Singapore Pet Quarantine from the US: Home Rules, Smart Collar, Fees

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.

A dog or cat moving from the US to Singapore with its owner can skip quarantine entirely. Singapore's Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) waives it for a personal import when the pet arrives less than 5 days after the owner enters Singapore and has lived at the owner's address for more than 6 months. Otherwise, plan on at least 10 days of home quarantine, with a smart collar tag at S$29 per animal per day where eligible. The Animal Quarantine Centre (AQC) is for commercial imports and pets treated as Schedule III imports.

Where the US sits: Schedule II

AVS's rabies-risk schedule decides the quarantine:

Schedule	Examples	Quarantine on arrival
I	United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland	None, if fully compliant
II	USA, Canada, Japan	None, or at least 10 days at home
III	Any other country, Malaysia included	At least 30 days at AQC

Schedule III pets are also vaccinated against rabies on arrival. Moving from Britain instead? The UK to Singapore kit lays out the Schedule I steps, with no quarantine.

The two conditions that waive quarantine

AVS's import page (updated 19 October 2026) waives post-arrival quarantine for a Schedule II personal import when both apply:

• "The pet is brought into Singapore less than 5 days from the owner's entry into Singapore."
• The pet "has been continuously living in the same residential address as the owner" for more than 6 months before import.

The Schedule II veterinary conditions (updated 1 April 2026) put it the other way: home quarantine applies if the animal is not imported within 5 days of the owner's move, or is imported for transfer of ownership. That covers adopted and rescued animals brought in to be rehomed, and animals obtained overseas less than 6 months before export.

Unsure? AVS suggests applying for home quarantine for a preliminary assessment.

Applying for home quarantine

AVS's home quarantine form for Schedule II asks you to apply "at least four (4) weeks prior to intended scheduled arrival date, with the required documentation." NParks officers attend to applications within 5 working days.

Only after approval do you apply for the import licence: S$50 (normal) or S$100 (express), valid 90 days, no extension. USDA APHIS says licences must be submitted 30 days before arrival, so apply for home quarantine early. A timeline workbook that checks the 90-day licence window keeps these dates in line with your flight.

The rules during home quarantine

AVS's Conditions for the Quarantine of Dogs and Cats at Home require that:

• Your pet goes directly from the border inspection to the premises, by an AVS-designated transporter, at your cost.
• It does not leave, except for vet care, and no animals other than those on the import licence are there.
• No visitors come, except authorised officers and a private vet on a house call.
• You allow random in-person checks and video calls. If officers suspect a breach or cannot reach you, they may visit without notice at S$63 per hour or part thereof.
• You report sickness or death to AVS immediately, on 1800 476 1600.
• You request a final check by an officer, who approves release.

After a breach, you must surrender your pet "for isolation and quarantine at a quarantine station immediately."

Smart collar tags keep pets on the premises; for eligible pets, AVS charges S$29 per animal per day or part thereof, paid upfront: S$290 per pet for 10 days, by our arithmetic.

When the AQC applies, and its fees

The AQC takes commercial imports (at least 10 days from Schedule II) and Schedule III pets (at least 30 days). AVS's FAQ adds that a pet back from a Malaysia trip, or one that spent under 6 months in the UK after living in the UAE, is treated as a Schedule III import.

AVS's charges per dog or cat:

Room, per day	From 1 Dec 2025	From 1 Dec 2026
Fan	S$26	S$36
Air-conditioned	S$35	S$44

Transport to the AQC costs S$75 per trip, and a rabies vaccination, if required, S$68. Our estimate for 30 air-conditioned days from December 2026, plus one transport trip: S$1,395, or S$1,463 with the vaccine. Book early through AVS's Quarantine Management System (QMS), as AVS reports high demand; extensions are not allowed.

Arrival day at Changi

AVS says to book the border inspection at least 5 days before arrival; APHIS says 5 working days. Arriving without an appointment costs S$133 per hour or part thereof. The Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine station (CAPQ) opens at 9:00 on weekdays and closes at 17:00 on Monday and Tuesday, 20:00 from Wednesday to Friday. Since 1 April 2026, clearance must go through an AVS-recognised pet agent engaged before arrival.

For home quarantine, you contact a designated animal transporter to take your pet home. For the AQC, AVS arranges the transfer, weekdays from 10:00 to 10:30; later arrivals stay at CAPQ overnight.

A sample timeline

When	Step
Serology result received	Check the two conditions; reserve AQC space if needed
6 weeks or more ahead (AVS minimum: 4)	Home quarantine application
After approval, by 30 days before arrival	Import licence; pet agent engaged
At least 5 working days before arrival	CAPQ inspection booked
Day 10 or later	Final check and release

Plan it with the kit

The USA to Singapore kit, one of our route kits for owners leaving the US, includes 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.

Sources

• AVS: Importing dogs and cats
• AVS: Schedule II veterinary conditions (DOGCAT 83-2)
• AVS: Conditions for the quarantine of dogs and cats at home
• AVS: Home quarantine application for Schedule II
• AVS: Animal Quarantine Centre
• AVS: Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine
• USDA APHIS: Pet travel from the US to Singapore