Here's the thing nobody tells you until you're already deep in the process: at some point, you hand your pet to a stranger and wait outside.

Not metaphorically. Literally. From 1 April 2026, pet owners are not permitted to enter Changi Airfreight Centre for import clearance. Your agent goes in. You don't. You find out how it went after.

This is now the law for every dog and cat entering Singapore by air — no exceptions for where you're coming from, how your pet travelled, or how organised your paperwork is.

So the real question isn't whether you need an agent. You do. The question is how you find one worth trusting with your pet.

So what exactly changed?

Two things, both from 1 April 2026.

You can no longer self-clear. All import clearance at Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Station (CAPQ) must go through an AVS-recognised pet agent. Before April 2026, if you were organised and brave enough to navigate Changi Airfreight Centre yourself, that was an option. It's not anymore.

**CAPQ's hours got tighter.** The station now runs Monday–Tuesday 9am–5pm, and Wednesday–Friday 9am–8pm, with a daily lunch closure from 1pm–2pm. Weekends and public holidays: closed. (Hours last verified June 2026 — confirm at avs.nparks.gov.sg before booking.)

Why do the hours matter? Because if your pet lands outside those windows, they don't just wait in a cosy room somewhere. They're held at the ground handling agent's animal facility — SATS or DNATA at Changi — until CAPQ opens on the next working day. That's an overnight hold you didn't plan for, charged separately, and entirely avoidable with the right arrival date.

Does this apply to me?

Yes. If you are bringing a dog or cat into Singapore by air — in-cabin, excess baggage, or cargo — this applies to you. It doesn't matter if you're an expat arriving with one elderly cat or a Singaporean coming home after three years abroad with a dog. The rule covers everyone, every time.

What does my agent actually do?

On arrival day, your agent collects your pet from the ground handling agent (SATS or DNATA), presents your documents to the AVS officer at CAPQ, manages the inspection, and arranges transport once your pet is cleared.

The documents they need to present: import licence, vaccination records, health certificate, and captain's declaration where required. If anything in that file is wrong or missing, they're the ones at the counter when it surfaces — not you.

After clearance, if no quarantine is required, your pet heads home. If quarantine is required, an AVS-appointed transport service takes your pet to the Animal Quarantine Centre, and your agent handles that handover.

One important boundary: your agent is responsible for what happens at CAPQ on arrival day. Everything before that — the vet appointments, the titer test timing, the import licence application — is yours to manage. Some agents include the import licence application in their scope; many don't. Check explicitly before you sign.

Here's the catch

AVS publishes a list of recognised agents on the NParks website. Being on that list, AVS notes clearly, "does not constitute NParks' endorsement." It's a starting point — a roster of names, not a guide to which ones are good.

Which agent specialises in your origin country? Which handles the full process versus clearance only? Which actually responds to emails three weeks before your pet flies? The list doesn't say.

That gap — between having to use an agent and knowing which one to trust — is the real problem the April 2026 rule created. And it's the problem Cleared for Landing is built to solve.

One thing to do right now

Find out which rabies-risk schedule your origin country sits on. It determines everything else — your vet timeline, your documentation, whether your pet quarantines on arrival. You can check at avs.nparks.gov.sg. If you're coming from the US, UK, Australia, or most of Europe, you're probably either Schedule I or II, which means no mandatory facility quarantine — but it doesn't mean no paperwork.

Start there. Then figure out your agent.

Cleared for Landing walks you through both — structured by your origin country, built around the April 2026 changes. Find out more →