Buying a Pet Shop in Singapore: Does the AVS Licence Transfer?
Short answer: no, an AVS pet shop licence does not simply come with the shop. It is issued for specific premises, and the licensing rules bar transferring it without AVS’s prior approval. If you buy only the fit-out, stock and goodwill (an asset sale), expect your business to apply for its own licence, complete the mandatory pet-welfare training and pass a premises inspection. If you buy the company that holds the licence (a share sale), the licensee usually stays the same, but confirm with AVS before you sign.
This guide is general information drawn from the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) of NParks, Singapore Statutes Online, GoBusiness, URA, SFA, MOM and IRAS, not legal advice. Have a Singapore lawyer review your sale agreement and lease before you sign.
Does a pet shop in Singapore need an AVS licence?
Yes, if it keeps or displays animals for sale. The Animals and Birds (Licensing of Premises for Pet Shop and Other Purposes) Rules say no one may use premises as a pet shop without a valid licence for those premises, and define a pet shop as premises where pet animals or birds are kept or displayed for sale by retail, wholesale or for export. Breaking it can mean a fine of up to S$5,000. A store selling only pet food and accessories falls outside that definition; get the licence before adding live animals, including fish.
AVS’s pet shop licence page lists a non-refundable application fee of S$94.50 (including GST) and a licence fee of S$126, both paid on application. GoBusiness lists the licence as valid for one year.
Does the AVS pet shop licence transfer to a new owner?
Not automatically. Rule 5 of the licensing rules says no licensee may transfer or assign the benefit of the licence to anyone without the prior approval of AVS’s Director-General. AVS publishes only a fresh-application process, in which the applicant must be the sole proprietor, partner or director of the business applying and must have passed the mandatory training. So most new owners should expect to apply. Ask AVS in writing whether it would approve a transfer in your case.
AVS may refuse a licence if the applicant, a partner or a director was convicted under the Animals and Birds Act or had a licence suspended or revoked. “AVS-licensed” in a sale advert describes the seller’s licence. Check the shop on AVS’s public registry of licensed pet shops, which shows each licence number and the types of animals approved.
What changes in a share sale vs an asset sale?
Share sale. The licensee company, its UEN and the premises stay the same. But AVS ties the licence to the people running the shop: its dog and cat licence conditions require the licensee and the staff who manage the animals day to day to complete the training. If the trained director is leaving, ask AVS what must be updated and who must train before completion.
Asset sale. Your own business applies on the GoBusiness Dashboard with URA and HDB approvals, ACRA documents, the tenancy or letter of intent, a layout plan, an animal management plan, your animal sources and your training certificate. AVS then inspects the premises. AVS approves within three working days, but only once all documents, fees and the inspection are complete. Animals must not be displayed or sold before your licence is issued, so agree who cares for them until then. See our asset sale vs share sale guide for the wider trade-offs.
What training does a new pet shop owner need?
AVS requires training on pet welfare and animal management from a course provider it recognises. AVS names Temasek Polytechnic’s Temasek SkillsFuture Academy as the first such provider; the certificate is currently valid for life.
It is not only the owner. The dog and cat conditions cover staff who care for the animals day to day (qualified vets and vet nurses excepted), and the fish conditions cover the manager and staff with more than six months at the shop, when required. Ask for every certificate.
Is the shop unit approved for a pet shop?
AVS asks for URA’s written permission for the change of use of the premises and, for HDB commercial premises, a letter of approval or no objection from HDB. URA’s change of use guidance advises against committing to a tenancy or renovation before its decision. For HDB units, see our HDB shop takeover guide.
AVS’s information guide for pet shops says the layout plan must show enclosures, a quarantine or isolation area, an exercise area for dogs and cats, washing, ventilation and waste disposal, and barriers separating any grooming area. The animal management plan covers species, numbers per enclosure, sick animals, carcass disposal and emergencies. Review the licence conditions before renovating; moving the display area later needs AVS approval.
What happens to the animals and stock in the sale?
Cats and dogs for sale must be covered by a retail group pet licence, which AVS processes only after a pet shop licence is issued, and which must be updated in AVS’s Pet Animal Licensing System if the licence owner changes. Fees run from S$50 to S$1,000 a year by number of animals.
The dog and cat conditions also require records of every animal kept for at least a year, proof of each animal’s source (AVS-licensed breeders or shops, imports or AVS-approved sources) and no more animals than AVS approved. Ask for those records, vaccination cards and microchip details, and value animals separately from dry stock.
Do pet grooming, boarding and pet cafés need their own licence?
Boarding. The same rules require a licence to board pet animals for reward, though premises used solely for pet day care are excluded. AVS’s pet boarding licence needs the same training, URA permission, layout plans and inspection, with an annual fee of S$100; no animals may be boarded before approval. A pet shop selling dogs or cats needs AVS’s prior written approval to board or offer day care on its premises.
Grooming. AVS’s business pages list no separate licence for grooming alone, but groomers are covered by AVS’s Code of Animal Welfare, whose pet groomers annex was updated on 3 October 2026. Confirm with AVS, as rules can change. In a pet shop, animals for grooming must be kept in separate rooms from animals for sale.
Pet cafés. Under SFA’s food retail rules, pets may come inside a food shop only if it holds a pet café licence, which is also needed to serve pet food and requires separate preparation and storage areas. Since 1 January 2025, cafés not serving pet food may allow pets in outdoor refreshment areas without converting. For the food licence itself, see our SFA licence transfer guide.
What else should you check before buying a pet shop?
- Staff: in a going-concern purchase, Section 18A of the Employment Act moves employees across on their existing terms. MOM says a transfer of shares, or of assets only, is not such a transfer. See what happens to staff in a business takeover.
- Prepaid packages: agree who honours grooming or boarding credits already sold; our guide to buying a gym explains prepaid packages in share and asset sales.
- Lease: whether the landlord will assign it or grant a new one, and any change-of-control clause.
- GST: if the seller is GST-registered, a sale of the business as a going concern can be an excluded transaction with no GST charged, if IRAS’s conditions are met.
Our due diligence checklist for buyers and how to buy a business in Singapore cover the rest.
How do you buy or sell a pet business on SG Business Mart?
SG Business Mart is a Singapore marketplace, not a broker. Sellers list their business directly and talk to buyers themselves, with one-time listing packages of S$49, S$79 or S$99 (see pricing). Browse retail businesses for sale and service businesses for sale, such as a pet shop in Paya Lebar, a pet care and grooming shop, a cat grooming and boarding business in Bedok, a pet hotel in the north-east and east and an indoor pet-friendly café. Sharing the licence number, approved layout and animal records upfront speeds up a buyer’s checks.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy a pet shop in Singapore?
Yes. You can buy the company that runs it (a share sale) or only its fit-out, stock and goodwill (an asset sale). The route decides whether you need a new AVS pet shop licence, so settle it before you agree a price.
Is an AVS pet shop licence transferable?
Not freely. The licensing rules bar a licensee from transferring or assigning the licence without AVS’s prior approval, and AVS’s published process is a fresh application by a trained sole proprietor, partner or director. Most new owners should expect to apply, and should ask AVS in writing.
Do you need a new licence if you buy the company that holds it?
Not necessarily, because the licensee company stays the same. AVS’s licence conditions still require the licensee and animal-care staff to be trained, so ask AVS what must be updated, and who must train, if the trained director leaves.
How much does an AVS pet shop licence cost?
AVS lists a non-refundable application fee of S$94.50 (including GST) and a licence fee of S$126, paid on application, and GoBusiness lists the licence as valid for one year. Shops selling cats or dogs also need a retail group pet licence, from S$50 to S$1,000 a year.
How long does an AVS pet shop licence take?
AVS says it approves within three working days once all documents are in, fees are paid and the premises pass inspection. URA and HDB approvals, training and any renovation come first, so the full timeline varies. Confirm it with AVS.
Can you sell animals while your licence is pending?
No. AVS says not to display or sell animals before you receive your pet shop licence. Agree with the seller who cares for the animals until then.
Does a pet grooming shop or pet hotel need an AVS licence?
Boarding pets for reward needs an AVS pet boarding licence, with an annual fee of S$100, unless the premises are used solely for day care. AVS lists no separate licence for grooming alone, but groomers are covered by its Code of Animal Welfare. Confirm with AVS before you buy.
Do pet shop staff transfer when you buy the business?
In a going-concern purchase, Section 18A of the Employment Act moves employees on their existing terms. MOM says share sales and assets-only purchases do not count. In a share sale the company stays the employer; in an assets-only deal, agree who employs them.
