Food Import & Export

General Rule for Travellers

Travellers returning to Singapore can carry food products for personal consumption without first obtaining an import permit if:

• the type of food product is allowed;
• the amount is within the allowance;
• the source country is approved by SFA (see section 'Conditions for Specific Types of Food'); and
• the food products will not be sold commercially.

Travellers must be aware of the risks associated with consuming those food items.

See Food Safety by Food Groups for more information on food safety tips.

List of Food & Food Products Allowed

The types and amounts of food that can be brought into Singapore from approved sources are indicated in the table below.

Note that the approved sources of food products are subject to change for health and safety reasons.

Meat Items

All forms of meat products, including cooked food containing meat  

Each person is allowed a maximum of 5kg of meat products directly from approved sources.

Product	Approved Sources
Beef	Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Uruguay, USA
Mutton	Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Uruguay, United Kingdom, USA
Pork	Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA
Poultry	Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands,United Kingdom

Seafood Items

Each person is allowed a maximum of 5kg of seafood products, out of which a maximum of only 2 kg of frozen cooked crabmeat and frozen cooked prawn meat is allowed.

Product	Approved Sources
Fish products   (except frozen cooked crabmeat, frozen cooked prawn meat and live or frozen oysters)	All countries/regions
Live or frozen oysters	Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, USA
Frozen cooked crabmeat and frozen cooked prawn meat	All countries/regions

Fruit & Vegetable Items

Each person is allowed a small, reasonable quantity (i.e. hand-carried size) of fruit and vegetable products for personal consumption.

Product

Approved Sources

Fresh fruit and vegetables

All countries/regions. However, a phytosanitary certificate from the country's competent authority is required for fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico and the South American Tropics, which includes: Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Rep, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Virgin Islands

Egg Items

Each person is allowed a maximum of 30 eggs.

Product	Approved Sources
Hen Eggs	Australia, New Zealand, Sweden

Processed Food Items

Each person is allowed a maximum of 5kg or 5 litres of processed food products. The total value of these products cannot exceed S$100 per person.

For cleaned dried bird's nest, a maximum of 1 kg is allowed and there is no restriction in terms of its total value.

Product	Approved Sources
Processed Food Products, i.e. all food products excluding: meat seafood fresh fruits vegetables	All countries/regions

Bringing in Larger Quantities

If you wish to bring in larger quantities of food products for personal consumption, you are required to obtain an import permit.

You are required to apply for a trader's licence or register with SFA and apply for an import permit for commercial food imports (including bringing in for consumption or distribution for wedding, charity, exhibition, etc).  See the section "Applying for Import Permit" in Commercial Food Imports for more information.

Before & upon Entering Singapore

Do check the list of personal allowances before travelling to Singapore. If you have doubts upon arriving in Singapore, you are advised to declare your food items to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers.