Moving with a dog or cat between France and Singapore

At a glance

Singapore → France

Bringing a pet from Singapore to France

The EU lists Singapore in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, the list of non-EU countries where rabies is under control. A dog or cat flying straight from Singapore to France therefore does not need a rabies antibody titre test. Everything else in the EU rules still applies:

• Microchip and valid rabies vaccination: a primary vaccination given at least 21 days before travel, or a booster given while the previous vaccine was still valid.
• EU animal health certificate (the Annex III model in Regulation 2026/705), completed by a licensed private vet in Singapore and endorsed by AVS, in French and English. It must be issued or endorsed no more than 10 days before the pet enters the EU.
• The owner's written declaration that the move is non-commercial, attached to the certificate.
• Arrival through a travellers' point of entry, where you declare the pet and show its papers to customs before leaving the international area. There is no appointment to book.

On the Singapore side, AVS issues an export licence (applied for on GoBusiness, valid for 90 days) and endorses the destination country's certificate: your private vet fills it in, you apply online, then drop the originals off at AVS at the Botanic Gardens. Endorsement takes 2 working days and there is no express option. Because the EU certificate is only good for 10 days until arrival, the vet visit, the AVS drop-off and the flight have to follow each other closely.

From 1 October 2026, every new certificate must use the 2026/705 model. An old-model certificate is only accepted if it was issued before that date, and no later than 31 March 2027.

France → Singapore

Moving to Singapore with a dog or cat

The authority is the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), part of the National Parks Board. It sorts countries of origin into three Schedules. France sits in Schedule II, alongside Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States, among others. Schedule I covers Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK; every other country is in Schedule III, which carries a 30-day stay at the government quarantine station. Note that Singapore's Schedule II has nothing to do with the EU's Annex II.

Conditions

• Age: at least 12 weeks old at export.
• Residence: lived continuously in France (or another Schedule I or II country) for at least 6 months before export, or since birth.
• Microchip: ISO 11784 or Annex A to ISO 11785; otherwise you supply a reader.
• Rabies vaccination with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine, currently valid (primary course or booster).
• Rabies titre test: see the dedicated section below.
• Core vaccinations at least 14 days before export: distemper, adenovirus type 1 and parvovirus for dogs; calicivirus, feline herpesvirus 1 and panleukopenia for cats.
• Internal and external parasite treatment 2 to 7 days before export, with product, active ingredient and date written on the certificate.

Banned and restricted breeds

Singapore does not allow the import of pit bull types (which, for AVS, include the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog), the Neapolitan Mastiff, Tosa, Akita, Dogo Argentino, Boerboel, Fila Brasileiro, Presa Canario or their crosses. Bengal and Savannah cats less than five generations from the wild cross are refused too. Some other breeds are allowed only under conditions (one dog per home, a muzzle, S$100,000 insurance and a S$2,000 banker's guarantee). Check the breed before anything else.

Licences and bookings before the flight

Everything is online and follows a fixed order: a dog or cat licence on PALS first, then the import licence on GoBusiness, valid for 90 days. You then need a GST In-Payment permit (or GST relief) from Singapore Customs, and finally an arrival inspection booked through AVS e-services. The AVS web page asks for at least five days' notice and its conditions document for five working days; we work to the longer one.

Health certificate and captain's declaration

The certificate follows the AVS template. Sections I to III are completed by an authorised vet and Section IV is endorsed by an official government vet; in France, official certification is handled by the departmental veterinary services (DDPP or DDETSPP). The certificate is dated within 7 days before export and is valid for 7 days. The original rabies vaccination certificate, showing the microchip number, travels with the pet. The AVS captain's declaration confirms a direct flight, or a stopover with the crate sealed and no contact with other animals; a change of aircraft needs AVS approval in advance.

Quarantine: what the rules say

For a personal import, AVS sets no quarantine when the pet arrives within 5 days after its owner arrives in Singapore. If it does not, or if ownership changes (including a pet acquired less than 6 months before export), the pet must spend at least 10 days in home quarantine, wearing a smart collar tag charged at S$29 per animal per day (as of 19 October 2026). The AVS web page adds a requirement of more than 6 months at the same address and words the trigger slightly differently from the conditions document, so we confirm your situation with AVS before booking the flight.

Clearance at Changi: an AVS-recognised agent

Every personal pet must be cleared through an AVS-recognised pet agent, whether it arrives as cargo, as checked baggage or in the cabin. A pet that flew in the cabin is handed to the Lost & Found counter before immigration and taken to the airport's animal quarantine station (CAPQ). AVS advises flights that land at least 3 hours before CAPQ closes.

Microchip and vaccinations

In both directions the pet needs an ISO microchip implanted before, or on the day of, the rabies vaccination. For the EU, the primary vaccination must be at least 21 days old on the day of travel, and France does not admit animals too young to have been validly vaccinated: in practice, no entry before about 15 weeks of age (12 weeks plus 21 days).

For Singapore, the titre test drives the calendar: the blood sample is taken at least 28 days after the primary vaccination or the latest booster. The vaccine must still be valid on departure. Because AVS counts the 28 days from the primary vaccination or latest booster, do not give a booster between the blood sample and departure without checking how it affects the file. Core vaccines (distemper, parvovirus, feline panleukopenia and so on) must be at least 14 days old at export.

Documents checklist

• Leaving France: AVS dog or cat licence and import licence; inspection booking confirmation; Customs GST permit; AVS-template health certificate endorsed by the DDPP; original rabies vaccination certificate; titre test result; captain's declaration; contact details of the clearing agent.
• Leaving Singapore: AVS export licence; EU animal health certificate endorsed by AVS; signed non-commercial declaration; rabies vaccination record; the boarding pass of the owner (or of the person they authorised in writing), who travels within 5 days before or after the pet.
• Transit through an unlisted country: if the route home connects in a country that is in neither Annex I nor Annex II, a signed declaration that the pet stayed on board or inside the airport's international area.

More on certificates and endorsements: vet documents.

Rabies antibody titre test

Going to Singapore, it is mandatory. The blood sample is taken at least 28 days after the primary vaccination or latest booster, and the result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. At export, the sample must be at least 90 days and no more than 12 months old, so a pet cannot leave less than three months after its blood test.

AVS accepts a WOAH reference laboratory for rabies, or a laboratory in a Schedule I or II country approved by that country's competent authority. France's official list, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, has three laboratories: ANSES Nancy (rabies and wildlife laboratory, Malzéville), Laboratoire départemental 31 (Launaguet) and INOVALYS (Le Mans). Some laboratories that have dropped off the French list still appear on certain foreign lists; avoid them.

Coming to France, no titre test is needed for a pet arriving directly from Singapore, or transiting only through listed countries (or through an unlisted one with the transit declaration).

Typical timeline (France → Singapore)

1. Check breed, residence and microchip 5–6 months ahead

   Breed allowed or restricted, 6 months' residence at export, a readable chip.

2. Rabies vaccination if needed at least 4 months ahead

   No need to revaccinate if the current vaccine stays valid until departure.

3. Titre blood sample 28 days after the vaccine, at least 90 days before departure

   Sent to one of the three approved French laboratories.

4. AVS licences, GST permit, inspection about 1 month ahead

   PALS licence, import licence (valid 90 days), then the inspection booked at least five working days before arrival.

5. Core vaccinations at least 14 days ahead

   Distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus for dogs; panleukopenia and cat flu viruses for cats.

6. Parasite treatment, certificate, DDPP endorsement 2–7 days ahead

   The certificate is valid for only 7 days, so the DDPP appointment is fixed around the flight.

7. Arrival at Changi within 5 days after the owner

   Clearance by the agent, inspection at CAPQ.

How pets travel

As of 19 October 2026, Singapore Airlines says it typically runs two nonstop flights a day between Paris and Singapore. Its pet policy: animals travel only in the hold as checked baggage, from 3 months of age; above 32 kg (pet plus crate) they must go through a cargo agent. Contact the airline at least two weeks before departure. Listed snub-nosed breeds and "any other brachycephalic breeds" are refused, pets are not accepted on connections with other airlines, and the charge, billed as additional baggage, is not published.

Air France listed Singapore in its winter 2025-26 and summer 2026 programmes; we check the current season. Its general rules: cabin up to 8 kg including the bag (not in Business on intercontinental flights), hold from 8 to 75 kg, snub-nosed breeds refused in the hold. Even a pet that flew in the cabin is treated by AVS as an import cleared at CAPQ by an agent.

For a heavy dog, a snub-nosed breed, or a pet flying without its owner on board, air cargo through a forwarder is the usual answer. See air cargo for pets.

Airports and checks

In Singapore, every pet comes in through Changi Airport and the airport's animal quarantine station (CAPQ), with an inspection slot booked in advance. An inspection without a booking costs S$133 per hour or part thereof (as of 19 October 2026). Pick a flight that lands at least three hours before CAPQ closes.

In France, a pet from Singapore must arrive at a travellers' point of entry; for direct flights that is Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Declare the pet and show its certificate to customs before leaving the international area; officers check the documents and the microchip. A pet that does not comply can be isolated, sent back or, as a last resort, put down, at the owner's expense.

What drives the cost

Official fees published by AVS, as of 19 October 2026:

Other items have no published official rate: the laboratory titre test, vet visits, DDPP certification, the clearing agent at Changi, the travel crate and the airline or cargo charge. Our quote lists each item separately.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up Schedule II and Schedule III: the 30-day station quarantine applies to Schedule III, not to France.
• Taking the blood sample too late: 90 days between sample and export is a minimum, with no exceptions.
• Treating for parasites outside the 2–7 day window before export.
• Letting the pet arrive more than 5 days after you, which triggers at least 10 days of home quarantine.
• Forgetting the agent: even a cat in the cabin has to be cleared by an AVS-recognised agent.
• Returning to France on the EU passport alone after a rabies booster given in Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

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