Importing or exporting ornamental fish

Before you apply for the licence, please read our explanatory notes for import or export of ornamental fish. You must fulfil the following requirements before you can apply: 

• You must be a Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or an employment pass holder.

• You must be the manager of a business firm registered under the Business Registration Act, or the director of a company registered under the Company Registration Act.

• If you are self-employed, ensure that you have no outstanding Medisave liabilities at the time of application.

You must obtain prior approval from AVS if you intend to use your premises for activities relating to import, export, or transshipment of ornamental fish. 

The premises must have facilities for holding, packing, and quarantine of ornamental fish. 

You should also manage these premises well. Our guidelines on good management practices for ornamental fish import or export are available here. 

Open and maintain a GIRO account with us to enable payment of fees and permits. You can open your account by completing the application form for interbank GIRO and mailing it to us. 

If you are changing any details of your existing AVS GIRO account, you have to re-submit a new GIRO application form. You are required to maintain the existing GIRO account until the new GIRO account is approved, as your licence may be suspended if you do not have a GIRO account with us. 

Apply for and obtain a licence to import or export ornamental fish via GoBusiness Licensing Portal. 

Ensure that you submit the following supporting documents along with your online application: 

• The floor plan of your premises designated for import or export activity of ornamental fish. It must include the quarantine and packing area. You may refer to the sample floor plan.  

• A copy of the Unique Entity Number (UEN) notice issued to your company by the UEN issuance agency. 

• A copy of the tenancy or lease agreement of the premises (if applicable). 

You are required to obtain an import health certificate issued by the relevant authority from your intended imports’ country of origin if the imports include ornamental species susceptible to any of these diseases: 

• Spring viraemia of carp (SVC) 

• Koi herpesvirus disease (KHV) 

• Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) 

• Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis (EHN) 

• White spot disease (WSD) 

• Furunculosis (Aeromonas Salmonicida) 

More information on animal health certification requirements for import of ornamental fish can be found here. 

Additional requirements for re-export to Australia 

If marine ornamental fish are imported into Singapore for re-export to Australia, the relevant authority from the country of origin is also required to assure: 

• The disease status of the fish. 

• That the fish are wild-caught only, from areas at least 5 km away from a finfish aquaculture operation. The fish must not have come into contact with water, equipment, or fish associated with farmed food fish. 

For further clarification on importing ornamental fish, you may contact us. 

You will require an AVS-issued import permit to import ornamental fish.

CITES permits are also required if you are importing fish that are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 

CITES-listed ornamental fish species include Asian arowanas (Dragon Fish), seahorses, stony corals, giant clams, and many others. The list of species in the CITES appendices is available here.

Non-CITES listed fish 

Apply for an AVS-issued cargo clearance permit by declaring your import through TradeNet. This permit is valid for two weeks only. 

You must provide the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) codes and product codes in your application. The list of product codes for import or export of ornamental fish is available here.

CITES-listed fish 

If you intend to import CITES-listed (i.e. endangered species) fish, you will require: 

• A CITES export or re-export permit issued by the exporting country. 

• A CITES import permit issued by us. 

• A TradeNet import permit for the import of ornamental fish. 

Step 1: Obtain a CITES export or re-export permit issued by the exporting country’s relevant authority. 

Step 2: Apply for and obtain an AVS-issued CITES import permit via GoBusiness Licensing Portal. 

Step 3: Pay the permit fee of S$12 per permit per species. The permits are subject to a minimum total fee of S$60. 

Step 4: Submit an inward TradeNet declaration to obtain an import permit. 

You must provide the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) codes and product codes in your declaration. The list of product codes is available here.

You are also required to include the relevant CITES documents and import health certificate (if applicable) as supporting documents for this application. 

All applications must be submitted via TradeNet before 05:30PM on Mondays to Thursdays, and before 05:00PM on Fridays. This enables same-day processing. Applications made on Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays will be processed the next working day. 

Only written approval from us will enable you to import genetically modified fish or transgenic fish. 

Genetically modified fish or transgenic fish coming into Singapore for commercial release or research purposes must first undergo a risk assessment by the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC). We will determine whether the fish can be safely imported by taking GMAC’s advice into account. 

For information on GMAC and its guidelines, please refer to the GMAC website. 

Find out what the import requirements of the destination country are. Some countries require that ornamental fish export health certificates be issued by the exporting country’s relevant authority. 

Import requirements can be found on the website of the destination country’s relevant government authority. 

You will require an AVS-issued export permit to export ornamental fish. Additional permits from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are also required for export of CITES-listed fish. 

CITES-listed ornamental fish species include Asian arowanas (Dragon Fish), seahorses, and giant clams. CITES-listed species can be found in these CITES appendices. 

Non-CITES listed fish 

Apply for an AVS-issued cargo clearance permit by declaring your export through TradeNet. This permit is valid for two weeks only. 

You must provide the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) codes and product codes in your application. The list of product codes for import or export of ornamental fish is available here.

CITES-listed fish 

If you intend to export CITES-listed (i.e. endangered species) fish, you will require: 

• A CITES export or re-export permit issued by us. 

• A CITES import permit issued by the destination country. 

• A TradeNet export permit.

Step 1:  Apply for and obtain an AVS-issued CITES export or re-export permit via GoBusiness Licensing Portal. 

Step 2: Pay a permit fee of S$12 per permit per species. The permits are subject to a minimum total fee of S$60. 

Step 3: Obtain a CITES import permit from the destination country’s relevant authority. 

Step 4: Submit an outward TradeNet declaration to obtain an export permit. 
 
You must provide the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) codes and product codes in your declaration. The list of product codes is available here.

All permit applications must be submitted via TradeNet before 05:30PM on Mondays to Thursdays, and before 05:00PM on Fridays. This enables same-day processing. Applications made on Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays will be processed the next working day. 

This step only applies to you if the destination country mandates that an ornamental fish export health certificate is a condition for entry. 

Apply for this certificate by following the steps below. 

Step 1: Determine what the importing country’s specific export health certificate requirements are. 

Step 2: Apply for and obtain an AVS-issued health certificate for export of ornamental fish via GoBusiness Licensing Portal. 

Step 3: Upload the documents confirming your consignment’s fulfilment of the destination country’s health certification requirements along with your application. 

Step 4: Pay S$16.80 per certificate. 
 
Each certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue, and takes one working day to process. Same day issuance (i.e. express service) is available at a fee of S$33.60. 

Step 5: We will arrange for an inspection of your consignment prior to approval of the export health certificates. 

• S$63 per hour for inspection during office hours

• S$133 per hour for inspection outside office hours, or on an urgent basis