Dog Breeds Banned or Restricted in Malaysia

Most owners build the file in the order that feels natural. Vet appointment, microchip, vaccination, crate, flight. Each step produces a document, and documents feel like progress.

Breed sits outside that sequence. Malaysia’s import regulations state plainly that for dogs, approval to get the import permit is also subject to the breed, and they attach two separate lists to that sentence. One list closes the door completely. The other opens it, but only after a written approval that has to exist before the permit application starts.

That ordering catches people out. This guide sets out both lists, what the restricted route requires, and how far ahead the file needs to begin. It draws on how we run inbound work at My Pet Mover and on the published rules behind every pet import into Malaysia. The video below covers the wider move the breed question sits inside.

The list appears word for word in the Department of Veterinary Services regulations covering imports from non-scheduled countries and, identically, in the regulations for imports from Singapore. Origin country makes no difference at all to the breed rule:

• Akita. Every akita import Malaysia enquiry ends the same way, whether the dog is coming from Japan, the United States or across the Causeway.
• American Bulldog. Frequently confused with the English Bulldog, which is not listed.
• Dogo Argentino.
• Fila Braziliero. Also written Fila Brasileiro on many pedigrees.
• Japanese Tosa.
• Neapolitan Mastiff. Other mastiff types are treated separately, so the exact naming on the pedigree matters.
• Pit Bull Terrier / Pit Bull. The regulation folds several other names into this one entry, covered in section 5.

Worth being blunt about: a ban is not a hurdle a good agent or a calm temperament assessment can lift, and it applies to the animal rather than the owner’s circumstances.

The restricted list reads as follows in the regulations:

• Bull Mastiff.
• Bull Terrier. Note the split from the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is banned, not restricted.
• Doberman.
• German Shepherd / Alsatian. The entry expressly includes the Belgian Shepherd and the East European Shepherd.
• Perro de Presa Canario, also known as the Canary Dog.
• Rottweiler.

The sequence is the part owners misread. The regulation says approval shall be obtained in writing prior to application of an import permit. So this is not an extra form attached to the permit. It is a separate decision that has to land first, and the permit application cannot start until it does. That has a direct effect on when a MAQIS import permit can realistically be lodged.

Read the table by the name printed on the pedigree certificate, not by what the dog is called at home. The officer works from the document.

This is the drafting detail that decides more cases than any other. Owners often arrive certain their dog is fine because the pedigree says Staffordshire Bull Terrier rather than Pit Bull. The regulation anticipated that and named four alternatives inside one banned entry.

The same technique appears on the restricted side. The German Shepherd entry sweeps in the Alsatian, the Belgian Shepherd and the East European Shepherd, so a Belgian Malinois still needs the written approval route.

So the breed name that matters is the one on the pedigree certificate and the one recorded against the microchip and identification records. A vet’s informal description or a rescue centre’s guess carries no weight once the file is lodged.

Unlisted breeds rarely generate an enquiry at all, so almost everything we hear about is a case where the answer has already changed. Roughly a third arrives after money has been committed.

How to obtain approval for a restricted breed dog import to Malaysia

These are the conditions set out in the regulations, in the order they are usually worked through on a live file.

1. Confirm the dog is three months or older. The regulations set a minimum age of three months at the time of import, so a young puppy of a restricted breed simply waits.
2. Obtain the pedigree certificate. It must be issued by an approved organisation in the country of export, and the organisation’s name and address have to be stated.
3. Record the microchip on the pedigree. The dog is identified by an ISO 11784 and 11785 compliant microchip, and the identification code must be clearly recorded on that pedigree certificate.
4. Name the responsible importer. The application states the name and address of the importer who will be responsible for the care and handling of the dog.
5. Arrange the premises inspection. The residence is inspected to verify the kennel, the size of the compound, and the safety and control arrangements for the dog.
6. Provide the written declaration. The importer declares the dog is a personal pet not intended for sale, will be kept secure within the compound, and will be leashed and muzzled in public.

Note the fifth condition in particular. A premises inspection needs a Malaysian address that already exists, which means the house has to be settled before the dog’s file can complete. That single dependency is what pushes restricted breed moves months earlier than owners expect, and it is why the appointed authorised agent needs to be in place early.

Penang Island City Council set out its position publicly in 2024, confirming that the breeds prohibited from import are classed as dangerous and that the council will not issue licences for their ownership. Owners in breach faced fines of up to RM200, with confiscation possible where a removal order was not followed. Ordinary dog licences on the island were RM10 a year for dogs over three months old.

Two practical consequences follow:

• Check the destination council, not just the country. Licensing conditions, muzzling rules and kennel requirements are set locally, so the same restricted dog can be straightforward in one municipality and awkward in another.
• The rule follows the dog inside Malaysia too. Bringing a dog overland does not sidestep it either. That matters most on the Malaysia to Singapore corridor, where owners often assume driving the dog across the Causeway is a lighter process.

A restricted breed roughly doubles the lead time on a Malaysian dog import, and the extra weeks are spent waiting on an approval, not on paperwork.

The regulations are unusually clear here, which is what makes late discovery so frustrating. Nothing about a banned breed is negotiable, and nothing about a restricted breed is difficult, provided the approval and the inspection get the weeks they need.

If the pedigree wording is ambiguous, or the dog is a mix that reads like one of the thirteen, treat that as the first item on the list. It is a short conversation early and an expensive one late.

1. Can a banned breed enter Malaysia under any circumstances?

No. The regulations attach the breed lists directly to permit approval, and the seven banned breeds have no approval mechanism attached to them. Unlike restricted breeds, there is no written application, no inspection and no conditional route. The rule applies identically whether the dog arrives from Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom or anywhere else.

2. My dog is a mixed breed. How is that assessed?

The assessment works from documents rather than appearance, so the breed recorded on the pedigree certificate and the identification records is what the officer reads. Where a mix is described using one of the named breeds, expect it to be treated as that breed. Get the wording checked before the file is lodged rather than after.

3. Is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier restricted or banned?

Banned. The Pit Bull Terrier entry expressly covers the American Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Only the Bull Terrier, which is a separate breed, sits on the restricted list and can be imported with written approval.

4. How long does approval for a restricted breed take?

Plan on roughly sixteen weeks from first enquiry to arrival, against about eight for an unlisted breed. The variable is not the decision itself but the premises inspection, which cannot happen until there is a confirmed Malaysian address to inspect. Families still house-hunting are the ones who lose weeks here.

5. Does clearing the import rule mean I can keep the dog anywhere in Malaysia?

Not necessarily. Dog licensing is handled by local councils, and a council can refuse a licence for a prohibited breed and impose conditions such as muzzling or secure fencing on others. Check the council covering your intended address alongside the national import rule, not instead of it.