Pet Transport in Chicago, IL
We provide international pet transport to and from Chicago, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules. A move to or from another state goes by road with a partner driver or on a domestic flight.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at ORD or MDW
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
Dogs and cats entering Illinois need a vet certificate issued within 30 days of entry.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
Chicago at a glance
How a move from Chicago works- Flights from
- O’Hare or Midway
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of Chicago
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- Midwest
Pet Relocation from Chicago
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) is a major hub for American and United, which gives pets leaving the Chicago area plenty of routing options. The constraint here is weather at both ends of the year. We plan your dates around those windows so nothing is turned away at the counter.
A hub also means connections, and every extra stop is more handling for your pet, so we book nonstop flights where they exist and coordinate the crate, the paperwork, and the timing from your Chicagoland pickup through to arrival.
How a Move from Chicago Works
Our pet relocation services come as separate pieces, so a move can be only the airline booking or everything from your door to the arrival airport.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from O’Hare or Midway, set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of Chicago, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to Chicago
Coming from another state? The Illinois Department of Agriculture’s animal import page, read September 22, 2026, says a dog or cat entering Illinois needs a certificate of veterinary inspection issued within 30 days of entry, and that from January 1, 2027, imports into Illinois will require the electronic certificate. Once you live here, Cook County Animal and Rabies Control’s tag page, read the same day, says a pet vaccinated for rabies in the county is issued a county rabies tag as proof of vaccination, and that a resident who moved from another location can get a replacement tag. A dog arriving from another country also has to meet CDC’s rules for entering the United States, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of O’Hare and Midway
O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Location: About 17 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
Planning ahead helps with check-in timing and crate compliance, especially during peak travel periods.
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Midway can be a practical option for certain domestic routes. If you’re flying MDW, it still helps to allow extra time for screening and check-in.
Airlines that fly pets from Chicago
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
How Our Pet Transport Process Works
Consultation
We begin by discussing your pet’s specific needs and destination.
Customized Plan
We develop a transportation plan and provide a quote.
Pre Travel Preparation
We build a practical timeline with key milestones and route options.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate schedules and handoffs with the partners involved.
Arrival Support
We share arrival day steps and settling guidance after travel.
Our Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We plan air pet shipping through Chicago airports by confirming airline policies, seasonal embargoes, documentation, and check-in procedures.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground pet transportation is arranged for regional moves or when air travel is not suitable, with attention to timing, comfort, and safety.
International Pet Transport
International pet transport from Chicago includes export documentation, import rules, airline coordination, and timeline planning based on destination country requirements.
Door to Door Relocation
Door to door relocation coordinates pickup, transportation, and arrival support, creating a single, organized plan from start to finish.
Types of Pets We Transport
We tailor each relocation to the unique needs of every pet.
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and winter cold limits, and plan the routing through O’Hare (ORD) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptiles and Exotic Pets
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near Chicago
We provide pet transportation services throughout Chicago, including surrounding areas such as Evanston, Naperville, Schaumburg, Oak Park, and Joliet.
In addition, Pet Travel Advisors coordinates pet relocation nationwide across the United States.
We serve the wider area through our Midwest service area, which also covers Detroit and Minneapolis.
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD)
Who actually handles your pet at ORD
AGI runs the cargo warehouse at 517 Express Center Drive, and that is where a pet booked on Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect is dropped off and collected. Drop-off and collection run daily, 4:00am to 10:00pm, weekends included.
American Airlines Cargo is the other option here, through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
Temperature limits and ground handling
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. American transports warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45F and 85F. Below that it requires a letter of acclimation signed and dated by a licensed veterinarian, which covers 20F to 44F, and it will not carry an animal at all below 20F. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Questions about moving a pet to or from Chicago
Request a QuoteFAQ: Pet Transport Services
How does Chicago’s weather shape the travel timeline?
Chicago sees both cold winters and warm summers, so timing matters at both ends of the year. Airlines set temperature limits for animals in cargo in extreme heat and extreme cold, and we plan your Chicago move around the forecast, picking the safest departure window from O’Hare and adjusting routing when the weather does not cooperate.
What kinds of pets do you relocate from Chicago?
We coordinate travel for dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, and select reptiles or exotics from Chicago, whenever airline and destination rules allow. Each species has its own requirements, and snub-nosed breeds and older pets get extra planning around routing and the weather.
What paperwork does a pet need to fly from Chicago?
Pet travel runs on health paperwork, and the timing is strict; a health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet is usually valid only for a short window before travel, and many destinations add their own steps. We map the vet visits and paperwork for your Chicago move so nothing expires at the wrong moment.
What does pet transportation from Chicago cost?
Every Chicago move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.
For real numbers, our pet shipping cost guide covers domestic moves from in-cabin fees to full-service coordination, and our cost calculator itemizes every government fee on international routes.
Do you help with crates and carriers for Chicago pets?
Yes. The crate is one of the most important parts of a safe flight, so we size it to your pet and to the airline’s rules, which set the dimensions, ventilation and labeling a carrier will accept. For Chicago pets we confirm the crate well before travel so there are no surprises at O’Hare, and we start acclimation early so the crate feels familiar by travel day.