Setting off for Corsica with a dog isn't settled at boarding time, but at the moment you book. The four companies that serve the island accept pets, and all of them require you to declare them in advance. Beyond this common point, they split into two philosophies: with some, the animal sleeps in a dedicated cabin, next to its owner; with the others, it spends the crossing in the kennel, in a box. Here is what each company publishes on its own pages, attributed to the company, without a single price — In Tempu does not record pet prices. For the choice of the boat itself, going to Corsica by ferry weighs the pros and the cons — convenience, budget and carbon footprint.
Pet cabin or kennel: two ways to travel
The dividing line is clear. According to Corsica Ferries, the dog can accompany its owner in special cabins, with an antibacterial floor, as well as in certain public areas and in the restaurant, in defined zones. Moby Lines announces the same principle on the cabin side: pet cabins with a linoleum floor, with a sanitised anti-odour mat, that take up to three animals, plus the open outer decks for walks.
Corsica Linea and La Méridionale follow the opposite logic. According to Corsica Linea, since November 2018 pets are no longer admitted in the passenger areas: they travel in the kennel, in an individual secured and ventilated box, with access to a water point, on all ships. La Méridionale describes an air-conditioned kennel with individual boxes and adds an option the others do not mention: according to the company, the animal can also stay in its owner's vehicle, with a window slightly open. To keep in mind the other way round: Corsica Ferries explicitly forbids leaving the animal in the vehicle on the car deck during the crossing, which it describes as a mortal danger.
One detail still separates the two kennel models. La Méridionale states that you cannot visit your animal during the crossing. Corsica Linea, for its part, highlights ventilated boxes with a water point, without displaying the same restriction.
The muzzle: required almost everywhere
None of the four companies skips the muzzle, but the requirement doesn't have the same scope. Corsica Ferries is the broadest: according to the company, every dog must be kept on a leash and muzzled on board. Moby Lines asks you to bring a muzzle and leash, and to keep a collar or harness on during the crossing.
At the two kennel companies, the muzzle targets categorised dogs. According to La Méridionale, it is required for 1st and 2nd category dogs throughout the stay on board. According to Corsica Linea, it applies to 2nd category dogs, kept on a leash and placed in the kennel — 1st category dogs, for their part, are not allowed on board. La Méridionale accepts those 1st category dogs in the kennel, muzzled: it is a concrete divergence between the two companies for the same animal profile.
The paperwork: microchip, rabies vaccine, passport
The base is regulatory before it is commercial. The European framework on the non-commercial movement of pets rests on three items: identification by microchip (or a legible tattoo), a valid rabies vaccination, and a European pet passport issued by a vet. Moby Lines explicitly refers to this Community regulation for entry into France.
Each company applies this base in its own way. According to Corsica Ferries, you need a European passport filled in by a vet, an up-to-date rabies vaccination, identification by microchip or tattoo, and a dog older than 15 weeks. Moby Lines adds a medical examination before departure. Corsica Linea asks for a health record or European passport with vaccines and antiparasitic treatments up to date. La Méridionale, on its page dedicated to dogs, refers to its "required documents" section without detailing the health requirements: on this precise point, the company does not publish the list in the same place.
Booking the animal: never a last-minute afterthought
On this point, the four companies converge. According to Corsica Ferries, the animal must be declared when booking and its crossing paid for. Corsica Linea has you select the kennel option at booking. La Méridionale requires the animal to appear on the booking. Moby Lines asks you to buy a ticket for the animal and warns that the number of pet cabins is limited: you have to check availability. The pet cabin, at Corsica Ferries as at Moby Lines, therefore comes down to booking early.
And for a cat?
The cat follows the same basic rules as the dog, with two differences: it travels in a carrier cage or basket, never on a leash, and no company imposes a muzzle on it — that requirement targets only the dog.
On the container, the four companies converge. According to Corsica Ferries, the cat must stay in a carrier cage or basket, close to its owner throughout the crossing. Corsica Linea puts it in black and white: cats and other small animals travel in carrier cages, placed in suitable boxes. La Méridionale recommends a suitable carrier cage for small cats, to be placed in the compartment reserved for animals. Moby Lines, for its part, does not detail a rule specific to the cat on its "pets" page: the container is not specified there on the feline side.
Where the cat spends the crossing follows the dividing line already seen for the dog. According to Corsica Ferries, the cat stays with its owner, in its cage, and not in the kennel. According to Corsica Linea, it travels in the kennel, in a suitable box, since animals are no longer admitted in the passenger areas. La Méridionale explicitly places the cat among the animals barred from the cabin, the lounge and the deck — "dog, cat, bird, hamster…" — and leaves it the choice between the air-conditioned kennel and the owner's vehicle. Moby Lines admits animals, cats included, in its dedicated linoleum-floored cabins, up to three per cabin, and on the outer decks.
The paperwork, for its part, does not change with the species. The European framework — microchip or tattoo, valid rabies vaccination, passport issued by a vet — applies to the cat as to the dog. Moby Lines even names the cat explicitly for entry into France. Corsica Linea requires a health record or European passport that is up to date, valid from kittenhood. Corsica Ferries and La Méridionale do not detail a list specific to the cat on the page consulted: on this point, it is better to rely on the common regulatory base. As with the dog, the cat is declared at booking with all four companies.
What it costs: the honest answer
In Tempu compares crossing prices recorded and dated on the companies' websites, but does not record pet fares — they depend on the size of the animal, the option (kennel, pet cabin) and each company. So we publish no amount for them. What is verifiable is the existence of a surcharge: Corsica Ferries and Corsica Linea charge for the animal's passage, and Moby Lines has you buy a ticket for it. La Méridionale, for its part, does not display a fare on its page dedicated to dogs. In every case, the exact amount is checked at the moment of booking, directly with the company.
A marker to decide: if your dog copes badly with being separated from you, only Corsica Ferries and Moby Lines offer it a cabin at your side; on Corsica Linea, it will spend the crossing in the kennel, and on La Méridionale in the kennel or in your vehicle, with no visit possible along the way.