaris allows up to 16 pets per flight, 10 dogs and 6 cats, and flights to or from Bogota are capped at 6 pets total. Those spots fill on popular routes and holiday weekends, so add your pet at the moment you buy the ticket rather than waiting.

Volaris breed restrictions

Volaris splits restricted breeds into two groups. Flat faced (brachycephalic) breeds and very small breeds are discouraged from flying because they are more prone to breathing trouble, and Volaris will ask you to sign a liability waiver at the counter to take them on board or as cargo. This list includes pugs like Puglo, boxers, bulldogs, shih tzus, Boston terriers, Pekingese, and shar peis, plus Persian and Himalayan cats. That said, me and Puglo have flown many Volaris flights without any issues.

The second group is banned outright, in the cabin and as cargo. Volaris does not accept pit bulls, Staffordshire and American Staffordshire terriers, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Rottweiler, Doberman, Tosa Inu, Presa Canario, German Shepherd, and several other breeds it classifies as dangerous. If your dog is on that list, Volaris is not an option and you will need a specialized pet transport service.

As a pug parent, I will say this plainly: I fly Puglo only on short, cool, nonstop flights, I never sedate him, and I keep him hydrated. Volaris echoes the AVMA and IATA guidance against sedation, and that advice matters most for flat faced dogs.

Documents you need to fly a pet on Volaris

For domestic flights inside Mexico, you need a vaccination record showing a current rabies shot (first dose applied at least 30 days before travel, or a valid booster if your pet is 15 months or older), proof of deworming within the last six months, and a health certificate issues with 5 days of travel. Fill out the Volaris pet travel form ahead of time to speed up the counter, and arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three for international ones.

Flying a dog back to the US from Mexico (the screwworm rule)

This is the step that catches Puerto Vallarta snowbirds off guard. As of 2026, dogs entering the United States from Mexico must be free of the New World screwworm, and Volaris requires a screwworm freedom inspection certificate from an authorized (MVRA) veterinarian issued within five days before travel, on top of the CDC Dog Import Form. Mexico is treated as a low risk rabies country, so your dog also needs to be at least six months old, microchipped, healthy on arrival, and flying into the airport you declared on the form.

Give yourself a buffer. I book Puglo’s MVRA vet visit a couple of days before we fly so the certificate is comfortably inside the five day window, and I submit the CDC Dog Import Form online in advance and save the confirmation email to my phone. The official requirements live on the CDC bringing an animal into the US page.

Flying a dog into Mexico from the US on Volaris

To bring a dog into Mexico from the United States, Volaris follows the SENASICA rules: you need a GBG inspection certificate signed by a USDA accredited vet and issued within five days of travel, plus the vaccination record. There is no import permit and no fee to bring a healthy dog into Mexico, but the five day window on that certificate is strict. You can read the official requirements on the USDA APHIS pet travel page and confirm the current Volaris rules on the official Volaris pet page.

How to add a pet to your Volaris booking

Add the pet service when you buy your ticket. During seat selection, look for the “Viaja con tu mascota” option and choose cabin (a bordo) or checked (documentada). If you forget, you can add it later in Mis Viajes, through the Volaris app, at the airport counter, or by calling the Volaris call center. One caution: the pet service is not available on flights operated by Frontier, whether direct or on a connection, so check the operating carrier before you book.

Volaris vs other airlines for pet travel

If you fly in and out of Mexico often, it helps to see how Volaris stacks up against the other carriers I use with Puglo. Volaris has the most generous cabin weight limit of the Mexican airlines, which matters for a chunky little dog.

Airline	Cabin weight limit	Carrier max	Notes
Volaris	12 kg (26 lb)	44 x 30 x 19 cm	Window seats only, breed limits, Allows ESA’s
Aeromexico	9 kg (20 lb)	40 x 30 x 20 cm	Allows ESAs
American and United	Carrier must fit under seat	Soft 46 x 28 x 20 cm	US and Mexico routes

For the full breakdown on each, see my Aeromexico pet policy guide, the American Airlines pet policy, and the Air Canada pet policy if you head north.

If you travel with an emotional support animal, my roundup of airlines that allow emotional support animals is the place to start.

Landing in Puerto Vallarta with your dog

Most people flying Volaris with a dog into Mexico are headed somewhere sunny, and Puerto Vallarta is one of the easiest dog cities I know. It is my home base, and Puglo has his favorite beaches and taco spots here. I keep a full rundown in my guide to whether Puerto Vallarta is dog friendly, including the pet welcoming stays.

Volaris Pet Policy FAQ

Volaris pet policy verified against the official Volaris pet page and CDC and USDA APHIS requirements in July 2026. Airline fees and import rules change, so confirm the current details before you book.