This is my first post after reading some hundreds over the past few days.
My spouse and I are moving to Singapore (probably permanently) in a few months from Australia due to work. We'll both get working visas and apply for permanent residency when the time comes. So far, all our preparations are looking good, except for one thing: our cat.
She is an abused and abandoned cat we found some years ago and have basically nursed back to health. After putting so much time into making sure she is healthy again (and doesn't look anorexic from starvation), we've gotten attached to the poor thing and want to take her with us rather than give her away to a friend.
After pouring over various official sites regarding pet import, I have a few questions for which I cannot find answers online. I will ring officials in Singapore next week if need be, but would rather just find out online.
We are planning on taking our cat in the cargo hold, largely to save costs, but have emailed a few pet mover places for quotes nevertheless. Oh, and it should be noted that we don't have to keep her in quarantine because there is no rabies virus in Australia, so that helps a little.
1. According to
http://www.entersingapore.info/expat-li ... ngpets.php, a pet needs landlord permission prior to arrival. This means my spouse will have to go to Singapore about a month before me, find a place to rent, fax back a permission letter, and then I will get an import licence and all the rest of it to bring our cat over. Is this necessary? There is no mention of needing landlord permission on the AVA website, nor can I find any mention of the officials checking for such a letter. Any advice?
2. The veterinary form at
http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/A17F ... eb2014.pdf has a section that needs to be filled out by the airline pilot of all people. How is this normally done? Before or after the flight? Is there a process I go through when booking the ticket, for example, or is there a staff member on the plane I need to see? There is no indication of how to go about this! Gaaah frustration.
3. The AVA website also says that, after landing in Singapore, to claim the cat I have to go to the Lost and Found desk and ask them to find her. That seems rather odd. Surely there's a more standard section for pet import than just the old Lost and Found'?
4. If we don't actually need the landlord permission, can we get the import licence and vet stuff done and just fly over together, and then put the cat in a cattery of some sort while we find a place to rent? Or do motels even allow cats, eliminating the need to book a cattery?
Life was so much easier before we had a cat. Still, we can't bring it upon ourselves to give her up after all we've done for the poor old thing.
Sorry for the length of this--I'm verbose. Thank you in advance to any who are able to give answers!