Customs Regulations

SINGAPORE CUSTOMS REGULATION
Posted on 23-Feb-2022

Household Goods In to Singapore
Used Household Goods and Personal Effects may be imported free of duty within six months of owner's arrival in Singapore if they were in possession of shipper for at least 6 months and Shipper has an employment pass for a minimum of 6 months or his company can produce a copy of his employment pass application together with a sponsor letter.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
• Copy of shipper's passport.
• Detailed household packing list in English.
• Original Bill of Lading.
Alternatively GST, currently at the rate of 5% of the declared value of the shipment, must be paid.

DUTIABLE ITEMS IN SINGAPORE

Singapore Customs Authorities perform physical inspection of all inbound shipments of Household Goods. The following commodities attract duties:
Tobacco products
Current duty level:
Cigarettes/Cigars/Tobacco: at US$110.00 per kilo.
Wine, Spirits and other alcoholic beverages
Current duty level:
Wine (Still): US$6.00 per litre + 5% GST
Wine (Sparkling): US$8.00 per litre + 5% GST
Liquor, Whiskey, Brandy and Spirits: US$19.00 per litre + 5% GST
A test may be ordered for alcoholic beverage not listed with the Singapore Customs and duty will be levied according to the alcoholic content. Testing fee is
US$ 80.00 per bottle.
Always provide a detailed list of brand name, alcohol content and bottle size, pack in separate, clearly marked boxes and place these easily accessible in the container/lift van. This will facilitate customs clearance and delivery.

MOTOR VEHICLES AND MOTOR CYCLES

Please contact Raffles Movers International Singapore for further information prior to export to Singapore.

PETS

Except for pets arriving from the UK, Australia and New Zealand, all pets are subject to quarantine for one month on arrival to Singapore and also a licence must be granted by the Director of Primary Products, Singapore. The licence must be obtained 7 days before importation. Quarantine space is limited and must be booked months ahead.

VIDEO TAPES

Recorded video tapes/films, except for Ballet, Opera, Classical and Jazz music recordings, sports, educational, documentary and cartoon video tapes and films meant for children, must be censored on arrival to Singapore. A detailed list of titles with the documentation should be provided and packed in separate, clearly marked boxes and placed in an easily accessible position in the container/lift van. This will facilitate customs clearance and delivery.

Download a Singapore customs declaration Form

Importing goods into Singapore
As an importer, the company will need to determine if duty or Goods and Sales Tax (GST) payments are required on the products they are importing.

Importers should note that:

Duty and/or GST are suspended when goods remain inside free trade zones (FTZ);
Duty and/or GST are payable if goods are released directly for local circulation;
When goods are moved from an FTZ into customs licensed premises (such as zero-GST warehouses or licensed warehouses), duty and/or GST will be suspended as long as the goods are stored in the licensed premises; and
Duty and/or GST is not payable for goods granted GST relief or those imported under the Temporary Import Scheme under Singapore Customs. This also includes Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) schemes:
The Major Exporter Scheme (MES);
Approved Import GST Suspension Scheme (AISS); and
The Import GST Deferment Scheme (IGDS).
Documents for cargo clearance
For any containerized cargo entering Singapore by air or land, the importer is required to produce their customs permits and other supporting documents, such as invoices or airway bills to the customs officers for verification.

Any containerized cargo entering Singapore by sea will not require printed copies of supporting documents to be shown to checkpoint officers.

Exporting goods from Singapore
Goods must be declared to Singapore Customs if they are intended for export, and in such cases, there is no GST and duty levied on the goods.

An export permit from Singapore Customs is required for:

Temporary export of goods that are intended to be re-imported;
The re-export of goods under the Temporary Import Scheme;
The export of locally manufactured goods or local GST-paid goods;
Export of non-dutiable goods from a zero-GST warehouse, and goods under the Major Exporter Scheme;
Export of dutiable goods from a licensed warehouse; or
Export of goods from the FTZ.
The process for obtain