Your Rights in Restaurants, Airlines, and Taxis (2026 Edition)

Restaurants and cafés

Any restaurant open to the public is a service provider under the Equal Status Acts. It must reasonably accommodate a disabled person with an assistance dog and generally cannot:

• Refuse entry because of the dog
• Push you onto the patio while other diners sit inside
• Charge a pet fee
• Demand a certificate Irish law doesn't require

It may ask whether the dog is an assistance dog needed because of a disability and what it does,and it may ask you to leave if the dog is out of control or not toilet-trained (rare and obvious: continuous barking, jumping on tables).

The script that works

"Hi, table for two. My assistance dog [Name] is trained to [task],she'll settle under the table."

Previewing your dog's behaviour usually skips the awkward "are you sure that's an assistance dog" exchange entirely.

Air travel

Air travel is governed at EU level, not by the Equal Status Acts.

• Assistance dogs: Under EU Regulation 1107/2006, a recognised assistance dog travels in the cabin free of charge, subject to pre-notification (usually 48 hours). The Regulation defers to national rules, and because Ireland has no statutory definition, airlines set their own evidence requirements,tighter for international flights.
• Pets and untrained dogs: Treated as pets,fees, carriers and breed limits may apply.

Before you fly

Notify the airline's special-assistance team early, confirm acceptance in writing, sort the animal-health paperwork for your destination, and arrive with extra time. Owner-trainers feel the most friction here, because long-haul airlines often want recognised accreditation.

Taxis and rideshare

Refusing an assistance dog in a taxi, hackney or rideshare can be discrimination on the disability ground under the Equal Status Acts. This is where many disputes happen.

What to do when you're refused

1. Note the details: driver, vehicle/registration, company, date and time.
2. Report it to the operator immediately; in an app, report the same trip.
3. Keep evidence: a screenshot of the cancellation, or a note of exactly what was said.
4. Escalate: you can bring a discrimination complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), usually starting with an ES1 notification form.
5. Remember the precedent: the WRC awarded €12,000 to a blind couple refused with their guide dog at Heuston Station,refusals are taken seriously.

If a provider refuses anyway

Your routes in Ireland:

• WRC complaint: discrimination on the disability ground under the Equal Status Acts.
• IHREC / citizensinformation.ie: guidance on your rights and the steps.
• A disability rights solicitor: for clear-cut or repeated refusals.

The WRC's recent awards,€8,000 against Lidl, €12,000 in the taxi case,show that genuine, well-evidenced complaints succeed.