Germany · Verbund rules
Can my dog travel on VBB buses and trains in Berlin and Brandenburg?
Checked · Official source ↗
Yes — if you meet every condition.
What this means for you: Berlin works, on one condition you won’t find in most of Germany: the muzzle is mandatory, not “if dangerous”. Pack it and you have the whole VBB area — the city, Potsdam, the lakes, the Baltic trains to the Brandenburg coast — for the price of your own ticket.
The rule, line by line
What VBB buses and trains actually say.
- Who gets on
- Any dog — on a lead AND muzzled, on every bus, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional train in Berlin and Brandenburg. Small dogs in a closed carrier ride free and skip the muzzle.
- Who doesn’t
- A dog without a muzzle. Berlin is one of the few places in Germany where the muzzle isn’t “if dangerous” — it’s always.
- How much
- One dog rides free with a Deutschlandticket, a day ticket or any season ticket. On a single ticket, or for a second dog, buy a reduced-fare (child) ticket per dog. A dog in a carrier is free.
- Where they ride
- On the floor, on the lead. Never on a seat.
- Never, whatever the size
- Nothing by breed in the tariff; Berlin’s dog law handles that separately.
- Where this applies
- Berlin and Brandenburg — 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 — including ones still in training — ride free, and the lead-and-muzzle rule is lifted for them.
State dog law applies on top
Breed rules come from the Land, not the transport operator, and they override the tariff.
- Berlin: Pit Bull, AmStaff, Bull Terrier and their crosses: muzzle, and a lead of 1 m or less on public transport. Every dog on a lead on public transport. What counts as a dangerous dog
- Brandenburg: No breed list — but every dog wears a muzzle on public transport. The Brandenburg rule
- 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 Berlin and Potsdam
One tariff, one rule for every operator in it. 2 of the 2 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 are two networks where the idea is the same: lead, off the seats, and you clean up. Muzzles and fares vary, so read the row.
Leashed and muzzled, with a reduced ticket unless you hold a day, 24-hour or season ticket (then one dog rides free). In a closed carrier it rides free, no muzzle.
Muzzle mandatory — the one thing visitors get caught on.
The VBB rule applies to all 40-odd Brandenburg operators: lead and muzzle, one dog free with a day or season ticket, reduced ticket otherwise.
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.