Pet Transport from Denmark to Portugal

Portugal’s DGAV (Directorate-General of Food and Veterinary) oversees pet imports. For EU travellers, the rules are the same as across the EU: a valid EU Pet Passport with current microchip and rabies vaccination records is all that is needed.

On arrival at Lisbon, Porto, or Faro, DGAV may conduct a documentary check. For compliant intra-EU arrivals, this is a brief passport check. No quarantine. No additional tests.

One specific exception to flag: if you are travelling onwards to the Azores or Madeira, these islands have their own rules and may require additional documentation even for pets travelling from mainland EU. Confirm directly with DGAV or your airline before including island travel in your plans.

TAP Air Portugal is the obvious first choice for this route. They connect from Lisbon and fly to Danish connections, and their cabin pet policy allows small pets in the cabin. TAP Cargo handles larger pets.

Ryanair operates direct flights from Copenhagen to Lisbon and Faro, and they accept small cabin pets on most European routes. For summer Algarve travel this is a popular option – but cabin pet space is limited and fills up months in advance during peak season.

The flight from Copenhagen to Lisbon is around 3 hours 20 minutes. It is a comfortable cabin journey for most cats and small dogs. For medium to large dogs, the cargo hold on this route is a 3-4 hour trip in a pressurised, temperature-controlled environment.

Summer temperatures in Portugal can be extreme. If you are flying cargo in July or August, confirm that your airline does not have temperature embargoes that would affect your flight. Early morning flights avoid the worst of the heat.