For AVA's requirements for import and export of ornamental fish, please click here.

The AVA currently imposes compulsory quarantine of 4-weeks and sampling for koi imported from certain countries. Please contact the Ornamental Fish Section (Tel: (65) 67519804) for further details. While quarantine is not compulsory in most cases, it is still advisable to keep your newly imported fish separately from your existing stocks for about 2 weeks.

The AVA licence is issued only to traders with a government-approved premises (e.g. a farm) with facilities set up according to the licence conditions. A home hobbyist is unlikely to have the resources to set up the commercial facilities required by the licence for import or export of ornamental fish.

A traveller may import up to 30 fish in not more than 3 litres of water or a mixture of the different varieties of ornamental aquatic organisms provided it does not exceed 5kg in total weight and must be within a traveller's limit for the various items. For details, please refer to AVA website at www.ava.gov.sg

A hobbyist who wishes to import fishes for competitions in fish shows may use the allowance given for a traveller to bring in fish. In cases where the import quantity exceeds the traveller's allowance, the hobbyist would need to approach the show organizer for an arrangement with AVA's Ornamental Fish Section (Tel: 6751 9802) to bring in fishes for the fish shows.