Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore


		Import, Export and Transshipment of Pets - Personal

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Import, Export and Transshipment of Pets - Personal

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1.	What are the requirements for the import of my pet dog, cat, bird, hamster, rabbit or guinea pig?
	You pet must be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate from the exporting country. It also needs to meet AVA's veterinary and quarantine requirements. For more details on AVA's requirements for import of animals as personal pets, please click here.

2.	How do I import my pet dog, cat, bird, hamster, rabbit or guinea pig?
	To import your pet, you will need to apply for an import permit. Application for the permit can be made online: Permit to import/Export/Transship of Animals, Birds, Eggs and Biologics The cost of the permit is S$50 per permit. The permit is valid for 30 days from the date of issue and is valid for one consignment only. A surcharge would be imposed (in addition to the permit fee) if a permit is required to be processed within a period shorter than the service standard of 2 working days. The surcharge will be an amount equivalent to the permit fee. If your bird is listed as endangered species, an additional CITES import permit is required. The cost for the CITES import permit is S$12 per species subject to a minimum of S$60 per consignment. To apply for the CITES import permit, you need to provide the CITES export/re-export permit from the exporting country. You can contact Wildlife Regulatory Branch (WRB) at Tel: (65) 6325 7281 to find out if a CITES permit is required. Upon arrival, the animal is subject to inspection.

3.	If I import my dog or cat, does it need to be quarantined and for how long?
	All dogs and cats imported from any country other than Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland need to be quarantined for at least 30 days at the Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station (SAQS). Quarantine is mandatory. Your dog or cat will also be vaccinated against rabies in the quarantine station. The charges for quarantine are as follows: i. Non air-con kennel (for 30 days) - S$643 per pet ii. Air-con kennel (for 30 days) - S$926.50 per pet The charges cover accommodation, transport to SAQS, veterinary examination and rabies vaccination.

4.	How do I apply for the quarantine of my dog or cat?
	Should your pet dog or cat need to be quarantined in Singapore, you are advised to apply to AVA for quarantine space at least 2 (two) months in advance of anticipated arrival of your pets in Singapore. Your pet will be placed on the waitlist and AVA will inform you of space availability approximately one month prior to your indicated date of arrival of your pets. Upon confirmation of the quarantine space, you may proceed to submit your application for the import permit and the application/acceptance of quarantine space for your pets. For the reservation for quarantine of dogs/cats, please click here.

5.	Can I visit my dog or cat in the quarantine station?
	You can visit your pet at Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station, SAQS, at 10 Lorong Chencharu between 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm on weekdays and 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm on Saturdays. SAQS is closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

6.	If I import my pet hamster, guinea pig or rabbit, do they need to be quarantined and for how long?
	All imported small mammals (e.g. hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits) need to be quarantined for 14 days. Small mammals imported as personal pets will be house quarantined. Therefore, a Singapore address has to be provided to Animal, Meat and Seafood Regulatory Branch at the time of import permit application.

7.	What if I cannot obtain the necessary serology requirements for my dog/cat?
	Serology will be conducted upon arrival. The animal will be quarantined pending test results. In addition, if the animal comes from a country that requires post arrival quarantine, the quarantine period will be in accordance with that required under the exporting country’s category, provided the test result is obtained by AVA prior to the end of the quarantine period. Otherwise, the animal must remain in quarantine until the test result is received. Please note that you would be charged the quarantine fees, cost of the serological test, and the associated fees for a private veterinarian to collect the blood sample.

8.	What if my dog/cat cannot fulfil pre export rabies vaccination requirements prior to export to Singapore?
	The animal will be vaccinated upon arrival in Singapore and serology will be done 1 month after vaccination. The animal will be quarantined in Singapore for the post-vaccination period, which it would have had to fulfil prior to export, in accordance with the country’s category. For e.g., the animal will be quarantined for 3 months post-vaccination if it is being exported under Category C3. The quarantine period will be 6 months if the animal is from a Category D country. Please note that you would be charged the quarantine fees.

9.	If I were to export a puppy/kitten that is less than 4 months old to Singapore, what are the requirements for importation into Singapore with regard to rabies?
	According to rabies vaccine manufacturer’s recommendations, animals should be at least 12 weeks old when they are given their first rabies vaccination. Blood can only be taken for serology a minimum of 30 days after a vaccination, which would make the animal at least 16 weeks old. Additionally, it takes at least a few weeks to get the results for serology once the sample has been submitted. Depending on the category of the country of export, there may also be further post-vaccination residency requirements. Hence animals younger than 4 months from countries in categories B, C and D would not be able to fulfil AVA’s import requirements.

10.	If I import my dog/cat, does it need to be quarantined and for how long?
	Post-arrival quarantine will apply depending on where the dog/cat comes from and its vaccination status. AVA has placed countries into different categories, depending on their rabies status. The categories are as follows: Category A: Countries traditionally free from rabies, namely Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. There is no quarantine on arrival in Singapore. Category B: Countries with negligible risk of rabies, namely Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States (Guam and Hawaii only). There is no quarantine on arrival in Singapore. Category C: Countries with controlled risk, or with low incidence of rabies, namely Belgium, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and USA (except Guam and Hawaii). Category C has been split into 3 sections depending on the rabies vaccination status of the animal. Category C1: 10 days of quarantine on arrival in Singapore Category C2: 30 days of quarantine on arrival in Singapore Category C3: 30 days of quarantine on arrival in Singapore Category D: All other countries not listed above with undetermined risk of rabies. Animals will be quarantined for 30 days on arrival in Singapore. Please note that categorisation of countries is subject to change, if the risk of incursion of rabies changes with respect to that country. Please check the website for updates on the categorisation of countries. For more information on the different categorisation of countries and veterinary conditions, please click here .

11.	What is meant by valid rabies vaccination?
	For an animal to be considered to have valid rabies vaccination on arrival in Singapore, the expiry date of the animal’s rabies vaccination (the date of next vaccination in the vaccination programme) must be after the date of arrival in Singapore. This would depend on the specification of the vaccine used. For example, if an animal is vaccinated with a vaccine that has a 2-year validity and comes to Singapore 15 months after being vaccinated, the vaccination is still considered valid on arrival. However, if the animal is vaccinated with a vaccine with a 1-year validity and arrives in Singapore 15 months after being vaccinated, the vaccination is no longer considered valid.

12.	How would I know if my dog/cat meets the serological test (rabies antibodies test) for rabies?
	Rabies antibody titres must be at least 0.5IU/ml for an animal to enter Singapore. If the value obtained is lower than this, it means the animal is not adequately protected against rabies and will not be allowed into Singapore.

13.	Can I move my dog/cat out of my country in the 6 months prior to export to Singapore?
	Yes, if you move your pet to another country within the same category or a country of lower risk category, in the 6 months prior to export, (e.g. if you move your pet which is in a Category B country to another country in Category A or B) your pet can still qualify for import under the requirements for Category B. If you move your pet to another country in a higher risk category, your pet will be considered to be in this higher risk category. E.g. if you move your pet which is in a Category B country to a country in Category C, your pet will no longer qualify for import under the requirements for Category B. Your pet must now be imported under the requirements for Category C.

14.	How does Singapore decide which Category a country would be in?
	A questionnaire on the rabies situation of a country was sent to the veterinary authorities of various countries and the returns were assessed by AVA. Countries were placed into categories depending on the risk of rabies. The information requested include the prevalence and incidence of rabies in domestic animals and humans in the country in the past 5 years, the veterinary infrastructure of the country and the animal health regulations, especially with regard to rabies. Countries may move between categories if there are significant changes in the rabies status.

15.	What if my dog/cat cannot fulfil the residency period in countries within the same category prior to export to Singapore?
	Your pet must have resided for at least six months in a country or countries within the same category or a lower risk category before it can qualify for import under that country’s category. Should your pet not fulfil the residency period for that category, it will be imported into Singapore based on the import conditions for the country it has resided in with the highest risk of rabies during the six months prior to export. For example, if the animal has only had a 4-month continuous residency in the exporting country of category B and prior to that, spent 2 months in a country of category D, it will be imported based on the import requirements of animals from category D.

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Last updated on 16 August 2010

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