General Information
General information
The import and transshipment of dogs and cats involve fulfilling strict requirements and complying with necessary procedures.
Importing refers to the act of bringing an animal into Singapore from another country.
Transshipment refers to the act of transiting Singapore for less than 24 hours during the journey between countries.
Dogs and cats taken out of Singapore are subject to the same regulations as those returning for the first time.
There is an increasing trend of pet owners purchasing puppies and kittens online from overseas and importing them into Singapore such as “teacup” or toy breeds. Buyers should be aware of the risks associated with the online purchases and importation of such pet animals.
Online purchases of pet animals from overseas sources
Overseas-based sellers are not subject to AVS’ pet shop licensing conditions, hence buyers will need to ascertain the animals’ health and welfare conditions when making purchases online. AVS has encountered several cases of underaged animals, and animals with health problems imported into Singapore, as well as fraudulent import paperwork with falsified age and vaccination records. When such incidents occur, buyers will incur significant additional costs due to further disease testing, veterinary bills and extended quarantine time. This can be traumatic and stressful for the buyers and the animals. Often, it will be difficult to reach these overseas sellers for clarifications or claims.
Air travel for smaller breeds
There are some inherent risks associated with air travel for small breed or young dogs, such as heat stress or hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). Smaller breeds such as teacup puppies or young dogs are at a higher risk for hypoglycaemia, due to their smaller sizes and lower energy reserves. Coupled with the stress of air travel over long hours, the puppies may not get enough food, which leads to development of hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia results in neurological signs such as seizures and in severe cases may lead to death.
What can you do
We encourage pet owners to adopt from local animal welfare groups where possible, or patronise licensed pet shops in Singapore, that come under AVS’ licensing regime. Animals purchased from overseas sources do not come under AVS’s licensing regime and those found to be non-compliant to import conditions may be subject to extended quarantine, or further measures.
We advise pet owners to avoid purchasing online from overseas sources. The animals may come with incorrect records, potential health problems such as genetic issues, or issues due to the stress of travel. Do ensure that your new pet has sufficient food and water during the travel, and set aside emergency funds for unforeseen circumstances.
AVS recognized pet agents
All applications for the import and export of personal pets (e.g. dog, cat, small mammals, ornamental bird) in Singapore must be applied for, by the pet owner or through an AVS recognized pet agent. Please refer to the list of AVS recognized pet agents.
Companies that are interested to onboard as an AVS recognized pet agent are required to meet the following criteria and to pass a pet agent quiz.
- Registration as a company (e.g. ACRA);
- Operational for or employed to perform animal transport work for at least a year;
- Good animal handling protocols of pet animals and understanding of import requirements; in compliance with the requirements of NParks/AVS and other agencies; and
- Not undergoing NParks/AVS' investigation or has a past enforcement history of any animal-related or forgery offences
- Attended skill certificate courses offered by local polytechnics on pet handling and management
Please submit the relevant douments (e.g. ACRA Bizfile, SOPs, skill certificate etc) to https://go.gov.sg/animalfeedbackform for further processing.
Disclaimer
This list of AVS-recognised pet agents is for pet owners' reference only, to support applications to import, export or tranship personal pets.
The list does not constitute NParks' endorsement of the pet agents. Pet owners should exercise due diligence to assess if the agents' services are appropriate for their needs.
Collection of pet container at CAPQ/Tuas
All pet containers (i.e. carriers and crates) exceeding the external dimensions of 82cm (L) by 64cm (H) by 58cm (W) (see picture attached) must be collected personally by pet owners/agents upon clearance at Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine (CAPQ)/Tuas Checkpoint.
Pet containers that are not collected at CAPQ/Tuas will be transferred to private transport contractors assigned by the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS).
AVS will share the contact details of these private pet transporters with pet owners/agents, who will need to contact them directly to retrieve the pet containers. Additional fees will be incurred.
All pet containers used for transportation of pets must comply with the latest International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Live Animal Regulations.