Does LAR apply differently to different species?

Yes — container construction, ventilation, and handling requirements are set per species and size category under LAR, not as one uniform standard across every animal type.

Is a live animal shipment treated as dangerous goods?

No — AVI is its own IATA cargo category, separate from the dangerous goods (DGR) classification system, with its own regulatory manual (LAR) rather than the DGR manual.

How much lead time does an AVI shipment typically need compared to standard cargo?

Meaningfully more — carrier and species acceptance confirmation, permit arrangement, and container preparation all need to happen before booking, not in parallel with a near-term ship date. See our booking lead times guide for the general principle this follows.

Air Freight Fundamentals

Live Animal (AVI) Air Shipping Basics

AVI shipments answer to a welfare-focused regulatory regime — IATA's Live Animals Regulations — layered on top of ordinary import permit and customs requirements.

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LAR

IATA Live Animals Regulations, current edition

CFIA

Canadian import permit authority

IATA container standards

Mandatory crate/container specifications

Carrier-specific acceptance

Not every carrier accepts every species

A welfare-focused regime, not just a handling category

IATA's Live Animals Regulations (LAR) set the international standard for container/crate specifications, ventilation, labelling, documentation, and handling requirements for transporting live animals by air — covering everything from container construction dimensions specific to species and size, to feeding and watering instructions that must accompany the shipment.

Separately from LAR's carriage standards, importing a live animal into Canada requires the applicable CFIA import permit for that specific species, plus any required health certification from the country of origin — a live animal shipment that's LAR-compliant for carriage can still be refused entry if the CFIA import permit and health documentation aren't in order.

Not every carrier accepts every species, and acceptance criteria (container specification, temperature range, routing restrictions) vary meaningfully by carrier and by species — confirming carrier acceptance for the specific species is a distinct, earlier step from booking general cargo space.

CFIA Requirement

A live animal shipment needs a CFIA import permit and origin health certification — separate from and in addition to LAR carriage compliance

LAR governs how the animal is transported; CFIA governs whether it's permitted to enter Canada at all. Confirm both requirements independently rather than assuming LAR compliance implies import eligibility.

Source: IATA Live Animals Regulations, current edition; CFIA import permit requirements for live animals. Last verified July 2026.

Worked example

What has to be confirmed before booking an AVI shipment

Take a shipment of a specific live animal species being sent from an ASEAN origin to a Canadian importer — several confirmations need to happen before this is bookable at all.

UAL first confirms which carriers on the route actually accept the specific species and whether any routing or seasonal (e.g. temperature) restriction applies — not every carrier serving a route accepts live animal cargo, and acceptance can be species-specific even among carriers that do.

In parallel, the shipper and Canadian importer confirm the CFIA import permit and any required origin-country health certification are in place. Only once both the carrier acceptance and the regulatory permit side are confirmed does booking proceed — attempting to book before either is settled risks a shipment that's ready to tender with nowhere to fly, or a flight booked with no valid import permit behind it.

What UAL coordinates for AVI shipments

We confirm carrier and species acceptance ahead of booking, and coordinate timing so the CFIA permit and origin health certification are in place before the shipment is tendered — not treated as an afterthought to a booking already made.

Carrier acceptance verification per species

CFIA permit and documentation coordination

Frequently asked questions

No — acceptance varies by carrier and by specific species. Confirm this before assuming any given carrier or routing will work for an AVI shipment.

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Minimum Booking Lead Times for Air Cargo Space

CITES and Endangered Species Shipping Restrictions

Dangerous Goods Air Freight

Source: IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR), current edition; CFIA import permit requirements. Last verified July 2026.