Germany · Verbund rules
Can my dog travel on AVV buses and trains in Aachen?
Checked · Official source ↗
Yes — if you meet every condition.
What this means for you: Aachen is NRW: free, on a lead, muzzle if it could endanger someone. The cross-border buses into the Netherlands and Belgium run on other rules — check before you cross.
The rule, line by line
What AVV buses and trains actually say.
- Who gets on
- Any dog on a lead, free under the NRW rule.
- Who doesn’t
- A dog off the lead.
- How much
- Free under the NRW tariff rule.
- Where they ride
- On the lead, floor.
- Never, whatever the size
- Nothing by breed in the tariff.
- Where this applies
- Aachen and the Euregio — bus, tram, U-/S-Bahn and regional trains under the Verbund tariff. The cities inside the Verbund are below. Double-check who actually runs your service.
- Assistance dogs
- Guide dogs and assistance dogs ride free and are exempt from the muzzle rule. In Germany the harness or vest is the proof; carry the card too.
State dog law applies on top
Breed rules come from the Land, not the transport operator, and they override the tariff.
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Pit Bull, AmStaff, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier and ten more breeds, Rottweiler among them: lead and muzzle in public unless the owner holds an exemption. What counts as a dangerous dog
- Germany (federal): Pit Bulls, AmStaffs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers and their crosses may only come into Germany with an owner who lives abroad, for four weeks at most. The federal rule
The cities inside the Verbund
Dogs on public transport in Aachen
One tariff, one rule for every operator in it. 1 of the 1 networks below take a big dog on a lead; where an operator adds its own term — a muzzle, a fee, a ban on the call-taxi — it’s in the row.
Where a big dog rides — on a lead, under the Verbund rule
There is one network where the idea is the same: lead, off the seats, and you clean up. Muzzles and fares vary, so read the row.
Free on a lead under the NRW rule; muzzle if it could endanger others.
Checked 14 September 2026. Local rules change more often than the area rule — recheck the week you travel.
Your next step
Before you book.
- Read every condition, not just the yes.Lead, muzzle, fare, where the dog sits — each one is a reason a driver can turn you away.
- Check who’s actually running your service.Subcontracted and rail-replacement services can run under a different rule.
- Screenshot the rule.The operator’s own page on your phone settles most arguments at the door.