Unusual baggage and special allowances

Passengers with disabilities are entitled to extra baggage allowances, free of charge, as follows:

• Passengers travelling with their own wheelchair may check a fully collapsible wheelchair.
• Passengers who require braces or crutches may check these items.
• Passengers dependent on a portable dialysis machine are entitled to check one machine and all its associated equipment.
• Vision and hearing impaired passengers who rely on assistance dogs may bring these as well, but they must be loaded into the kennels in the aircraft’s hold and are not permitted in the cabin.
• Passengers with sleep disorders are permitted to carry one sleep apnea device, either CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or PAP (Positive Airway Pressure) as checked baggage subject to IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. For information on the use of these devices in flight, please see our information on health and Accessible travel.

Portable dialysis machines cannot be brought on board as cabin baggage, due to hazardous material rules. They can be checked in with luggage before the flight, free of charge. Exceptions apply to US routes, which permit the transport of dialysis machines on board as cabin baggage, free of charge and in addition to your allowance. Size and weight limits apply.

Passengers travelling with infants (under two years of age) have different baggage allowances based on your itinerary.

All routes, excluding travel to and from destinations in the Americas and Africa:

• One cabin bag not exceeding 22 by 15 by 8 inches (55 by 38 by 22 centimetres) of maximum 5 kg (11lbs)
• Checked-in baggage up to 10kg (22lb)

All routes to and from the Americas and Africa:

• One cabin bag not exceeding 22 by 15 by 8 inches (55 by 38 by 22 centimetres) of maximum 5 kg (11lbs)

The baggage allowance will be shown on the infant’s ticket.

You can also ask our check-in staff if space is available for you to carry any one of these items on board free of charge:

• Fully collapsible stroller/pushchair
• Infant's carrycot
• Infant’s car seat

If you’d like to carry an approved car seat, please get in touch with us to purchase an additional aircraft seat at the appropriate child fare.

See how Emirates makes travelling with infants safer, easier and more comfortable.

All sporting equipment including golf equipment, bicycles and ski equipment

Emirates will accept sporting equipment as checked baggage and part of your standard baggage allowance. A list of sporting equipment can be found below. If you intend to take a bicycle as checked luggage, please contact us at least 24 hours in advance. Special packaging rules may apply.

Weight Concept

Individual items with total dimensions exceeding 300cm (118 inches) cannot be transported as checked baggage, and must be sent as cargo or freight. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Piece Concept

The total dimensions (length + width + height) of the entire division of sporting equipment must not exceed 300cm (118 inches). Any sporting equipment with total dimensions exceeding 300cm (118 inches) cannot be transported as checked baggage and must be sent as cargo or freight.

At any time, should your overall baggage weight or number of bags, including sports equipment, exceed the complimentary free baggage allowance, excess baggage rates will apply. Please visit Purchase additional baggage allowance for more information.

Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus – SCUBA

SCUBA equipment normally consists of diving suits, flippers, masks, snorkels, buoyancy control devices and so on. If air bottles are also carried, they must be emptied.

Sporting weapons and ammunition

Firearms designed for sporting purposes, such as target pistols and rifles, air guns, safari rifles, hunting rifles etc, may be carried as checked baggage on Emirates flights under the following conditions:

• The firearm must be completely unloaded and, if possible, dismantled and packed inside a suitcase or standard gun case.
• The carriage of any type of firearms, ammunition and explosives, including items containing explosives, must be approved by Emirates no less than three days before your flight. Please complete the firearms form (only available in English) in the contact us section of our Help Centre to start the approval process. Please allow extra time for public holidays and weekends in your country of residence and the UAE.
• Ammunition must be securely stored in a strong, sealed box packed inside a suitcase and surrounded by other contents. The suitcase must not bear an ‘Explosive’ label.
• The maximum gross weight of the ammunition carried by any single customer is 5kg (11lb). Customers travelling in groups must carry ammunition in their own separate bags, with no single bag carrying more than the 5kg (11lb) limit.

The following special conditions apply to customers wishing to carry firearms on flights into or through Dubai:

• Customers who wish to bring firearms and ammunition into the UAE must obtain prior clearance from UAE Customs and the UAE Ministry of Defence. To obtain this clearance, customers must contact these government departments directly.
• For transfer and transit customers who are connecting to onward flights, prior clearance to travel with firearms and ammunition must be obtained from the Dubai Airport Police Department and the Department of Civil Aviation.

Ski equipment

Ski equipment can be carried as part of your normal baggage allowance. However, in some situations additional charges may apply when checking in ski equipment. Please contact your local Emirates office for more information.

A set of snow ski equipment may consist of:

• one pair of skis, one pair of ski poles and one pair of ski boots, or
• one snow board and one pair of boots

A set of water ski equipment may consist of:

• one pair of standard water skis, or
• one slalom water ski

Learn more about the rules for ski equipment when travelling to or from destinations in North, Central or South America.

Other sports equipment

Emirates will accept wind surf boards, kite surfing equipment, kayaks, body boards, pole vault or other sporting equipment as checked baggage and part of your standard baggage allowance, provided:

• Any sails are detachable and collapsible.
• It is appropriately packed in a hard-shell packing case. If not a Limited Release will be required.
• The total dimensions do not exceed 300cm (118 inches).

For surf boards, the following precautions must be taken:

• Fins should always be removed, or, if they cannot be removed, should be firmly packed with polystyrene foam.
• Both nose and tail should have bubble-wrap or neoprene foam attached for protection.
• The rails (sides of the board) should have cardboard down the sides to absorb shock.
• The board should be packed in a properly padded surf-bag.

Should your overall baggage weight or amount exceed the normal free allowance, excess baggage rates will apply. Please contact your local Emirates office for information on excess baggage rates. For information on travelling with other sporting equipment, particularly sporting weaponry, please contact your local Emirates office, as other rules may apply.

Note: if your itinerary includes flights operated by other airlines, different baggage rules from the below may apply for these flights. For information on specific allowances for sports equipment, please contact us or the airline in question.

Pets are not permitted in the cabin, with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan. Depending on the individual circumstances, pets must be carried either as cargo, or as checked baggage in the hold. The charge for the animal(s) and container will depend on the weight and size of the animal plus cage combined. These charges will apply in all cases, even when no other checked baggage is being carried.

Please take note of the following weight and size restrictions for animals travelling as checked baggage:

Please contact Emirates well before your flight to confirm any required procedures (such as permits, tests, vaccinations, etc) to allow your pet to travel – you must complete these before Emirates can make final arrangements for your pet. Note that this process can take a long time, especially in complex cases. Once complete, please allow one week to submit your paperwork to Emirates ahead of your flight.

Emirates is unable to provide a special free baggage allowance for the carriage of musical instruments. Musical instruments must be handled as normal checked or cabin baggage (subject to cabin baggage limitations) or be transported on a paid-for seat in the passenger cabin.

If you check-in your instrument, it will be subject to normal excess baggage charges if it exceeds your baggage allowance.

Please note that certain conditions and limitations may apply when transporting musical instruments. To review these conditions or if you have any questions regarding musical instrument transport, please get in touch with us.

When departing from Mauritius, a special charge applies for the transportation of ship models, and can't be included as part of your standard baggage allowance.

For the first 10kg, a charge of EUR 150 applies, and for the next 10kg a charge of EUR 50 applies.

The maximum weight of the ship model is 20kg.

All fireworks and any other items containing explosives, for example Christmas crackers, firecrackers, bottle rockets, poppers and sparklers are forbidden to be carried either as carry-on baggage or as checked baggage on our flights.

For safety reasons, we can’t accept personal motorised vehicles such as hoverboards, mini-Segways and smart or self-balancing wheels on our flights. We can’t carry them either as checked-in baggage or as hand luggage as they contain large lithium batteries. This regulation still applies even if you’re connecting to our flights from an airline that has accepted them.