Singapore's banned and restricted dog breeds, explained

There is no appeal process for a banned breed. If your dog is on the prohibited list, it cannot be imported, and no amount of paperwork, vaccination history or good behaviour changes that. So this is the first thing to check — before the vet appointments, before the flights, and certainly before you accept a job offer that involves moving.

This is the current AVS position, with the conditions set out plainly.

Breeds that cannot enter Singapore

These are prohibited outright, along with crosses of any of them:

• Pit Bull, which AVS defines to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and American Bulldog
• Akita
• Boerboel
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Neapolitan Mastiff
• Tosa
• Perro de Presa Canario

Two things worth understanding about that list. First, "crosses of these breeds" is doing real work — a dog that is visibly part Staffordshire Bull Terrier falls under the ban even if its papers say something else. Second, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier catches people out constantly, because it is a common and well-regarded family dog in the UK and Australia. In Singapore it is prohibited.

Breeds allowed only with conditions

AVS calls these specified breeds. They may be imported and kept, but the conditions are serious and ongoing:

• Bull Terrier
• Doberman Pinscher
• Rottweiler
• German Shepherd Dog, and related breeds including the Belgian Shepherd and East European Shepherd
• Mastiffs, including the Bull Mastiff, Cane Corso and Dogue de Bordeaux
• Crosses of any of the above

The conditions that come with them:

1. Only one such dog per premises. Not one per person — one per address.
2. Leashed and securely muzzled in public, every time, for the dog's whole life.
3. Insurance of at least $100,000, plus a banker's guarantee of $2,000.

That last point is the one people underestimate. A banker's guarantee is not a deposit you hand over at the counter; it is an instrument your bank issues, usually requiring you to pledge funds, and it takes time to arrange. Start it early, and budget for the bank's fee on top.

What HDB adds

Housing rules sit on top of the AVS rules, and they are stricter:

• HDB flats: one dog only, and only from HDB's approved breed list. Specified breeds are not allowed in HDB flats at all.
• Private property: up to three dogs and cats combined, of which at most one may be a specified breed.

So a Rottweiler is importable in principle, and impossible if you are moving into an HDB flat. Establish where you will live before you plan the move.

Mixed breeds and the photo requirement

If your dog is a mixed or cross breed, AVS requires a clear colour photograph showing the head and body with the licence application, so they can verify it is not a prohibited type. Take it in good light, from the side, with the whole dog visible.

If your dog resembles a banned breed but is not one, expect questions, and have whatever evidence you can offer ready: pedigree papers, a DNA test, a vet's letter describing the breed. Resolve it at the application stage. Discovering a problem after the dog has flown is a situation nobody wants to be in, and the outcomes at that point are limited to re-export or worse.

Cats, briefly

The cat list is much shorter. First to fourth generation Bengal and Savannah crosses are banned, because AVS does not consider them domesticated. Fifth generation (F5) and later are permitted, with documentary proof of the generation required both with the licence application and at inspection. Every other domestic cat breed is unrestricted — including Maine Coons, which we know rather well through our cattery.

If your dog is allowed, what's next

Breed clearance is the gate, not the journey. Once you know your dog can come, the process runs through licences, the rabies timeline and clearance at Changi, all of which we set out in importing a dog to Singapore. The full AVS rules cover the country schedules, and the cost calculator will give you dates and a price for your specific country.

Not sure whether your dog counts as a specified breed or a cross of a banned one? Send us a photo and the pedigree if you have one. We would rather tell you early, even when the answer is one you did not want.

Breed rules can change. This reflects the current AVS position at the time of writing; always check the official AVS guidance before making plans.