Bringing Pets from Singapore to Vietnam: AVS Export, Flights and Arrival (2026)

To bring pets from Singapore to Vietnam, you must meet three sets of rules: Singapore’s export rules, Vietnam’s import rules and the airline’s conditions. Singapore’s Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), part of NParks, issues the export licence and health certificate online. Vietnam sets the health requirements, and the airline decides whether your pet can fly in the hold of your own flight.

Short Answer: Can You Bring a Pet from Singapore to Vietnam?

• Is it possible? Yes. One or two personal pets need no Vietnamese import permit and no quarantine.
• Can the pet fly with you? Usually, yes. It travels as checked baggage in the hold of your flight, within the airline’s weight limit. Heavier pets, and pets flying alone, go as manifest cargo.
• How long does it take? About a month if the pet needs a new rabies vaccination. About two weeks if the current one is still valid.
• Who is involved? In Singapore: your vet, AVS and the airline. In Vietnam: the airport quarantine station, plus an agent if the pet flies as cargo.
• Can the pet return to Singapore later? Yes, but Singapore treats it as a new import. It spends at least 30 days in quarantine.

The rules that apply to pets from every country are in our Vietnam pet import requirements.

What Does Your Pet Need Before Flying from Singapore to Vietnam?

Check these five things before you book anything. If one fails, the trip stops or the date moves.

• Microchip. Implanted before the rabies vaccination. The number must match on every document.
• Rabies vaccination. Given at least 30 days before the flight and no more than 12 months old on arrival in Vietnam. A three-year label still counts as 12 months for Vietnam. See how rabies vaccine validity is counted.
• Age. The rabies vaccine is given from 12 weeks old. With the 30-day wait, the earliest departure is at about four months old.
• Breed. Singapore Airlines does not accept flat-faced breeds or their crosses. Its list includes dogs such as Pugs, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Cats on the list include Persians, Exotic Shorthairs, British Shorthairs and Scottish Folds. Vietnam Airlines’ acceptance conditions for live animals name Bulldogs, Terriers, Boxers and Pugs, and say the list is not complete. Get the airline’s answer in writing before you pay for vet work.
• Weight. Singapore Airlines takes a pet as checked baggage only if pet and crate together weigh 32 kg or less. Above that, the pet flies as cargo.

Vietnam itself has no national breed ban. Our page on breed restrictions for Vietnam explains where the limits come from.

Not needed: a rabies titer test (RNATT), an import permit or quarantine in Vietnam. This applies to one or two personal pets. Three or more pets in one shipment follow Vietnam’s commercial import process.

Moving a cat? Our guide to bringing a cat to Vietnam covers carriers and settling in.

Will Your Pet Fly as Checked Baggage or Manifest Cargo from Singapore?

Direct flights from Changi take a little over two hours to Ho Chi Minh City. The way your pet flies changes who does each step, so decide it first.

• Checked baggage, on your flight. Singapore Airlines accepts dogs and cats from 3 months old. It does not carry pets on flights operated by a Boeing 737, so check the aircraft for your flight number. Tell the airline at least 14 days before departure. Vietnam Airlines’ pet rules also cover checked baggage. Its Singapore notes only concern pets arriving at Changi, so confirm the option when you book.
• Manifest cargo, without you. The pet flies on its own air waybill, booked by a shipper (a pet transport agent). Singapore Customs requires an export permit for pets shipped as cargo, and a declaring agent usually files it. In Vietnam, an agent must clear the pet.

Not every airline on this route carries animals. Compare the options in our overview of airlines flying pets into Vietnam.

6 Steps to Bring a Pet from Singapore to Vietnam (About a Month)

The plan assumes the pet needs a new rabies vaccination. If the current one is still valid, start at Step 2. The move then takes about two weeks.

• Day 1: rabies vaccination.
• Day 10: book the flight and crate, apply for the export licence.
• Days 26–29: vet exam and AVS health certificate.
• Day 29: Form 3 filed in Vietnam.
• Day 31: departure from Changi, then quarantine and customs on landing.

A day-by-day plan that covers every origin country is in our pet import timeline for Vietnam.

Step 1 (Day 1): Rabies Vaccination, and Decide Whether the Pet May Return to Singapore

Who: your vet in Singapore and you.

A licensed private vet checks the microchip and gives the rabies vaccine. On the same day, decide whether the pet may come back to Singapore. A return needs a rabies antibody test with strict timing, and a test done in Singapore can save time. The details are in the section on returning to Singapore.

Step 2 (Day 10): Book the Flight and Crate, Apply for the Export Licence

Who: you, the airline and AVS.

• Flight: book the pet onto your flight, at least 14 days ahead for Singapore Airlines. Check the aircraft type. For cargo, the shipper books the space and arranges the customs export permit.
• Crate: choose an IATA-compliant crate big enough for the pet to stand, turn and lie down. Start crate training now. See how to size an IATA-compliant pet crate.
• Export licence: apply on the GoBusiness Licensing Portal. It costs S$50 (two working days) or S$100 (express, one working day). It is valid for 90 days, so you can apply early. You apply yourself or through an AVS-recognised pet agent.

Step 3 (Days 26–29): Vet Exam and the AVS Health Certificate

Who: your vet, AVS and you.

Your vet examines the pet. The vet then signs a health certificate showing the microchip number and rabies vaccination. You upload it to GoBusiness with the vaccination record. When the destination has no certificate template of its own, AVS issues a certificate with a QR code that foreign officers can check. This is the usual route for Vietnam.

You print the certificate yourself. It is valid for 7 days from issue and costs S$23 (two working days) or S$46 (one working day). Apply on Day 27, and it arrives around Day 29, inside the 7-day window for a Day 31 flight.

Vietnam does not require a pre-export inspection, so you do not take the pet to an AVS office. The full sequence is on AVS’s exporting dogs and cats page.

Step 4 (Day 29): File Form 3 in Vietnam

Who: you or your agent in Vietnam.

Form 3 is the quarantine declaration. It goes to the quarantine station at the arrival airport, about 48 hours before landing. Copies of the Singapore documents are enough at this stage. Form 3 is a request to be inspected, not an import permit. See our guide to Vietnam’s Form 3.

Step 5 (Day 31): Departure from Changi

Who: you and the airline, or the shipper for cargo.

Bring the pet with a copy of the export licence, the printed AVS certificate and the vaccination record. Keep the original documents with you. For cargo, they travel attached to the crate. The airline arranges handling with its ground handler at Changi.

If your dog has a Singapore dog licence, cancel it in the Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS) after the dog leaves.

Step 6 (Day 31, on Landing): Quarantine, Duty and Customs in Vietnam

Who: the quarantine station at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai, customs, and your agent for cargo.

With checked baggage, the pet is inspected at the airport after you land. With cargo, it is cleared at the cargo terminal.

• Inspection: the quarantine officer checks the original documents, scans the microchip and examines the pet.
• Form 15a: if the pet passes, it receives Form 15a, the import animal quarantine certificate, valid for 60 days.
• Fees and duty: you pay the quarantine fee and import duty (import tax). Duty applies to one or two pets as well.
• Customs: customs releases the pet. For cargo, customs first inspects the shipment at the warehouse.

With checked baggage and complete documents, this usually takes one to three hours. Recent requests on this route have all landed at Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. Noi Bai in Hanoi works the same way.

Why cargo needs an agent in Vietnam: a cargo customs declaration must be filed by a declarant with a customs account. An individual owner does not have one. You can still be named as consignee on the air waybill, but you then sign in person at the cargo terminal.

If the pet does not pass: there is no fixed list of outcomes. The quarantine officer decides based on the pet and the documents. Pets arriving without original documents can be refused entry.

What Does Bringing a Pet from Singapore to Vietnam Cost?

There is no single price, because several parties charge at both ends. Costs fall into three groups:

• In Singapore: vet visits and vaccination, the AVS export licence (S$50, or S$100 express), the AVS certificate (S$23, or S$46 express) and the IATA crate. For cargo, add the shipper and the customs export permit.
• Airfare: on Singapore Airlines, a pet never counts toward your free baggage allowance. It is charged as excess baggage by the weight of pet and crate. Cargo is charged on the chargeable weight of the crate.
• In Vietnam: the quarantine fee and import duty. With an agent, add the agent’s fee, and for cargo, customs clearance and terminal handling.

Current ranges by route and pet size are in our pet shipping cost guide for Vietnam.

Can Your Pet Return to Singapore from Vietnam Later?

Yes, but Singapore treats it as a new import from a Schedule III country, even if the pet was born there. AVS lists the conditions on its import requirements for dogs and cats:

• Licences: an import licence, and a dog or cat licence in PALS.
• Rabies vaccination: kept valid without a gap.
• Rabies antibody test (RNATT): a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. The blood is taken at least 28 days after vaccination, and between 90 days and 12 months before the pet leaves Vietnam.
• Quarantine: at least 30 days at the Animal Quarantine Centre. The test does not shorten or replace it.

If you plan to return within a year, a test done in Singapore before you leave can cover it. For a longer stay, a new blood sample is taken in Vietnam and sent abroad, because Vietnam has no accepted laboratory. Quarantine places have been booked out months ahead in 2026, so reserve one early. The full return route is in our guide to Singapore’s pet import rules.

We moved Lloyd, a golden retriever, the other way in June 2026. His antibody test was already done, and we booked his quarantine place on the first day. He left Hanoi as cargo at 5:00 on 3 June, an overnight slot chosen to avoid the summer heat. He landed in Singapore around 10:00, weighing 49 kg with his crate, and then spent 30 days at the centre.

FAQ: Bringing a Pet from Singapore to Vietnam

Can my pet fly on the same flight as me from Singapore to Vietnam?

Usually, yes, as checked baggage in the hold. Singapore Airlines accepts a pet as checked baggage when pet and crate weigh 32 kg or less, except on Boeing 737 flights. Heavier pets and pets flying alone go as manifest cargo.

How do I get the export licence and health certificate from AVS (NParks) in Singapore?

You apply for both on the GoBusiness Licensing Portal. The export licence costs S$50 and is valid for 90 days. Your vet signs the health certificate, and AVS turns it into a QR-verifiable certificate valid for 7 days.

Does Vietnam require a rabies titer test, an import permit or quarantine for pets from Singapore?

No. For one or two personal pets, Vietnam requires a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and the AVS health certificate. No titer test, import permit or quarantine is needed.

How long does it take to bring a pet from Singapore to Vietnam?

About a month if the pet needs a new rabies vaccination, because 30 days must pass before the flight. About two weeks if the vaccination is still valid, which matches the notice Singapore Airlines asks for.

How long does airport clearance take when a pet lands in Vietnam with its owner?

Usually one to three hours, if Form 3 was filed in advance and the original documents travel with the pet. The pet leaves the airport after Form 15a, the quarantine fee, import duty and customs release.

Can my pet go back to Singapore later without quarantine?

No. A pet returning from Vietnam spends at least 30 days at the Animal Quarantine Centre, even with a valid rabies antibody test.

For questions about Vietnam’s side that apply to every route, see our Vietnam pet import FAQ.