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AVA Address

31 January 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW DOG LICENSING RULES TO IMPROVE TRACEABILITY, DISCOURAGE PET ABANDONMENT AND REUNITE LOST DOGS & OWNERS TO TAKE EFFECT FROM 1 MARCH 2017

31 January 2017: In Nov 2016, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) announced plans to enhance the pet dog licensing regime. The objective is to (a) improve the traceability of pet dogs in Singapore, especially in the event of a disease outbreak such as rabies, (b) discourage pet abandonment, and (c) help reunite lost dogs with their owners. The relevant regulations have been amended today, and the new licensing regime will take effect from 1 March 2017.

  1. From 1 March 2017, pet businesses must ensure that all dogs intended for sale are licensed by AVA before they are sold. In addition, individual dog owners who sell or give away their dogs will have to inform AVA that they are no longer keeping the dogs.

  2. Since November 2016, AVA has been working with pet businesses to prepare them for the revision. “We have received encouraging feedback thus far. Our stakeholders are receptive to, and are ready for this change. Some of the businesses said that the change will reduce the amount of paper work and help them keep track of their sources, which is important for disease control. We will continue to engage our stakeholders and provide assistance where required, to ensure that the transition is smooth.” said Ms Jessica Kwok, Group Director of AVA’s Animal Management Group.

    All pet dogs intended for sale must be licensed before sale
  3. Under the enhanced licensing regime, pet businesses must ensure that all dogs that are intended for sale are licensed before they are sold. To ensure that pet dogs continue to be licensed and traceable when they are sold, pet businesses must also transfer the ownership of the dogs to their new owners upon sale. This transfer can be done via AVA’s online portal for pet licensing - Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS).


  4. To make it more convenient for dog farms and pet shops to comply with the revised licensing requirements, pet businesses will be able to register multiple dogs which are intended for sale under a single “group” dog licence. The licence fees will be tiered according to the number of dogs intended for sale by the pet business. A summary of the licence fees and their respective tiers can be found in Annex A.

    5. Individual dog owners
  5. The revised rules also require individual dog owners who sell or give away their dogs to inform AVA that they are no longer keeping the dogs. They will also be required to provide AVA with the particulars of the dog’s new owners. This can also be done via PALS.

  6. To facilitate the convenient transfer of ownership and licensing of dogs to new owners, AVA has made this feature available since January 2016 in order to allow users to familiarize themselves with the system.

    7. Information
  7. For assistance, feedback or enquires, AVA can be contacted via its online feedback form at http://ava.gov.sg/contactus or the 24-hour Hotline at 1800-476-1600. The user guide and frequently asked questions (FAQs) for PALs are also available at AVA’s website - http://www.ava.gov.sg/e-services/pet-animals/dog-licencing-eservices.

Issued by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
On 31 January 2017

Annex A

Annual Licence Fee for Dogs Kept for Sale in Pet Businesses

Maximum number of dogs at any point in time
Licence Fee
101 – 200 dogs
$1,000 per annum
51 – 100 dogs
$500 per annum
21 – 50 dogs
$250 per annum
11 – 20 dogs
$100 per annum
1 – 10 dogs
$50 per annum