What You Need to Know for Import of Food for Commercial Sale

The licence/registration you need will depend on the classification of your food or food products. 

Before you apply for a licence/registration, determine the appropriate classification for your food or food products. You can refer to the information on the Classification of General Food & Food Products or use the Food and Related Products Classification Tool to assist you.

To apply for a licence/register with SFA as an importer, you must satisfy these general requirements:

• be registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) with a valid UEN
• have activated your UEN with Singapore Customs to import/export food or food products 

For more information, see Requirements for Licence / Permit / Registration for Import / Export.

Import Requirements

Once you have classified your food or food product, you must ensure you can meet the licence/register with SFA as an importer. Food or food products that do not meet the import requirements will not be allowed into Singapore. 

For example, only SFA-approved ingredients, including food additives, can be imported.

Do take note that if your food or food products are classified as ‘Meat & Meat Products’, you will need to comply with the specific import requirements for Meat & Meat Products. For example, you must ensure that the meat or meat products are only imported from approved sources, as unapproved sources may carry animal and food-borne diseases. 

For more information, see Import Requirements for Food & Food Products.

Food Legislation

All businesses must also comply with Singapore’s prevailing food legislation. The legislation that applies depends on how your food or food products are classified. 

You are now ready to apply for a licence/registration. SFA takes at least 1 working day to review complete applications.

As part of the process, you will need to set up a GIRO account with SFA. For more information, refer to Requirements for Licence / Permit / Registration for Import / Export.

Once you have your licence/registration, you can proceed to the next step i.e. you can apply for an import permit to import your first consignment of food or food products.

For more information, see Application Process & Fees for Licence / Permit / Registration for Import / Export. 

For every consignment of imports, you must apply for an import permit using TradeNet. You can access TradeNet with the UEN you activated with Singapore Customs in Step 2. The application process involves submitting the necessary documents and paying the required fees. SFA takes at least 1 working day to review complete applications.

Product/HS Codes

When applying for your import permit, you will need to enter the product/HS code of your product. You can use the Product Code Search Tool to look up product/HS codes.

Establishment Codes

You may also need to enter the establishment code of the exporting country/region. You can use the List of Establishment Codes for countries/regions other than Japan and the List of Japan Prefectural Codes to look up establishment codes.

Documents

You are strongly advised to submit your application via TradeNet with all the necessary documents (e.g. health certificates and laboratory reports) to avoid any delay in obtaining your import permit.

Import fees

The table below shows the import fees applicable to food imports. All fees must be paid via GIRO. You should have set up GIRO with SFA when you applied for your licence/registration from SFA.

Once your import permit is approved, you will receive a Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP).

Conditional approval messages

Read the approval messages on your CCPs carefully and comply fully with the conditions indicated. Importers who do not comply with the conditional approval messages may be subject to enforcement action.

Print your CCP

You will need a printed copy for inspections, clearing your food or food products at the border checkpoints, etc.

When your food or food products arrive and are stored at the warehouse, they may be subject to inspection by SFA. 

Routine inspections without booking

All food imports may be subject to food safety inspections upon arrival in Singapore to ensure they are safe for consumption. 

Inspections with booking

If you are required to book an inspection for your consignment, it will be stated on your CCP along with a code for booking the inspection. SFA takes 1 working day to respond to inspection bookings. 

Use the Inspection & Laboratory e-Service to arrange for the inspection of any of the following: 

• fresh fruits and vegetables
• shell eggs
• meat and meat products 
• processed eggs 
• seafood 

For more information on making an online booking for inspections, please refer to the following guides: 

• How to Log in to Inspection & Laboratory e-Services
• Guide on Making Inspection Bookings and Checking Results

Preparing for inspections

Before the inspection, prepare the following:  

• Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP) 
• relevant documents (e.g. invoices and health certificates) 
• consignment for inspection

For frozen raw meat, surface-thaw 1 carton before the inspection. 

Samples for laboratory analysis

Samples may also be taken for laboratory analysis to ensure compliance with our food safety regulations.

In some cases, consignments may be placed on ‘hold and test’ i.e. the consignment cannot be sold or distributed until the laboratory results have been released and the sample is found to be compliant with our food safety regulations.

Inspection duration and fees

The inspection duration depends on the volume of the imported food or food products. There are no fees to pay for inspections.

Sell/Distribute your food or food products

If your food or food products do not require inspection, you can sell or distribute them after obtaining your CCP and clearing customs.

For food or food products that require inspection, you must first pass inspection and laboratory analysis (if applicable) before you can sell or distribute your food or food products.

To learn more about clearing customs, see Import Procedures from Singapore Customs.   

Return/Re-export your food or food products

Food or food products that fail inspection cannot be sold or distributed in Singapore. This includes consignments placed on ‘hold and test’ that fail to meet SFA’s requirements. You can return/re-export these food or food products.

Consignments contaminated with radioactive materials are not allowed to be disposed of in Singapore. You can only return or re-export your consignment. 

Destroy your food or food products

You may have to destroy your food or food products when the non-compliance to laws or requirements is serious. To do so, engage a third-party security agency and logistics company to conduct the disposal of the products properly.