Travelling with your pet on Gdynia - Karlskrona

Pets can only travel on Stena Spirit, Stena Ebba and Stena Estelle in special pet-friendly cabins. There are a limited number available on each ferry and you can bring up to three pets with you when you stay in this type of cabin. If you haven't got a pet-friendly cabin booked, unfortunately your pet won't be able to travel with you.

The pet must be registered at check-in, after which a member of staff will show the shortest route to a special pet cabin. Apart from the exercise area on the outside deck, pets are not allowed in the public areas. Dogs must wear a muzzle outside the cabin and must be kept on a leash. Cats must travel in a cage/carrier case.

Note: Transport of animals is not permitted on the 24- and 36-hour cruise offers.

Guide, hearing and autism assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of our ports and ships and are entitled to free travel. They have full access to the passenger decks on all Stena Line routes and vessels. All guide, hearing or autism assistance dogs must have the necessary paperwork when checking in at the port and must wear the correct harnesses and jackets at all times while travelling so that your dog can be instantly recognisable by the ship’s crew and other passengers.. Please visit our Guest Services desk when you board in order to show the relevant documentation for your dog to allow access to all areas onboard.

Assistance dogs must be:

• Either specifically trained to assist a person with a disability and certified by an organisation that is a full member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), the accrediting bodies for assistance dog organisations worldwide; or
• where they are not recognised as an assistance dog by ADI or the IGDF, written evidence must be provided by a qualified dog trainer to prove that they have passed an assistance dog public access certification test in accordance with the requirements set by ADI, which you can access here.

If your dog does not meet the above criteria, or is an Emotional Support Dog that is not recognised as an assistance dog by ADI or IGDF, then your dog will not be allowed to travel in the public areas. In these cases, please book your dog to travel as a pet under our usual rules.

For assistance dogs travelling for free on our Hook of Holland - Harwich route, please book a pet-friendly cabin and add the dog on the "Meals, Stena Plus & Pets" step of the booking process. If a pet-friendly cabin is not available, please contact us and we will provide a suitable solution when other cabins are available on the sailing.

Can my Emotional Support Dog travel as an assistance dog?

We fully appreciate that Emotional Support Dogs (ESDs) provide comfort and support for passengers, however, when we are at sea, maritime laws ensure we put the safety of passengers and crew first.

If you do not have ADUK or IGDF certification for your ESD that you carry with you, they are to travel under the Stena Line guidance on ‘travelling with a pet’. Of course, your pet is more than welcome on board, but they must be booked into the Pet Lounge*, a pet-friendly cabin*, a kennel, or the car.

If you have an ESD query, please contact us. We recommend doing this at least 48 hours before your departure, so we can help you as best we can.

*Selected routes only 

Passengers with severe allergies to dogs

Where other passengers have a severe allergy to dogs, we will alert the assistance dog owner and the passenger with the allergy. We may ask each party to avoid specific areas at specific times to reduce the possibility of an allergy attack e.g. when one party is eating in the restaurant, as we may not be able to provide the necessary medical attention in all cases.

What travel documents will my pet need?

Under the EU pet movement system, all pet dogs, cats and ferrets moving between EU Member States must meet the same animal health rules. All pets travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, the UK and Continental Europe and across Europe must be microchipped and accompanied by an EU pet passport or health certificate - EU Pet Travel Scheme. The EU pet passport can be acquired at any authorised veterinarian after a microchip has been fitted and a successful blood test has been carried out. 

Please note that it is your responsibility to provide all necessary documents and to make all arrangements, including, where necessary, quarantine, to satisfy all legal requirements. Please read in full the specific route requirements below. 

What responsibilities do I have for my pet whilst travelling by ferry?

• You are responsible for ensuring the animal's welfare.
• If your pets stay in a vehicle or in the onboard kennels, they must remain there for the duration of the crossing.
• We recommend that dogs should travel in our onboard kennels and Stena Line cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise from not using our kennel facilities.
• Any passengers who bring a pet into a cabin that is not designated for pets, when a pet cabin is required, will have their cabin removed from their booking for the return leg of their journey without refund. 
• It is your obligation to ensure that all conditions for EU pet travel and the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) are met.
• Stena Line cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information given.
• Should your pet not meet the conditions of the EU pet travel and the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) the animal is liable to be held in UK quarantine for a period of up to 6 months or be re-exported.
• Stena Line is obliged as an accredited PETS carrier to verify your documentation and will refuse the carriage of your pet if the documentation is in breach of the PETS rules.
• If you are planning to quarantine your pet you will be fully responsible for all arrangements and cost associated with this procedure. You will need to produce the relevant documentation to Stena Line prior to carriage.
• Stena Line cannot be held liable for any cost in connection with non-compliance with EU pet travel and PETS rules.
• We do not accept any responsibility for any liability or damage caused by your pet while on board. You accept that if an injury or incident occurs which was caused by your pet, you may be reported to the relevant authorities, and in some cases, it could give rise to criminal or other legal liability.

If my pet remains in my vehicle can I check on it during the crossing?

To ensure the safety of our guests, the vehicle deck areas are not allowed to be accessed during the sailing. In exceptional circumstances, and at the discretion of our onboard team and with the Master's permission, a short, accompanied visit may be considered. Please note that this will be an exception and is not to be expected.

I am travelling with horses, can I book online?

Horseboxes up to 12m in length can be booked online on our Belfast - Cairnryan and Belfast - Liverpool routes, on routes between Sweden and Denmark and on routes between Sweden and Germany. On these routes, vehicles over 12m in length must be booked via Stena Line Freight. Horseboxes under 14m in length can be booked for travel between Sweden and Poland. For all other routes please book via Stena Line Freight.

Illicit Puppy Trading

Stena Line condemns the illicit puppy trade and tries to stop this practice. In cooperation with DAERA and DEFRA , Stena Line is actively taking action against the transport of dogs and puppies from puppy farms between Ireland and Great Britain. Investigators are authorized to stop and search vehicles belonging to people suspected of illegally dealing in dogs and puppies. All passengers who are guilty of illegally transporting dogs will be prevented from continuing their journey. The result is criminal prosecution and the confiscation of the puppies.

Pets Liability Disclaimer

Stena Line cannot accept responsibility for any of the links from this web site, nor the content thereof. The links are provided purely for your benefit and Stena Line is not responsible for inaccuracies in the information provided.