Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Singapore → Melilla (Spain)
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
4 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Singapore is in the group “Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 — no titer test” in Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into an EU country’s published list.See every group
Headlines for Melilla (Spain)
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Tapeworm treatment for some pets
- Designated entry point for some trips
What your dog needs
Dogs
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with a microchip, implanted (or read) no later than the day of its rabies vaccination.
Details and the official words
Travelling between EU countries, a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted instead of a microchip.
“must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“The date of administration of the vaccine does not precede the date of identification or reading of the microchip.”
“The pet animal (dog, cat or ferret) must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. The vaccination becomes valid 21 days after the primary course is completed; boosters must be given before the previous vaccination expires.
Details and the official words
“The pet animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination”
“The animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination, and any subsequent vaccination was carried out within the period of validity of the preceding vaccination.”
Paperwork
EU animal health certificate
An official (or authorised) veterinarian completes the EU animal health certificate and the competent authority endorses it. It is valid for entry for 10 days from issue (longer by the length of a sea journey), then for onward EU travel for up to 6 months.
Details and the official words
AVS endorsement of the destination's health certificate: If the destination needs a vet health certificate: a licensed private vet examines your pet and completes the destination's template; if the destination wants an official vet's endorsement, apply on GoBusiness and drop the original template, vaccination records and lab results at the AVS drop-off box (Raffles Building, Singapore Botanic Gardens). Endorsement takes two working days; express isn't available.
If the destination has no certificate template of its own, AVS can issue a QR-verifiable certificate from your vet's certificate; it is valid for only seven days from issue.
“valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks at the travellers' points of entry”
“remain valid for bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU if issued before 1 October 2026”
“The service standard for endorsement of importing country’s veterinary health certificate template is two (2) working days.”
“The QR verifiable veterinary health certificate is only valid for seven days from its date of issue.”
Paperwork
Non-commercial declaration
You (or the person you authorise) sign a written declaration that the movement is not commercial. If someone else travels with the pet, you must travel within 5 days before or after it.
Details and the official words
“a written declaration completed by the owner or an authorised person”
Route
Enter through a travellers' point of entry
Arrive through a travellers' point of entry designated by the EU country, and contact the authority there for the document and identity check.
Details and the official words
“must pass through a travellers' point of entry designated by each EU country”
Permit
AVS export licence (GoBusiness)
Every pet leaving Singapore needs an export licence. Apply on the GoBusiness Licensing Portal within 90 days before you leave: it is valid for 90 days from issue. It costs S$50 and is issued two working days after you submit all documents (S$100 for the one-working-day express service).
Details and the official words
“This licence is valid for 90 days from the date of issue.”
“Licence issuance will take place two working days after submission of all completed documents.”
Only in some cases
On arrival · only in some cases
Pre-export inspection (only if the destination requires it)
If the destination makes a pre-export inspection a condition of entry, request an appointment through NParks eServices at least five days before departure. The inspection is at the Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine Station during its opening hours. Turning up without an appointment means an inspection fee.
Details and the official words
“at least five days before the animal’s departure”
Good to know
- Young pets that are not yet fully protected against rabies cannot enter the EU from a non-EU country — in practice your pet must be at least about 15 weeks old (12 weeks at vaccination + 21 days).
- Some EU countries have their own rules on certain dog breeds. Check the destination country's national pet travel page.
- AVS tells you to check the destination country's import requirements first: some countries ask for vaccinations, lab tests or a vet health certificate before your pet can enter.
- Once your dog has left Singapore, cancel its dog licence in PALS.
- AVS fees: export licence S$50 (normal, issued 2 working days after complete documents) or S$100 (express, 1 working day); vet certificate endorsement S$23 (normal) or S$46 (express, not available for endorsing a destination's own template).
- On the day, bring your pet to the ground handling agent (SATS Gateway or dnata at Changi) with a copy of the AVS export licence, the original vet health certificate and any other documents the destination needs.
What your cat needs
Cats
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with a microchip, implanted (or read) no later than the day of its rabies vaccination.
Details and the official words
Travelling between EU countries, a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted instead of a microchip.
“must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“The date of administration of the vaccine does not precede the date of identification or reading of the microchip.”
“The pet animal (dog, cat or ferret) must be identified by the implantation of a microchip”
“a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. The vaccination becomes valid 21 days after the primary course is completed; boosters must be given before the previous vaccination expires.
Details and the official words
“The pet animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination”
“The animal was at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine was administered.”
“The period of validity of the vaccination starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination, and any subsequent vaccination was carried out within the period of validity of the preceding vaccination.”
Paperwork
EU animal health certificate
An official (or authorised) veterinarian completes the EU animal health certificate and the competent authority endorses it. It is valid for entry for 10 days from issue (longer by the length of a sea journey), then for onward EU travel for up to 6 months.
Details and the official words
AVS endorsement of the destination's health certificate: If the destination needs a vet health certificate: a licensed private vet examines your pet and completes the destination's template; if the destination wants an official vet's endorsement, apply on GoBusiness and drop the original template, vaccination records and lab results at the AVS drop-off box (Raffles Building, Singapore Botanic Gardens). Endorsement takes two working days; express isn't available.
If the destination has no certificate template of its own, AVS can issue a QR-verifiable certificate from your vet's certificate; it is valid for only seven days from issue.
“valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks at the travellers' points of entry”
“remain valid for bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU if issued before 1 October 2026”
“The service standard for endorsement of importing country’s veterinary health certificate template is two (2) working days.”
“The QR verifiable veterinary health certificate is only valid for seven days from its date of issue.”
Paperwork
Non-commercial declaration
You (or the person you authorise) sign a written declaration that the movement is not commercial. If someone else travels with the pet, you must travel within 5 days before or after it.
Details and the official words
“a written declaration completed by the owner or an authorised person”
Route
Enter through a travellers' point of entry
Arrive through a travellers' point of entry designated by the EU country, and contact the authority there for the document and identity check.
Details and the official words
“must pass through a travellers' point of entry designated by each EU country”
Permit
AVS export licence (GoBusiness)
Every pet leaving Singapore needs an export licence. Apply on the GoBusiness Licensing Portal within 90 days before you leave: it is valid for 90 days from issue. It costs S$50 and is issued two working days after you submit all documents (S$100 for the one-working-day express service).
Details and the official words
“This licence is valid for 90 days from the date of issue.”
“Licence issuance will take place two working days after submission of all completed documents.”
Only in some cases
On arrival · only in some cases
Pre-export inspection (only if the destination requires it)
If the destination makes a pre-export inspection a condition of entry, request an appointment through NParks eServices at least five days before departure. The inspection is at the Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine Station during its opening hours. Turning up without an appointment means an inspection fee.
Details and the official words
“at least five days before the animal’s departure”
Good to know
- Young pets that are not yet fully protected against rabies cannot enter the EU from a non-EU country — in practice your pet must be at least about 15 weeks old (12 weeks at vaccination + 21 days).
- Some EU countries have their own rules on certain dog breeds. Check the destination country's national pet travel page.
- AVS tells you to check the destination country's import requirements first: some countries ask for vaccinations, lab tests or a vet health certificate before your pet can enter.
- AVS fees: export licence S$50 (normal, issued 2 working days after complete documents) or S$100 (express, 1 working day); vet certificate endorsement S$23 (normal) or S$46 (express, not available for endorsing a destination's own template).
- On the day, bring your pet to the ground handling agent (SATS Gateway or dnata at Changi) with a copy of the AVS export licence, the original vet health certificate and any other documents the destination needs.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Singapore to Melilla (Spain)?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog into Melilla (Spain)?
Yes: Every pet leaving Singapore needs an export licence.
Will my dog be quarantined in Melilla (Spain)?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be identified with a microchip, implanted (or read) no later than the day of its rabies vaccination.