u/MrBoondoggles

I'm really struggling to work our travel logistics within Europe for myself and my two small dogs, and I'm hoping someone can help with a professional service or individual reference.

I'm planning an extended European trip later this year. Getting to Europe with my dogs is feasible, if expensive, since United allows for a passenger to fly with two pets so long as they buy two tickets and pay the fees. I'll be staying in Lisbon for a couple of months. But I need to transition out of the Schengen zone eventually to not run afoul of the 90/180 day tourist visa rule. Larnaka, Cyprus or Bar, Montenegro seem to be the best options at the moment for this. But finding transit options so far has been very difficult. As far as I can tell, no airline within the EU allows one passenger to fly with two pets in cabin, unless they fit into a single carrier, which my dogs do not. I can't bring myself to put them in the hold as they aren't used to traveling and they are older. There aren't any other options to travel to Larnaka besides flying. Getting to Bar, Montenegro is at least possible by train/ferry but the trip feels way to long for two dogs to be in carriers over the course of several days.

The only other option I can think of is to pay someone to accompany me on the flights. Has anyone used a company or individual service provider in Europe for such a service? I see a few options online that might be able to help, but I haven't found any options that specifically advertises what I'm looking for and I've never used a company for something like this, so I'm a little lost. Likely the trip from Lisbon to either Larnaka or Bar would happen in December or January, with travel back to Lisbon likely in February or March. Dates are still being worked out.

I'm really struggling to work our travel logistics within Europe for myself and my two small dogs, and I'm hoping someone can help with a professional service or individual reference.

Quick background - I'm applying for a Portuguese residency visa, but while that process is ongoing, I'd like to spend some time in Europe. Getting there is feasable, if expensive, since United allows for a passenger to fly with two pets so long as they buy two tickets and pay the fees. I'll already have an apartment in Lisbon since that's part of the visa application requirements, so I'll be staying there for a couple of months.

But I need to transition out of the Schengen zone eventually to not run afoul of the 90/180 day rule. Larnaka, Cyprus or Bar, Montenegro seem to be the best options at the moment for this. But finding transit options so far has been difficult. As far as I can tell, no airline within the EU allows one passenger to fly with two pets in cabin, unless they fit into a single carrier, which my dogs do not. I can't bring myself to put them in the hold as they aren't used to traveling and they are older. There aren't any other options to travel to Larnaka besides flying. Getting to Bar, Montenegro is at least possible by train/ferry but the trip feels way to long for two dogs to be in carriers over the course of several days.

The only other option I can think of is to pay someone to accompany me on the flights. Has anyone used a company or individual service provider in Europe for such a service? I see a few options online that might be able to help, but I haven't found any options that specifically advertises what I'm looking for and I've never used a company for something like this, so I'm a little lost.

TLDR - Trying to understand how EU 2026/31 has changed pet transit for non residents/citizens since May 2026.

Hey all. I have another question about pre visa travel.

Quick background. I’m getting all of my documentation together as a US citizen to apply for the D7 visa. Been planning for close to 2 years. Understand the good, bad, and ugly. Yes I am perhaps crazy but still hopeful.

I had originally planned to apply for the D7 visa later this year but my timeline has been pushed forward because (through no fault of my own), I have to vacate my apartment. My plan was to move between Portugal and non Schengen Zone countries like Montenegro or Cyprus in the meantime since I would be paying for the long term Portugal rental anyway.

My problem is my two dogs. Older research led me to believe that obtaining a pet passport was doable once I was in the EU and would ease travel requirements and negate the need for new expensive and onerous certified health certificates every time I transitioned out of the EU. Now I see the EU has implemented Delegated Regulation EU 2026/131 as of April 22nd and revamped how pet import and the issuance of the pet passport are supposed to be handled. It’s supposed to tighten the rules for both.

Has anyone tried to obtain an EU Pet Passport since May as a non-resident/non-citizen? Ive read a lot of accounts that pet passports have been fairly obtainable in the recent past for non residents, but I’m trying to understand how this new law is actually playing out day to day. Are vets more strict about asking for residency cards? Are border agents asking for more documentation if you enter without residency documents while trying to use an EU Pet Passport issued since May?

Thank you in advance for any information about this new law and its implementation that you can provide.

I recently posted about my hope to travel during my D7 Visa application process (I appreciate the helpful answers regarding the second passport). Part of my travel plans involve visiting Lisbon and getting to know the city better, spending some time on Montenegro, and traveling back to the US (NYC) a couple of times. My plans were to travel with both of my dogs but I'm having second doubts because my previous understanding of obtaining the pet passport was as a resident, not as a temporary tourist.

My current understanding is that (based on delegated regulation EU 2026/131) for people with pets entering the EU as a tourist, EU pet passports shouldn't be technically obtainable as they are meant for residents and citizens of EU countries. However, I've also read accounts, even fairly recent ones, of people visiting Europe as tourists who are obtaining them without residency or citizenship.

If anyone has any personal experience since may with the process, or if you know someone who has recently gotten a pet passport as a non resident or non citizen, how did the process go and how did you make it work? Is it randomly calling and hope someone will not request proof of residency or citizenship, or do most certified vets not actually care?

I'm asking because I would like to travel in/out of the Schengen Zone (primarily between Portugal and Montenegro) with my two small dogs with a couple of trips back to the US and, if I can't obtain a pet passport and instead have to rely on the temporary EU health certificate, the trips back to NYC with both dogs become financially unfeasible due to the cost of obtaining USDA endorsed health certificates for every trip and added days I'd have to spend in a local AirBnB or hotel. The plane travel alone with two dogs is restricting and expensive enough (few airlines allow for two dogs to travel with one person and those that do require the purchase of two seats and two pet tickets), but adding in the cost of obtaining the certificate and the additional multi night stay waiting on the USDA endorsement really escalates the cost.

Obviously if there is a real risk of not obtaining one, I need to really consider if this is the right option for me.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with any recent experiences with the process.

EDIT TO ADD: Upon further research, I think my confusion and concern stems from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. This just went into effect on April 22, 2026, and seems to be the first major overhaul of pet import rules in many years. This seems to be the major difference between what I’m seeing a year ago vs I’m seeing in up to date guidance.

My understanding is that (based on delegated regulation EU 2026/131) for people with pets entering the EU as a tourist, EU pet passports shouldn't be technically obtainable as they are meant for residents and citizens of EU countries, people visiting as tourists. However, I've also read accounts, even fairly recent ones, of people nomading or frequent traveling in Europe who are obtaining them without residency or citizenship.

If anyone has any personal experience since May who has recently gotten a pet passport as a non resident or non citizen, how did the process go and how did you make it work? Is it randomly calling and hope someone will not request proof of residency or citizenship, or do most certified vets not actually care?

I'm asking because I would like to nomad in/out of the Schengen Zone (primarily between Portugal and Montenegro) with my two small dogs with a couple of trips back to the US and, if I can't obtain a pet passport and instead have to rely on the temporary EU health certificate, the trips back to NYC with both dogs become financially unfeasible due to the cost of obtaining USDA endorsed health certificates for every trip and added days I'd have to spend in a local AirBnB or hotel. The plane travel alone with two dogs is restricting and expensive enough (few airlines allow for two dogs to travel with one person and those that do require the purchase of two seats and two pet tickets), but adding in the cost of obtaining the certificate and the additional multi night stay waiting on the USDA endorsement really escalates the cost.

Obviously if there is a real risk of not obtaining one, I need to really consider if this is the right option for me.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with any recent experiences with the process.

EDIT TO ADD: Upon further research, I think my confusion and concern stems from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. This just went into effect on April 22, 2026, and seems to be the first major overhaul of pet import rules in many years. This seems to be the major difference between what I’m seeing a year ago vs I’m seeing in up to date guidance.

Hi all. I'm in the process of finally getting everything ready for a D7 Visa application. I've been researching moving aboard for almost two years now. And I've heavily focused on Portugal for much of that time. I thought that I understood the process perfectly well, and perhaps I did based on older research. But I'm running into an issue that could cost me quite a lot and I really could use anyone's up to date advice from any US citizen who has completed a D visa application within the past year or is the the middle of a D visa application now. It would also be very good to know if anyone recently did or is doing their D application through the VFS office in NYC.

Looking at the America and Friends PT site and their newly updated Visa Application Guide for 2026, they are now saying that it is no longer possible to retain your passport during the visa application process and that VFS Global will no longer accept just the notarized passport in the submitted paperwork. So, based on their guide (and some additional research), it seems like I will have to surrender my passport.

If anyone can confirm whether this is the current policy as they recently experienced it, I would very much appreciate your feedback. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of the month and I planned to spend a month or two in Lisbon on a tourist visa getting to know the city, securing my lease, and making sure I was confident in submitting my D7 application. I had then planned to return to the US for my VFS appointment and to tie up any loose ends if needed, and then fly back to spend time between Montenegro, Portugal, and Serbia on tourist visas while waiting on my D7 approval/denial before returning to the US again.

If I do have to surrender my passport, I need to immediately start the process of trying to secure a second passport and pray that it will actually be issued and I can receive it by the end of the month. Otherwise, my travel plans will need to be scrapped and I'll need to pay for ridiculously expensive temporary housing in or near NYC.

I completely understand this is a problem of my own making due to overconfidence. But if anyone could help verify current VFS policy, I would appreciate it very much.

Hi all. I'm in the process of finally getting everything ready for a D7 Visa application. I've been researching moving aboard for almost two years now. And I've heavily focused on Portugal for much of that time. I thought that I understood the process perfectly well, and perhaps I did based on older research. But I'm running into an very serious issue that could cost me quite a lot and I really could use anyone's up to date advice from any US citizen who has completed a D7 visa application within the past year or is the the middle of a D7 visa application now. It would also be very good to know if anyone recently did or is doing their D7 application through the VFS office in NYC.

Looking at the America and Friends PT site and their newly updated Visa Application Guide for 2026, they are now saying that it is no longer possible to retain your passport during the visa application process and that VFS Global will no longer accept just the notarized passport in the submitted paperwork. So, based on their guide, I will have to surrender my passport.

If anyone can confirm whether this is current policy, I would very much appreciate your feedback. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of the month and I planned to spend a month or two in Lisbon getting to know the city, securing my lease, and making sure I was confident in submitting my D7 application. I had then planned to return to the US for my VFS appointment and to tie up any loose ends if needed, and then to spend time between Montenegro, Portugal, and Serbia while waiting on my D7 approval/denial before returning to the US again.

if I have to surrender my passport, I need to immediately start the process of trying to secure a second passport and pray that it will actually be issued and I can receive it by the end of the month. Otherwise, my travel plans will need to be scrapped and I'll need to pay for ridiculously expensive temporary housing in or near NYC.

I completely understand this is a problem of my own making due to overconfidence. If anyone could help verify current VFS policy, I would appreciate it very much.

EDIT: Thank you everyone so very much for taking the time to reply. This has given me some clarity on what I need to do. I really appreciate it.