Pet Transport from Hong Kong to Singapore
Singapore will let your dog serve its quarantine on your own sofa. That option exists only for Schedule II origins, and Hong Kong is one, which puts this corridor in a materially better position than …
Get your free quote →The Hong Kong to Singapore import process
Responsible: Your veterinarian
Responsible: Your veterinarian + approved laboratory
Responsible: You + your shipper
Responsible: You + Animal and Veterinary Service
Responsible: Registered vet + AFCD
Responsible: AVS
Which Singapore rules depend on a pet coming from Hong Kong?
Singapore sorts countries into 3 groups, and Hong Kong falls in “Schedule II”.
Rabies vaccination and serology (at least 0.5 IU/ml, sample 90 days to 12 months before export). Personal imports exempt from quarantine if the pet arrives within 5 days of the owner and has lived with the owner at the same address for over 6 months; otherwise minimum 10 days' home quarantine (10 days at AQC for commercial imports). Official source
These rules apply to that group, on top of the rules every pet follows:
- Quarantine: Schedule II personal imports are exempt from quarantine only if the pet arrives less than 5 days from the owner's entry and has lived at the owner's address for over 6 months; otherwise at least 10 days' home quarantine (10 days at AQC for commercial licences). Home quarantine conditions document is effective 18 Dec 2024. Applies to dogs and cats from Schedule II origins.
Importing dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies titre test: Rabies serology at least 28 days after vaccination, result at least 0.5 IU/ml, sample taken not less than 90 days and not more than 12 months before export, at a WOAH reference laboratory or a lab in a Schedule I or II country approved by its competent authority. Applies to dogs and cats from Schedule II and III origins.
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - Health certificate: Veterinary certificate (AVS template) dated not more than 7 days before export, signed by a government-approved vet and endorsed by an official government veterinarian of the exporting country. Applies to dogs and cats from Schedule II origins (same pattern in Schedule I and III conditions).
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies vaccination: Schedule II (and III) pets need a valid rabies vaccination with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine acceptable to AVS, primary and boosters per the manufacturer. Applies to dogs and cats from Schedule II and III origins.
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - How your pet may travel: Pets travelling in the cabin are handed to the Lost and Found counter in the arrival hall on landing and then cleared at CAPQ; all import clearance of personal pets, including in-cabin and excess baggage pets, must go through an AVS-recognised pet agent. Applies to Schedule II personal imports.
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - Parasite treatment: External (fleas and ticks) and internal (nematodes and cestodes) parasite treatment between 2 and 7 days before export. Applies to dogs and cats from Schedule II origins (also stated on the main AVS page for all).
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - Microchip: At CAPQ the pet is checked for a microchip whose code matches the one on the veterinary health certificate and the vaccination certificate. Applies to Schedule II.
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026 - Other conditions: Since the conditions dated 1 April 2026, pet owners must engage an AVS-recognised pet agent before arrival; all import clearance for personal pets arriving as manifested cargo or accompanied/excess baggage must be done through such an agent. Note: the AVS pet agent page and general information page still say applications may be made by the owner or through an agent, so the owner can apply for licences, but clearance goes through an agent.
Veterinary conditions for the importation of dogs/cats for countries/regions under Schedule II (DOGCAT 83-2, updated 1 April 2026), checked 1 October 2026
The rules that apply to every pet entering Singapore, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Singapore guide.
What does Hong Kong require before your pet leaves?
- Export permit: Not required: AFCD does not restrict the export of dogs and cats and no AFCD export permit is needed; the destination's own import permit and rules still apply. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Hong Kong.
Import and Export of Animals and Animal Products: frequently asked questions, checked 1 October 2026 - Export health certificate: For destinations other than the EU and UK, a registered vet issues the animal health certificate (normally within 10 days before departure, or as the destination requires) and AFCD endorses it; endorsement takes one working day, an AFCD-issued official certificate two working days (page revised 26 January 2026). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Hong Kong.
The issue of an official Animal Health Certificate, checked 1 October 2026 - Export health certificate: AFCD only examines animals and issues its own official health certificate when the destination specifically requires an official veterinary examination. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Hong Kong.
Import and Export of Animals and Animal Products: frequently asked questions, checked 1 October 2026 - Other conditions: AFCD fees (schedule dated 26 January 2026): endorsement or alteration of a health certificate HK$155; official examination of a single mammal HK$410 plus a HK$1,960 visiting fee where applicable. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Hong Kong.
Fees for Official Veterinary Examination/Official Health Certification/Testing (G111), checked 1 October 2026
What this route typically costs
Critical points
The 90-day minimum between the antibody blood draw and export is the real timeline, not the 10-day quarantine. A pet cannot follow a family at short notice on this route.
Since 1 September 2025 an owner cannot book Cathay pet cargo directly. The booking has to come through an accredited shipper.
Singapore caps pets by home type. An HDB flat allows 1 non-specified dog or 2 cats, and specified dogs are barred from HDB entirely.
Approved carriers on this route
| Airline | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Cathay Pacific | Since 1 September 2025 pet bookings are accepted only from IPATA or ATA members, IATA Accredited Freight Forwarders, or holders of a valid IATA Live Animals Regulations training certificate, so an owner cannot book direct. Hong Kong to Singapore is one of only three Cathay routes worldwide that accept brachycephalic breeds, and only from January to May and October to December, through an IPATA-certified BOAS shipper. | Cargo Only |
| Singapore Airlines | No cabin carriage on any route. Checked baggage only, minimum age three months, over 32kg including container goes via a cargo agent. Container height caps 70cm A350, 60cm A380, 101cm B777, 111cm B787, and no pets on Boeing 737s. Brachycephalic breeds prohibited outright. | Cargo Only |
How home quarantine actually works
Two conditions gate it, and both are about you rather than the animal.
First, the pet must arrive within five days of your own entry into Singapore. Sending the dog ahead to settle in, or leaving it behind for a month while you find a flat, both break the condition. Home quarantine is not available to someone in serviced accommodation for a fortnight while they house-hunt.
Get both right, and the animal comes home from Changi and stays there for ten days wearing a smart collar tag, under the published conditions for quarantine of dogs and cats at home. That is not a disaster, but it is a kennel rather than a kitchen, and for an older or anxious animal the difference is real.
Either way the payment is upfront at S$29 per animal per day or part thereof, so a two-dog household should budget around S$580 for the minimum period.
The 90-day rule is your actual calendar
Everything else on this route is quick. The antibody test is not.
The blood must be drawn at least 90 days before the export date and within 12 months of it, and it cannot be drawn until at least 28 days after a valid rabies vaccination. For a dog with current vaccination, that is three months from needle to flight. For a dog needing the vaccination first, closer to four.
This is the number that decides whether the pet travels with the family. Hong Kong to Singapore is a four-hour flight between two cities that people move between at short notice, often on a few weeks’ warning, and the animal simply cannot compress the window. Planning for the pet to follow later, deliberately, beats discovering the constraint in week two of a new job.
One quiet advantage of Schedule II: unlike Schedule III animals, your pet is not re-vaccinated against rabies on arrival in Singapore. The work your Hong Kong vet did is accepted as it stands.
Getting out of Hong Kong, and the Cathay booking rule
AFCD does the certification. Your own registered vet writes the certificate, then AFCD certifies it, which takes one working day. A full AFCD-issued Animal Health Certificate takes two. Applications are made in person at the Certification Desk on the fifth floor of the Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices in Kowloon, and if the destination requires an official veterinary examination the appointment has to be booked at least ten working days ahead.
Microchips are straightforward now: AFCD adopted the ISO 11784/11785 15-digit standard on 1 August 2025, so a chip that satisfies Hong Kong satisfies Singapore.
The booking is where this route has changed. Since 1 September 2025 Cathay Pacific has accepted pet bookings only from IPATA or ATA members, IATA Accredited Freight Forwarders, or people holding a current IATA Live Animals Regulations training certificate. An owner cannot ring the airline. Appointing an accredited shipper is therefore step one of the practical move, and its fee is a line in the budget rather than an optional extra.
A rare open door for snub-nosed dogs
Cathay restricts brachycephalic breeds to three routes in its entire network, and Hong Kong to Singapore is one of them. The other two are Hong Kong to London Heathrow and Hong Kong to Melbourne.
The window is January to May and October to December, which closes off Hong Kong’s hot months, and the booking must go through an IPATA-certified BOAS pet shipper.
For owners of Bulldogs, Pugs and Shih Tzus this matters enormously, because the alternative carrier will not help. Singapore Airlines prohibits brachycephalic breeds outright: every bulldog variety, pugs, Pekingese, Shih Tzu and similar, plus Persian and Himalayan cats and several other cat breeds. So on this corridor a snub-nosed dog has one scheduled option, for seven months of the year, through one kind of agent.
For everything else, Singapore Airlines is straightforward enough, with the usual caveats: no cabin carriage on any route, minimum age three months, over 32kg including the container handled by a cargo agent, and container height capped by aircraft type at 70cm on the A350, 60cm on the A380, 101cm on the B777 and 111cm on the B787. Check the aircraft, not just the airline.
Common questions about this route
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Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.