Ship boxes from Australia to Singapore
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in Australia and delivered to the door in Singapore. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- 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
Australia → Singapore
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Expats and people relocating for work
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
High-income customers.
Leaving Australia
Sending boxes out of Australia
Sending used belongings out of Australia is simple. Personal effects don't need an export declaration, and there are no export duties. A declaration is needed only for goods worth more than AUD 2,000 (about $1,420) that aren't personal effects, or for anything that needs an export permit, whatever its value.
Documents
- A packing list with values, marked as used personal effects
- Copy of the sender's passport or ID
- An export permit for any protected cultural object or native wildlife product
Can't leave Australia
- Protected cultural objects, such as some Indigenous art, heritage furniture, historical documents, and stamps, need an export permit, and some can never leave Australia
- Native plants and animals, and products made from them, need a wildlife export permit unless the species is on the exempt list
- Prescription medicines subsidized under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme may be prohibited from export
- Cash of AUD 10,000 or more sent by mail, courier, or freight must be reported to AUSTRAC before it is sent
Arriving in Singapore
Singapore customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- 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.
- Import tax
- GST (Goods and Services Tax) at 9%, charged on the CIF value plus any duty. Customs and excise duties apply only to alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles, and petroleum products, so most household goods pay GST alone.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
- Moving there?
- Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents returning to live in Singapore after living overseas, and foreigners relocating or migrating there, can get GST relief on used household items and personal effects. You must be moving your home to Singapore, own the items, have used and had them for at least 3 months, and agree not to sell, give away, or dispose of them within 3 months of arrival. The items must arrive within 6 months of your first arrival in Singapore. File an online Declaration of Facts with Singapore Customs before the goods arrive: applications for goods already imported are rejected and GST is due. Alcohol and tobacco still pay duty and GST.
Not allowed into Singapore
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Chewing gum. The only exception is HSA-approved dental and medicinal gum, and HSA doesn't allow personal imports of medicines in gum form
Australia to Singapore: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from Australia to Singapore?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in Singapore takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to Singapore?
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. Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from Australia?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Sending used belongings out of Australia is simple. Personal effects don't need an export declaration, and there are no export duties. A declaration is needed only for goods worth more than AUD 2,000 (about $1,420) that aren't personal effects, or for anything that needs an export permit, whatever its value.
Is there a tax-free limit for parcels to Singapore?
Yes. Boxes sent by air with a CIF value (goods plus insurance and freight) of S$400 or less pay no GST, except alcohol and tobacco. Above that, 9% GST applies to the whole value. Boxes that arrive by sea or land pay GST at any value.
Do I pay GST on my own used belongings?
Above S$400 CIF, yes, unless you're moving to Singapore and get GST relief. The parcel rules don't separate used goods from new ones, but most household items pay no duty, only 9% GST.
How do I get GST relief when moving to Singapore?
File an online Declaration of Facts with Singapore Customs before the boxes arrive, with your passport and/or NRIC, proof of the move such as an Employment Pass or Student Pass, and the air waybill. Once it's approved, the courier or agent takes out a GST relief permit within 10 working days.
Official sources
Export rules for Australia and import rules for Singapore, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Australian Border Force · List of prohibited items (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Australian Border Force · Export requirements (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Singapore Customs · Courier / Postal Procedures (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) · Current GST rates (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Singapore Customs · Do I Qualify for GST Relief? (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Singapore Customs · Sending Unaccompanied Items (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)
- 9.Singapore Customs · Controlled and Prohibited Goods for Imports (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Singapore Customs · Customs Guide for Travellers (English) (opens in a new tab)
- 11.Singapore Customs · Establishing Customs Value and Methods (opens in a new tab)
- 12.Health Sciences Authority (HSA) · Travelling with medications to Singapore (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from Singapore to Australia