Singapore - Importing Your Goods

It’s best to seek the services of a good removal company. Choose a company that has an office at the Singapore end and understands the requirements of Singapore Customs.

There is nothing particularly onerous about the customs laws in Singapore but there is a list of things that cannot be imported. These include the normal things like weapons and narcotics and a few unusual ones like chewing gum. There is also a list of ‘controlled items’ that must be checked by a customs officer. This includes any videos, DVDs and laser discs. These must either be declared as being in the exempt category or you must pay a fee to have them checked by the Board of Film Censorship. It will obviously be easier not to include any videos in your shipment.

Consider the climate in Singapore when you are deciding what to bring. Antiques, leather sofas and some textiles may deteriorate in the constant heat and humidity. In fact, anything that is likely to grow mould such as old books and photograph albums is probably best left in storage somewhere else.

Winter clothes and winter sports equipment will obviously not be needed except if you plan to travel to winter destinations for pleasure or business.

Think again before you include any food items in your shipment. Containers on ships and docks in the tropics will always be at temperatures above 25 centigrade and most of the time much hotter than that. There will be customs duty and Goods and Services Tax levied on alcohol and tobacco products.

Extremely high customs duties are levied on imported cars. The minimum requirement is that the car must be less than three years old.

Pets from many countries must undergo a period of quarantine after arriving in Singapore.