Five Steps to Note When Taking Pets Abroad From Singapore
Woof, woof! Hey human pals, are we going to travel by a plane? Yes. For some pets, there’s nothing more exciting than travelling with their human companions – and so humans do, off course. If you want to plan a pawfect pet vacation, there are many things to take note especially when you are going to take your pet abroad from Singapore. Getting a passpawt for your pet? Just like humans, there are certain procedures to follow when pets are travelling in or out of a country. Let’s check out the pet export requirements in Singapore!
1. Check Pet Import Requirements
Different countries have different pet import requirements. Firstly, pet owners should find out the import requirements of the country of destination. Some countries may require certain vaccinations, laboratory tests or Veterinary Health Certification before your pet can enter. For example, all dogs imported into United States are healthy and are vaccinated against rabies before arrival into the United States.
For dogs who have never been vaccinated against rabies, they should be received the vaccination at least 30 days prior to arrival. To check the details of pet import requirements, you can surf the website of the relevant government authority of the destination country.
2. Apply AVA Export Licence
Then, pet owners must apply for an AVA Export License via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website within 30 days of leaving Singapore. Keep in mind that the licence is only valid for 30 days. You may check the AVA website for a step-by-step guide to apply an export licence. On the other hand, pet owners have to prepare supporting documents such as a valid dog licence for dogs and vaccination records.
Types of licences:
a. Licence to Import/Export/Transship Animals, Birds, Eggs and Biologics (Commercial)
- Costs $87 for normal service (issuance within 2 working days of submission of complete documents)
- Costs $174 for express service (issuance within 1 working day of submission of complete documents)
- Valid for 30 days from date of issuance -Each licence allows you to export 1 consignment
b. Licence to Import/Export/Transship Animals, Birds, Eggs and Biologics (Personal)
- Costs $50 for normal service (issuance within 2 working days of submission of complete documents)
- Costs $100 for express service (issuance within 1 working day of submission of complete documents)
- Valid for 30 days from date of issuance
3. Obtain Veterinary Health Certificate
Note that this step only applies if your country of destination requires a Veterinary Health Certificate. Pet owners should bring their pets to any AVA-licensed veterinarian for examination in order to obtain a Veterinary Health Certificate. The certification statements needed on the health certificate, as well as its validity period, will depend on the requirements of your destination country. Your country of destination may also require the Veterinary Health Certificate to be issued or endorsed by an official government veterinarian. There are 3 types of Veterinary Health Certificates you can obtain from AVA.
a. Endorsement of importing country’s Veterinary Health Certificate template
It refers to the manual endorsement of the importing country’s Veterinary Health Certificate template. The template can be obtained from the website of the relevant authority of your country of destination.
Steps to apply:
(1) Bring your pet and the Veterinary Health Certificate template to a private veterinarian, who will complete and sign the certificate during the examination.
(2) Make an online application via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website and have the Veterinary Health Certificate template endorsed at AVA. Please retain the application number for reference and collection. Go to AVA website and log in to find out the step-by-step guide to apply a veterinary health certificate.
(3) Bring the original completed Veterinary Health Certificate template, the original vaccination records and laboratory test results (if applicable) and your application number along with you when Collect the official veterinary endorsement from AVA at AVA Service Centre (shared with BCA).
b. AVA electronically-issued watermarked Veterinary Health Certificate
It refers to the conversion of the veterinary health certificate issued by a private veterinarian into an electronically-issued official watermarked Veterinary Health Certificate. Note that the AVA watermarked veterinary health certificate is valid only 7 days from its date of issue.
Steps to apply:
(1) Bring your pet to a private veterinarian for an examination and to obtain a Veterinary Health Certificate.
(2) Apply the watermarked Veterinary Health Certificate via LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website. Supporting documents are required to attach to your application, including the signed veterinary health certificate, the vaccination records and laboratory test results (if applicable) and your application number.
(3) Collect the Veterinary Health Certificate from AVA or print it yourself using a watermark-enabled printer.
c. Endorsement of Veterinary Health Certificate issued by private veterinarian
It refers to the endorsement of the Veterinary Health Certificate to show that the veterinarian who issued the certificate is licensed by AVA.
Steps to apply:
(1) Bring your pet to a private veterinarian for an examination and to obtain a Veterinary Health Certificate.
(2) Bring the original signed Veterinary Health Certificate to AVA for endorsement. The process will take 1 working day.
4.Make Appointment for Pre-export inspection
This step applies to all commercial exporters and pet owners whose country of destination requires pre-export inspection. Submit an online booking request via AVA’s Intelligent Food Approval & Safety Tracking System (iFAST) at least 5 days before departure. Pets that need inspections before departure but without any prior appointment will be subject to inspection fee. The inspection should be held at least 4 hours before departure time to allow sufficient time to transport your pet to the cargo terminal. Keep in mind that the inspection must be done during CAPQ operating hours.
5. Make Arrangements with Ground Handling Agents
Pet owners should contact selected airline for the pre-export arrangements with the Ground Handling Agent prior to the departure and also ensure that their pets are accompanied by a copy of AVA Export Licence, the original Veterinary Health Certificate that meets the requirements of the country of destination and any other additional supporting documents required by the country of destination. There are 2 Ground Handling Agents: