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Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS)

Exporting ornamental fish

How to export ornamental fish

Last updated 4 February 2026

Use our live chat service (click the Ask AVS button on the bottom right) for real-time responses to questions related to imports, exports and permits of pets.

Ornamental fish refers to ornamental varieties of marine, brackish water, or fresh water: 

  • Fish 

  • Crustacea 

  • Aquatic mollusca 

  • Turtles 

  • Marine sponges 

  • Trepang 

  • Any other form of aquatic life, including the young and eggs of the above 

Fish and fish products intended for human consumption are not considered ornamental fish. 

Generally, only licensed traders are allowed to import, export, or transship ornamental fish. Exceptions apply to travellers taking ornamental fish into or out of Singapore for personal purposes (i.e. as pets). 

Personal allowance for ornamental fish 

If you are transporting ornamental fish into or out of Singapore as pets, you do not need to obtain the licence to import or export ornamental fish. However, you must fulfil the conditions for personal allowance stated in the “Taking ornamental fish abroad” section below. 

Please note that the personal allowance only applies to traveller’s baggage and not to items shipped by cargo. 

Taking ornamental fish abroad 

You may take ornamental fish abroad as long as required export conditions are met. 

If you take ornamental fish abroad in quantities exceeding the stated personal allowances, or are transporting them via cargo, you will require a TradeNet (opens in new tab) export permit. This permit can only be obtained by licensed traders of ornamental fish. 

While an export permit from TradeNet (opens in new tab) is not required if you keep your consignment within personal allowance limits, you may still be required to obtain an AVS-issued export permit. 

Ornamental fish taken abroad by travellers generally fall under these two categories: 

  • Species which do not require an AVS-issued export permit. 

  • Species which require an AVS-issued export permit. 

Species which do not require an AVS-issued export permit

An AVS-issued export permit is not required for export of the ornamental fish species listed below if the export falls within the personal allowance stated below. 

CITES-listed species 

If you are exporting ornamental fish species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), you are required to apply for CITES permits before export even though an AVS-issued export permit is not required. 

CITES-listed ornamental fish species include Asian arowanas (Dragon Fish), seahorses, and giant clams. The list of CITES-listed species is available in the CITES appendices (opens in new tab). 

Personal allowance limits per species

 Species 

Personal allowance (Maximum amount allowed without an AVS-issued licence. CITES permits are required regardless of quantity of fishes.) 

Asian arowanas (Dragon Fish) 

  • 1 fish in no more than 3 litres of packing water per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 2 pieces allowed in no more than 6 litres of water per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

Hard/CITES corals/Calcareous algae rocks 

  • 5 pieces per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 10 pieces allowed per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

Seahorses 

  • 5 pieces per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 10 pieces allowed per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

Giant clams 

  • 5 pieces per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 10 pieces allowed per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

If you are exporting fish of CITES species, please ensure to obtain: 

  1. A CITES export/re-export permit (opens in new tab) from NParks.

  2. A CITES import permit from the importing country (opens in new tab).

Non-CITES listed species 

Personal allowance per type of ornamental fish

Type of ornamental fish 

Personal allowance (Maximum amount allowed without an AVS-issued licence) 

Fish (excluding kois and carps) 

  • 30 pieces packed in no more than 3 litres of water per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 60 pieces allowed in no more than 6 litres of water per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

Non-swimming marine invertebrates (e.g. soft corals, starfish, sea cucumbers, etc.) 

  • 5 pieces weighing not more than 5kg in total, per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 10 pieces weighing not more than 10kg in total allowed per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car. 

Any export combination of the above is allowed, provided the shipment does not exceed 5kg. The quantity of each item must fall within the respective limits stated above. 

Species which require an AVS-issued export permit

An AVS-issued export permit is required for export of the species listed below. 

Non-CITES listed species 

Personal allowance per type of ornamental fish

Type of ornamental fish 

Personal allowance (Maximum amount allowed without an AVS-issued licence) 

Kois or carps (Cyprinus carpio) 

  • 30 pieces packed in no more than 3 litres of water per person per trip. 

  • Maximum 60 pieces allowed in no more than 6 litres of water per car. 2 or more persons must be present in the car.

Apply for an AVS-issued export permit before you take your ornamental fish abroad. Please contact us via our contact centre at 1800 476 1600 at least a week prior to your export in order to ensure sufficient time to assess and process this request. 

Note to travellers 

You should check what the import requirements of the destination country are before transporting any ornamental fish overseas. 

The export limits listed above may not be similar to the personal limits defined by the importing country, if there are any. 

Additional requirements may also apply. For example, some countries may require that an ornamental fish export health certificate be produced for entry, and insist that the certificate be issued by the exporting country’s relevant authority. 

Applying for an ornamental fish export health certificate 

Apply for an ornamental fish export health certificate by following the steps below. 

  1. Check what the importing country’s specific export health certificate requirements are.  

  2. Apply for and obtain a health certificate for export of ornamental fish via GoBusiness Licensing Portal (opens in new tab). 

  3. Upload the documents confirming your consignment’s fulfilment of the destination country’s specific health certification requirements. 

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

  5. We will arrange for an inspection of your consignment prior to approval of the export health certificates. The professional inspection fees are: 

    • S$63 per hour for inspection during office hours, from 08:30AM to 05:30PM. 

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