Licensing of veterinarians

To practise veterinary medicine in Singapore, you are required to apply for and obtain a veterinary licence from NParks/AVS.

Generally, veterinary degrees from veterinary schools fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) or the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) are acceptable qualifications for obtaining a veterinary licence in Singapore. These degrees may be issued by the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and AVMA-accredited veterinary schools.

Those who hold veterinary degrees from non-recognised universities may still be eligible for licensing if they have passed any of the following examinations:

• RCVS Statutory Examination for Membership
• North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) through the Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) Certification
• Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE)

How to apply

Please log in to LicenceOne to apply for a Veterinary Surgeon Licence (Licence to Treat Animals & Birds). Please ensure that you have an active SingPass or LicenceOne ID to facilitate licence application.

Approximately 25 working days is needed to process an application that is complete and in order.

The Licence to Treat Animals and Birds costs S$80 and is valid for a maximum of two years.

AVS veterinary licensing briefing

You will have to attend our veterinary licensing briefing within one year of your licensure. You are required to present the original qualification certificate for verification during this briefing.

Licensing conditions

The licence issued is subject to the following conditions.

• You must comply fully with the Code of Ethics for Veterinarians, and any such amendments that may come into effect. The Code of Ethics aims to assure the public of the quality service standards veterinary surgeons are capable of, and promote co-operation among veterinary industry professionals.
• You are required to work with an existing veterinary centre in Singapore in the first year after obtaining your licence, in order to gain local experience.
• You must inform us of any change in residential or practice address within 21 days of the change.
• You must provide us with prescribed information of all microchip implantations performed on dogs.

Please log in to the Intelligent Food Approval & Safety Tracking System (iFAST) to submit your business’ microchip records.

A full list of the licensing conditions for veterinarians can be found here. 

Compulsory continuing professional education (CPE) for all AVS-licensed veterinarians

More information on continuing professional education (CPE) is available here.