Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Singapore?
No.
Alcohol and tobacco always pay duty and 9% GST, with no S$400 or relocation relief, and couriers generally refuse them. Vapes and chewing tobacco are banned.
For every Onvoyo box: Onvoyo and most express couriers don't carry alcohol, tobacco or vaping products in personal boxes, whatever the destination allows.
More rules for Singapore
Not allowed
- E-cigarettes, vapes, vaporizers, their parts, and any liquid containing nicotine or tobacco for use in them
- Chewing tobacco, nasal and oral snuff, gutkha, khaini, zarda, and dissolvable or topical nicotine products
- Shisha, including tobacco-free shisha, and smokeless cigarettes, cigars, or cigarillos
- Cigarette lighters shaped like a pistol or revolver
Allowed with conditions
- Alcohol
- Pays duty and 9% GST at any value, with no S$400 relief and no relocation relief. Wine and spirits pay S$88 (about $69) per liter of pure alcohol; beer and stout pay S$16 customs duty plus S$60 excise duty, S$76 (about $59) in all, per liter of pure alcohol. Couriers generally refuse alcohol in personal boxes.
- Cigarettes and tobacco
- No duty-free allowance or GST relief for anyone. Cigarette duty is 58.9 cents for every gram or part of a gram of each stick, so at least S$11.78 (about $9) for a pack of 20, plus GST. Packs that don't meet Singapore's standardized packaging rules are not allowed in and are disposed of at the border.
Quantity limits
- Personal shipments by air
- No GST at import when the CIF value is S$400 (about $313) or less, except alcohol and tobacco. Boxes that arrive by sea or land pay GST at any value.
- Tobacco
- No duty-free allowance or GST relief for anyone, travelers included. Every cigarette pays duty and GST.
- Alcohol (travelers only)
- 2 liters duty-free in set combinations, such as 1 liter of spirits and 1 liter of wine, for travelers 18 or older who spent 48 hours or more abroad and aren't arriving from Malaysia. More than 10 liters needs a customs permit. Does not apply to shipments.
Before you ship to Singapore
- Tax-free limit
- Boxes sent by air, including by express courier, with a CIF value (goods plus insurance and freight) of S$400 (about $313) or less pay no GST at import. Alcohol and tobacco never qualify, and the relief doesn't apply to boxes that arrive by sea or land. Above S$400, GST applies to the whole value. Since 2023, online purchases of S$400 or less from GST-registered overseas sellers have GST charged by the seller at checkout; your own used belongings and gifts aren't bought from such a seller, so the normal S$400 border relief applies to them.
- Receiver ID
- Singapore Customs' guidance for personal parcels doesn't ask for a tax or ID number. The courier needs the receiver's full name, phone number, and email to collect any GST and deliver. If you're claiming GST relief on relocation, the Declaration of Facts needs a copy of the passport and/or NRIC, plus the ICA Re-Entry Permit for Permanent Residents.
- Transit
- 2-4 business days from elsewhere in Asia; 3-5 from Europe or North America
Questions
Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Singapore?
No. Alcohol and tobacco always pay duty and 9% GST, with no S$400 or relocation relief, and couriers generally refuse them. Vapes and chewing tobacco are banned.
Can I send vapes, chewing gum, or cigarettes to Singapore?
No to vapes and chewing gum: both are banned imports. Cigarettes aren't banned, but they have no duty-free allowance, pay duty and GST on every stick, and most couriers refuse tobacco anyway.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Singapore Customs
Courier / Postal Procedures (opens in a new tab) - 2.
Singapore Customs
Controlled and Prohibited Goods for Imports (opens in a new tab) - 3.
Singapore Customs
Customs Guide for Travellers (English) (opens in a new tab) - 4.
Health Sciences Authority (HSA)
Travelling with medications to Singapore (opens in a new tab) - 5.
Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
List of Food & Food Products Allowed (opens in a new tab) - 6.
National Parks Board (NParks)
Apply for an import permit (opens in a new tab) - 7.
Singapore Customs
List of Dutiable Goods (opens in a new tab) - 8.
Singapore Customs
Duty-Free Concession and GST Import Relief (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Singapore makes the final decision on every box.