Moving to Singapore With a Dog From the UK

General information, not veterinary advice. Requirements are set by the destination authority and can change: confirm with the official authority, your accredited vet and your airline.

If you are relocating from the UK, you start with an advantage. Singapore's Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) lists the United Kingdom in Schedule I, its lowest rabies-risk group, alongside Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The paperwork is still detailed, and the order of steps matters.

What Schedule I means for your pet

According to the AVS Schedule I health certificate, a rabies vaccination is not required for pets from the UK, provided the UK has had no reported rabies case for at least 24 months before export. Pets from Schedule I that meet every condition and arrive healthy are not quarantined.

Schedules can change, and AVS advises checking close to your import date.

Before you book: eligibility checks

Residence. Your pet must have lived in the UK (or another Schedule I country) for at least 6 months before export, or since birth. You give a written residence declaration as part of the UK certificate.
Age. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old at export.
Microchip. The chip must meet ISO 11784 or Annex A of ISO 11785, or you must bring a compatible reader. The chip number appears on all vaccination and treatment records.
Breed. Singapore prohibits several dog breeds and their crosses, including Pit Bull types, Akita, Boerboel, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff, Tosa and Perro de Presa Canario. Bengal and Savannah crosses of the 1st to 4th generation are also prohibited. Breeds such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Dobermans are allowed only under extra conditions, such as leash, muzzle and insurance rules.
Housing. HDB flats allow one dog of an HDB-approved breed. For cats, AVS and HDB pages read differently, so confirm with HDB before you sign a lease.

Working with your vet and the Official Veterinarian

On the UK side, the certificate is EHC 7106, "Export cats and dogs to Singapore". In England, Scotland and Wales, you apply through the online export health certificate service on GOV.UK. Northern Ireland uses DAERA's DECS system.

An Official Veterinarian (OV) appointed by Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government or DAERA signs it and stamps it in any color other than black. The OV can only certify the notifiable disease paragraph after receiving Form 618NDC from the issuing office. Singapore accepts only vaccination certificates issued by a vet, and the original record travels with your pet.

What your vet needs to cover, by the rules:

Core vaccines at least 14 days before export. Dogs: canine distemper, adenovirus type 1 and parvovirus type 2. Cats: feline calicivirus, herpesvirus-1 and panleukopenia. Pets under 16 weeks need at least two doses, the first no earlier than 6 weeks of age.
Parasite treatments, external and internal, each 2 to 7 days before export.
Exam and chip scan within 7 days before export, with the health certificate dated in the same window.

Your countdown

Countdown to export	What happens
6 months or more	Residence requirement met
Before arrival, in order	Dog or cat license, then import license (valid 90 days), pet agent appointed
At least 14 days	Core vaccines completed
Within 7 days	Clinical exam, chip scan, EHC 7106 signed by the OV
2 to 7 days	External and internal parasite treatments
Before booking the inspection	GST permit or relief approved (permit valid 10 working days)
At least 5 working days before arrival	Changi inspection booked

Singapore-side permits

Get a dog or cat license on PALS first, then apply for the import license with that license attached. AVS publishes the import license fee as S$50 (normal) or S$100 (express), valid 90 days from issue. Since cat licensing became mandatory in Singapore, every pet cat living there needs a microchip and license.

You also need a Customs In-Payment (GST) permit or relief approval before arrival and before you book the inspection, and you must appoint an AVS-recognized pet agent: owners can no longer clear personal pets themselves.

The journey and arrival at Changi

Your airline signs a captain's declaration confirming your pet boarded in the UK, stayed in a tamper-proof sealed cage and had no contact with other animals. Any change of aircraft en route needs prior AVS permission. A broken seal or incomplete forms can lead to quarantine, even from Schedule I.

At the time of writing, Singapore Airlines' pet page states that pets travel as checked baggage in a temperature-controlled hold, with a minimum age of 3 months, an IATA-standard container, no carriage on Boeing 737 flights, and restrictions on brachycephalic breeds. Confirm current rules with any airline you consider.

Book the inspection at the Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine station at least 5 working days ahead. The station is closed on weekends and public holidays, and you should land at least 3 hours before closing. A pet traveling as excess baggage is handed over at the Lost & Found counter, before Customs and Immigration, in a rigid IATA-compliant crate. If an airline accepts your pet in the cabin, ask your pet agent how the handover works.

Plan it with the kit

The UK to Singapore kit contains a user guide, a timeline workbook that computes every date from your flight date, a vet visit brief, a document and airline checklist, and letter templates. It sets out the AVS and GOV.UK steps in order and links to each official page.

Schedule I$29

UK to Singapore pet move kit

Singapore from the UK (Schedule I): no rabies titer, but licences, core vaccines, the 2 to 7 day certificate window and the required pet agent, all dated.

See the kit

Moving to Singapore With a Dog or Cat From the UK