Official AVS fees · verified July 2026
How Much Is a Dog Licence in Singapore?
The dog licence costs $15 a year for a sterilised dog and $90 for an unsterilised one, before a 10% online-payment rebate. Every dog in Singapore must have one. Here is the full official fee table, the exact application steps, and the timeline that actually applies to a new puppy owner.
How much is a dog licence in Singapore?
A dog licence in Singapore costs $15 a year for a sterilised dog and$90 a year unsterilised (first three dogs), less 10% when paid online. A puppy under five months is $15 for the year, and a sterilised dog can take a $35 one-time licence valid for life. Licensing is mandatory for every pet dog.
The official fee table
Figures below are AVS's published fees for dogs not kept on a farm, current as of July 2026 and applicable before 1 September 2026. Paying via GIRO, online or AXS earns a 10% rebate on these amounts.
| Situation | 1-year | 2-year | 3-year | One-time (lifetime) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puppy below 5 months | $15 | N.A. | N.A. | N.A. |
| Sterilised dog | $15 | $25 | N.A. | $35 |
| Unsterilised dog | $90 | $165 | $230 | N.A. |
Source: the AVS licence fees page. A revised structure takes effect from 1 September 2026; check that page if you are reading this after that date. The fourth and subsequent dogs cost more, with one exception: a reduced rate for sterilised, obedience-trained local mixed-breeds adopted from an AVS rehoming partner.
What will the licence cost over your dog's whole life?
The tier you land in is a decision, not a fate, and the difference compounds. Take a puppy licensed at week 9 and follow three paths across a typical 12-year lifespan.
| Path | Year 1 | Years 2–12 | Lifetime total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterilise ~7 months, take the one-time licence | $15 (below-5-months tier) | $35 once, then nothing | about $50 |
| Sterilise ~7 months, renew yearly | $15 | $15 × 11 = $165 | about $180 |
| Never sterilise | $15 | $90 × 11 = $990 | about $1,005 |
The maths explains itself: AVS prices the licence to reward sterilisation, because sterilised dogs mean fewer strays and fewer accidental litters. Vets typically recommend sterilising from about 7 months, your puppy goes home unsterilised at week 9, and the moment you update the status in PALS the $90 tier becomes a $15 tier, or a $35 one-time licence you never think about again. Every figure above drops a further 10% if you pay via GIRO, online or AXS.
One niche tier worth knowing: the fourth and subsequent dog in a household normally costs $180 a year, but a sterilised, obedience-trained local mixed-breed adopted from an AVS rehoming partner qualifies for the reduced $15 rate. That is the licensing system quietly subsidising Project ADORE adoptions.
How to apply, step by step
- 1
Complete the Pet Ownership Course (first-timers). Free and online. First-time owners must finish the AVS Pet Ownership Course before a licence can be issued.
- 2
Log in to PALS with SingPass. PALS (pals.avs.gov.sg) is the Pet Animal Licensing System; every licence transaction happens there.
- 3
Apply with your puppy’s microchip number. Your puppy comes home already microchipped; the chip number identifies the dog on the licence.
- 4
Pay online for the 10% rebate. GIRO, online payment or AXS all qualify for the rebate on the published fee.
- 5
Renew, or update status when circumstances change. Sterilisation done? Update PALS the same week and your tier drops. Moving or rehoming? The licence transfers there too.
The new-owner timeline
- Week 9: puppy comes home, already microchipped, about a week after its second vaccination.
- First licence: the below-5-months tier ($15) covers the first year; puppies go home not yet sterilised.
- ~7 months: vets typically recommend sterilisation from this age; update PALS after and your renewal drops to the sterilised tier, or take the $35 lifetime licence.
- Every year after: renewal (or nothing, if you took the one-time licence), alongside the annual vaccination booster.
The licence and the vaccination schedule run on the same first-year calendar, and both costs sit on top of the purchase price; our published puppy price guide lays out the whole picture. HDB households: the licence does not override the approved-breed rules, it sits alongside them.
Why Singapore licenses dogs at all
The licence is a traceability system before it is a revenue line. Under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules, every pet dog must be licensed so that in a disease outbreak, rabies being the scenario the rules were built for, authorities can trace every dog to an owner and an address, and owners can be required to produce their dogs for examination. Singapore has stayed rabies-free for decades; the licence register is part of how.
That context matters when the $90 unsterilised fee stings. The system is not priced to punish you; it is priced to know where every dog is and to shrink the population of untraceable ones. A licensed, microchipped, vaccinated dog is inside that safety net. An unlicensed one is invisible to it.
What happens if you skip the licence?
Licensing is mandatory, and an unlicensed dog exposes you to enforcement action under the Rules. The practical friction arrives sooner than the legal kind: boarding kennels, groomers, vets, insurers and rehoming processes all ask for the licence number sooner or later, and HDB matters compound it, since keeping a dog in a flat already requires the breed to be approved and the dog licensed. An unlicensed dog in an unapproved situation stacks two problems.
The honest cost-benefit: a sterilised dog's licence is $15 a year, or $35 once, forever, minus 10% paid online. There is no scenario where skipping it is worth what it risks. If the fee tier is the objection, sterilisation timing, not non-compliance, is the lever.
Renewals, transfers and life events: what PALS handles
Renewal
One-year and two-year licences renew through PALS with SingPass; the 10% rebate applies to online renewal payments. One-time licences never renew.
Sterilisation update
Upload the status change after the procedure. Your tier drops immediately at the next transaction, and a three-year non-sterilised licence converts automatically to a one-time licence.
Ownership transfer
Rehoming or selling on? The licence transfers to the new owner through PALS rather than being cancelled and re-bought, keeping the dog’s record continuous.
Moving house or a dog passing away
Address updates and deregistration both run through the same portal, which keeps the national register accurate, the entire point of the system.
Everything above happens at pals.avs.gov.sg with a SingPass login; there is no paper process to queue for.
Dog licence questions, answered
How much is a dog licence in Singapore?
For your first three dogs, a one-year licence costs $15 for a sterilised dog and $90 for an unsterilised dog, with a 10% rebate when you pay online, via GIRO or at an AXS machine. A puppy below five months old is licensed at $15 for one year regardless of sterilisation. Sterilised dogs can take a $35 one-time licence that lasts the dog’s whole life.
Is a dog licence compulsory in Singapore?
Yes. Every pet dog must be licensed with AVS under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules, and the licence must be kept current. Licensing exists for traceability in a disease outbreak, and an unlicensed dog exposes you to enforcement action.
How do I check or renew my dog licence online?
Everything runs through PALS, the Pet Animal Licensing System, at pals.avs.gov.sg. Log in with SingPass to view your licence, renew it, update sterilisation status or transfer ownership. Renewal takes minutes.
Do first-time owners need to do anything before licensing?
Yes. First-time dog owners must complete the AVS Pet Ownership Course before a licence is issued. It is free, online and short, and you only do it once.
When should I update my dog’s sterilisation status?
As soon as sterilisation is done, typically from about 7 months old, update the status in PALS. Your fee tier drops from the unsterilised rate to the sterilised rate, and a three-year licence converts automatically to a one-time lifetime licence.
Is there a cheaper licence for adopted dogs?
Yes, one specific case: the fourth and subsequent dog gets a reduced fee ($15 one-year) if it is a sterilised, obedience-trained local mixed-breed adopted from an AVS rehoming partner. For most households with one dog, the standard first-three-dogs tier applies.
What happens if I don’t license my dog?
Licensing is mandatory under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules, so an unlicensed dog exposes you to enforcement action. In daily life the friction bites first: boarding, grooming, insurance and rehoming processes ask for the licence number, and an unlicensed dog sits outside the rabies-traceability net the whole system exists for.
Do the fees change in September 2026?
Yes, AVS has published its current table as valid before 1 September 2026, which signals a revised structure from that date. The figures on this page were verified against the official fee page in July 2026; check that page directly if you are reading this after September 2026.
Is the licence different for an HDB flat?
The licence itself is identical, but HDB households carry a second, separate rule: one dog per flat, from the approved-breed list. The licence does not legalise a non-approved breed in a flat; both requirements must be satisfied independently.
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