G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10  
 
12 February 2015  
(15-0879)  Page: 1/12  
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
   REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON  IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES1 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 7.3 OF  
THE AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES  
SINGAPORE  
The following communication, dated 11 February 2015, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Singapore. 
 
_______________ 
  
Outline of system 
1.  Singapore’s policy is to keep import licensin g to a minimum. Import licensing procedures are 
maintained to fulfil Singapore's obligations under international agreements or to ensure that 
health, safety, environment and national security objectives are met.   
 Purpose and coverage of licensing 
2.  Products subject to automatic and non-automa tic import licensing are listed in Tables 1 and 2 
respectively.  
Table 1: Products subject to automatic import licensing  
Product Laws and Regulations 
Authorizing Import 
Licensing Controlling 
Agency 
Fresh fruits, vegetables, plants and plant products Control of Plants Act  
 Agri-Food and 
Veterinary 
Authority (AVA) 
 Fish and fish products Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 
Processed food Sale of Food Act 
Mastering equipment and replication equipment for any of the following: 
 CD (compact disc); 
 CD-ROM (compact disc-read only 
memory); 
 VCD (video compact disc); 
 DVD (digital video disc); 
 DVD-ROM (digital video disc-read 
only memory) Regulation of Imports and 
Exports Regulations Singapore 
Customs (SC) 
Films, video tapes and video games Film Act and its Regulations Media 
Development 
Authority (MDA) Publications (includes books, magazines, 
sound recordings, pictures or drawings, 
photographs) Undesirable Publications Act  
 
 
                                               
1 See document G/LIC/3, Annex, for the Questionnaire. G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  Table 2:  Products subject to non-automatic import licensing 
 
Product Laws/Regulations Controlling 
Agency 
Live animals (including ornamental fish), live birds, products of animals/birds, shell eggs 
and veterinary biologics/vaccines, animal 
feed  Animals and Birds Act  
 Feeding Stuffs Act 
 Agri-Food and 
Veterinary 
Authority (AVA) 
 
Specific plants, plant products and other materials (insects, micro-organisms and soil) Control of Plants (Plant 
Importation) Rules 
Meat Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 
Endangered animals, species of wild fauna and flora (CITES live specimens, parts and products) Endangered Species (Import 
and Export) Act  
Veterinary medicaments (containing controlled substances such as Schedule 
Poison under the Poisons Act or Controlled 
Drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations) Medicines Act   
Essential Construction Materials (sand and 
granite) Building and Construction 
Authority Act Building and 
Construction 
Authority (BCA) 
Poppy Seeds (kaskas) Regulation of Imports and 
Exports Regulations Central Narcotics 
Bureau (CNB) 
Controlled materials or substances used for the manufacturing of controlled drugs Misuse of Drugs Act 
Petroleum and Flammable Materials  Fire Safety Act 
 Fire Safety (Petroleum 
and Flammable Materials) 
Regulations Singapore Civil 
Defence Force (SCDF) 
Rough diamonds Regulation of Imports and 
Exports (Kimberley Process) 
Regulations Singapore 
Customs (SC) 
Scheduled chemicals under the Chemical 
Weapons Convention (CWC) Chemical Weapons 
(Prohibition) Act and its 
Regulations National Authority 
(Chemical 
Weapons 
Convention) (NA(CWC)) 
Piped natural gas and liquefied natural gas Gas Act Energy Market 
Authority (EMA) 
Scheduled substances under the Poisons Act Poisons Act and its Rules Health Sciences 
Authority (HSA) Controlled Drugs (CD) Misuse of Drugs Regulations 
Medical Devices Health Products Act and its 
Regulations 
Tobacco Products Tobacco (Control of 
Advertisements and Sale) Act 
and its Regulations 
Medicinal Products including pharmaceuticals (chemical & biologic drugs), Chinese proprietary medicines Medicines Act and its 
Regulations 
Controlled telecommunication equipment Telecommunications (Dealers) 
Regulations Infocomm 
Development 
Authority (IDA) 
Rice Price Control (Rice) Order International 
Enterprise Singapore (IES) 
Biological agents that are capable of causing death, disease or other biological 
malfunction in a human; certain microbial 
toxins Biological Agents and Toxins 
Act Ministry of Health 
(MOH) G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  Product Laws/Regulations Controlling 
Agency 
Merchandise/product containing a photograph, drawing or design resembling or used in/on Singapore currency notes and coins Currency Act Monetary 
Authority of Singapore (MAS) 
Hazardous Substances  Environment Protection 
and Management Act 
 Environmental Protection 
and Management (Hazardous Substances) 
Regulations National 
Environmental 
Agency (NEA) 
Ozone depleting substances (ODS) and products containing ODS such as the following: 
 Fire extinguishers and fire protection 
systems using halons 
 Air-conditioning and refrigeration 
equipment using 
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
 Vehicles with air-conditioning 
containing CFCs  Environment Protection 
and Management Act 
 Environmental Protection 
and Management (Ozone 
Depleting Substances) 
Regulations 
Radioactive materials, ionising radiation irradiating apparatus and non-ionising 
radiation irradiating apparatus Radiation Protection Act and 
its Regulations 
Hazardous Waste Hazardous Waste (Control of 
Export, Import and Transit) 
Act 
Fruit or jackpot machines Regulation of Imports and 
Exports Regulations Singapore Police 
Force (SPF) 
 Arms, explosives and explosive 
precursors 
 Swords 
 Daggers 
 Bayonets 
 Spears 
 Spearheads Arms and Explosives Act 
 Handcuffs 
 Articles of clothing intended as 
protection against attack, including 
bullet-proof vests 
 Steel helmets 
 Toy guns, including pistols and 
revolvers Regulation of Import and 
Exports Regulations 
 Amusement machines, coin- or disc-
operated, including pin-tables, 
shooting galleries and cinematography machines Regulation of Imports and 
Exports Regulations 
 3.  The licensing system applies to products listed in Tables 1 and 2 above originating in and 
coming from all countries, except as follows:  
- For Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), import licences are granted only for products 
originating from countries which are signatories to the Montreal Protocol and the relevant Amendments.  Imports are prohibited from non-signatories, in accordance with the 
obligations under the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments. 
 - The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme applies to goods originating in and coming from 
Kimberley Process Participants only. Please refer to http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/  for a 
list of Kimberley Process Participants.  
 G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  - The Basel Convention states that the import  of Hazardous Waste can only be applied to 
countries that are signatories to the said Convention. Parties may, however, enter into bilateral or multilateral agreements on hazardous waste management with other parties or with non-parties, provided that such agreements are no less environmentally sound than the 
Basel Convention. The State of export shall noti fy, or shall require the generator or exporter 
to notify, in writing, through the channel of the competent authority of the State of export, the competent authority of Singapore (NEA) of  any proposed trans-boundary movement of 
hazardous wastes or other wastes prior to the actual movement of them. 
 4.  Singapore's import licensing procedures are not intended to restrict the quantity or value of imports. They are maintained for the purpose of discharging Singapore's obligations under 
international agreements or for health, safety, environmental and national security reasons.  As an 
example, the purpose of Kimberley Process licensing is to regulate imports and exports of rough diamonds, aimed to stop the flow of  trade in conflict rough diamonds.  
 
5.  The laws, regulations and/or administrative orders under which the licensing procedures are maintained are listed in Tables 1 and 2 above. All import licensing procedures are statutorily 
required and published in government gazettes.  
 While the administration of the licensing system is undertaken by the various licensing authorities 
for different products, the designation of products to be subjected to licensing is not left to the 
discretion of the administration. The latter requires legislative approval. Similarly, legislative 
approval must be obtained before the gove rnment abolishes any licensing system.   
 
Procedures 
6.   
 
I. Information of products under restriction are published on their respective websites: 
 The list of scheduled chemicals under the Chemical Weapons Convention is 
available over the Internet: http://www.customs.gov.sg/nacwc/leftN av/con_/Controlled+Chemicals.html . 
 Information regarding rice importation is available at: 
https://rice.iesingapore.gov.sg/ .  
 On importing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), information can be found from 
the Ozone Secretariat and NEA websites at http://ozone.unep.org/index.asp  and 
http://app2.nea.gov.sg/Ozone_D epleting_Substances.aspx.  
 For Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), details of Singapore’s LNG imports are available at: 
https://www.ema.gov.sg/P iped_Gas_Impor t_Control_Policy_(LNG).aspx .   
 Details of the import of Hazardous Waste are available at: 
http://www.nea.gov.sg/anti-polluti on-radiation-pro tection/chemical-
safety/multilateral-environmental-agreements/basel-convention   
  
II. The respective quotas imposed on restricted goods are: 
 The maximum amount of CWC Schedule 1 chemicals that can be acquired is 
1 tonne per annum.  
 There is no maximum quota for the importation of rice.  
 As part of the obligations under the Montreal Protocol, Singapore, as an Article-5 
party to the Protocol, will be freezing the consumption of 
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 2013, and to phase out the use and consumption of HCFCs by 2030. The control measures of ODS under the Montreal Protocol requires Parties to gradually phase out the production and consumption 
of ODS. Under the phase out schedule, baselines, which limits the production and 
consumption of ODS substance, are set for the Parties to comply. 
 Currently, BG Singapore Gas Marketing (BGSM) is the sole LNG Aggregator for 
Singapore, with an exclusive right to sell LNG up to 3 Million tonnes per annum 
(Mtpa) or until 2023, whichever is earlier. BGSGM was appointed the sole aggregator after a 2-round selection process. Information on BGSGM’s exclusive 
franchise is published on EMA’s website found in (I). BGSGM’s franchise was 
determined in 2007 based on the assessed minimum baseload necessary to underpin the investment in the LNG terminal. If Singapore decides to appoint a second LNG importer, Singapore will assess the size of the quota, after evaluating G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  prevailing market conditions and consulting industry players. Singapore is a 
signatory to the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.   
 
III.  
 To meet emergency requirements, Singapore maintains a stockpile scheme for 
rice, a staple food of which there is no domestic production.  An import licensing system applies to rice imported from all countries.  This system divides rice 
imports into 2 categories, requiring (i) a stockpile licence; and (ii) non-stockpile 
licence.  All stockpile licensees are required to participate in the stockpile scheme. Under this scheme, each licensee shall keep a rice stockpile quantity which is derived from their import quantities. 
 For LNG imports, BGSGM was appointed the sole aggregator after a 2-round 
selection process. BGSGM’s Gas Importer (LNG) Licence only allows it to import LNG. 
 Singapore is a party to the Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary 
movements of hazardous waste and their disposal. Under the Hazardous Waste (Control of Export, Import and Transit) Act and its Regulations, any person who 
wishes to export, import or transit hazardous wastes shall obtain a permit from 
NEA. NEA adopts the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure of the Basel Convention in granting any permit for the export, import or transit of hazardous wastes.  
 
IV– VI. Please refer to the weblinks provided in (I) above.  
VII. Applications for licences to import CWC Scheduled chemicals are approved by the 
Director-General of Customs. Rice licence app lications are processed by the IE Singapore.  
Applications for licences to import ODS products are approved by the National Environment 
Agency.  In all cases the importer does not have to approach more than one administrative 
organ. 
 VIII. Licences for both CWC Scheduled chemicals and ODS products are made on a first come, 
first served basis. There is no maximum amount to be allocated per applicant and no unique 
provisions for new importers. Applications are examined on receipt. For rice licences, please refer to paragraph 6 above. 
 
IX– X.  Not applicable.  
 
XI.    Non approved and prohibited telecoms equipment. 
 
There are two categories of licences for dealing in telecommunications equipment: Telecommunication Dealer’s (Individual) and Dealer’s (Class) Licences".  A Dealer Class 
licensee can only deal with telecoms equipment that has been approved / registered by the 
Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and eq uipment exempted from needing approval. 
Dealers issued with Dealer’s Individual Licenc e can, in addition to equipment covered under 
the Class Licence, also deal in non-approv ed telecoms equipment.  However, such 
non-approved telecoms equipment  (e.g. CDMA phones which are not compatible with 
domestic networks and may cause interference) is not allowed to be sold for use in 
Singapore.  They can be export ed or sold to tourists.   
  
In addition to non-approved items, prohibited  items (e.g. radio-frequency jammers, military 
equipment) are also disallowed for local consumption, largely for security related reasons.  
Neither the Class licensee nor the Individual licensee is allowed to deal in prohibited 
equipment unless special approval is given by IDA. 
7.  
(a) The range of time taken for processing the various licence applications fall within the periods 
stipulated in Article 2a(iii), for automatic licensing, and Article 3.5(f), for non-automatic licensing, of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. 
 
(b) License applications for Schedule 2 and 3 chemicals must be received by the National 
Authority (CWC), NA (CWC) 14 wo rking days prior to the import to meet the requirements 
under the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (CWPA). 
 G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  In general, import licences may be granted immediately upon request when applications are 
submitted in appropriate and complete forms.  For arms and explosives, radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus, import licences can be immediately granted if the importer already has a dealer's licence.  For arms and explosives, end user certification and 
import licence/permit from the final destination country must also be included.  For 
radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus, items imported are specified in their dealer's 
licence.  Otherwise the importer has to inform the Centre for Radiation Protection and 
Nuclear Science and request for his dealer’s licence to be updated to include the items to be 
imported.  An importer of hazardous substances who does not have a licence will have to store the hazardous substances in the port area temporarily, pending the approval for an import licence. The application for Kimberly Process license will generally be granted if the 
intended source of importing country and the in tended destined country for export are of KP 
Participant(s) and upon submission of complete application.  
(c)  There are no limitations as to the period of the year during which applications for licence 
and/or importation may be made. 
 
(d) In order to import mastering equipment and replication equipment for CD (compact disc); 
CD-ROM (compact disc-read only memory); DVD (digital video disc); and DVD-ROM (digital video disc-read only memory), interested parties must first apply for a Manufacturer Number from EDB, under the Manufacture of Optical Disc Act (MODA). Once issued with a 
Manufacturer Number, importers may then proceed to obtain a license to import these 
controlled equipment from Singapore Customs, based on RIER.  
 
Consideration of other licence application is effected by a single administrative organ as 
specified in the respective legislation, cited in response to Question 5 above.  The importer does not have to approach more than one administrative body. 
 
8.  An application for an import licence is usually granted if it meets the stipulated criteria.   Licensing authorities will generally provide the re ason(s) in the event of a refusal to issue a 
licence.   Avenues for appeal exist in most cases.   
 
Eligibility of importers to apply for a licence 
9.  All importers are eligible for application of licences, whether under the restrictive or non-
restrictive licensing system.   
 Generally, all persons, registered firms and institutions are eligible to apply for licences and no 
registration fee is necessary.  Applicants for the importation of the following products must meet 
additional criteria:  
(i) for a licence to deal in or import arms and explosives, applicants must not have 
criminal records or adverse security attention.  They must be above 21 years of age and have some basic knowledge in handling of arms and explosives; 
 
(ii) for a licence to import hazardous substances, it is preferable that an applicant be a 
professional or a senior management staff, who has the necessary knowledge of 
how to safely handle the hazardous substances, and has passed an examination 
for the Course on "Management of Hazardous Substances" conducted by the 
licensing authority i.e. the Pollution Control Department of National Environment Agency.  The Course covers technical knowledge on the safe handling of the hazardous substances and on the Environmental Protection and Management Act 
and its Regulations; 
 
(iii) for a licence to deal in controlled telecommunications equipment, applicants should 
have knowledge of their products and IDA’s-equipment registration requirements in order to advise and guide consumers; applicants for a licence must be a company incorporated under the Singapor e Companies Act, a Limited Liability 
Partnership under the Singapore Limited Liability Partnerships Act, or a business 
registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore;  
 G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  (iv) for a Form A Poisons Licence, applicants are required to be qualified persons such 
as being registered pharmacists; 
 
(v) only certain institutions or organisations such as zoos, museums and research 
institutions may apply for a licence to import certain CITES endangered species, 
mainly species listed in CITES Appendix I; 
 
(vi) only licensed personnel with relevant qualification and experience may import 
veterinary biologics.  A key criterion for the issuance of the dealer’s licence for 
veterinary biologics is the suitability of the facilities/ premises; applicants dealing 
in ornamental fish import or export activities must have approved premises with 
facilities for holding, quarantining , and packing of ornamental fish; 
 
(vii) only companies registered in Singapore are eligible to apply for licences to import 
ODS; 
 (viii) applicants for permits to import human pathogens (biological agents) or microbial 
toxins must meet the criteria stipulated in the Biological Agents and Toxins Act. 
 Documentation and other requirements for application for license 
10.  The following information is required in applications for import licences:  particulars of 
importer, company registration certificate issued by the Singapore Registry of Companies and 
Businesses, product description, product quan tity, mode of transport, and port of 
shipment/transport, product brand/serial number /model /make and country of origin.  
Information on import procedures and applications is otherwise available over the respective 
agencies’ websites.  Additional requirements in applications to import the following products include: 
 
(i) for applications to import hazardous substances, documents of approval from the 
Central Building Plan Department (CBPD) and a valid Hazardous Substances Licence or Permit from the Pollution Control Department (PCD) to show that the 
applicant has approved storage and handling facilities to handle hazardous 
substances safely; a layout plan to show areas for storing hazardous substances; and an emergency action plan to indicate how a chemical release from the storage 
area will be contained, detoxified and cleaned up; 
 
(ii) for applications to deal in rice, telecommunication equipment, arms and 
explosives, documents on the technical specifications of the products.  In addition, 
applicants for licences to deal in arms and explosives must ensure the following: 
 
   Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation (CISCO) Constable(s) are 
engaged to escort the transportation of goods; 
  all pyrotechnics are to be stored at wharves designated by the Port of 
Singapore Authority (PSA); 
  high explosives can only be loaded or unloaded at Tuas Explosives Jetty; 
 
(iii) for applications of CITES permits to import CITES specimens (live, parts or 
products), they would require the CITES export or re-export permits issued by the 
CITES Management Authority of the exporting or re-exporting country; 
 
(iv) for applications to import merchandise/product containing a photograph, drawing 
or design or part thereof used in or on any Singapore currency note or coin, visuals 
or samples of the merchandise/product;   
 
(v) for pharmaceuticals (chemical & biologic drugs), the criteria taken into 
consideration for product licensing are quality, safety and efficacy of the product.  Technical dossier comprising clinical data, quality and safety data as well as 
product information and packaging are to be submitted.  For products to be 
evaluated through an abridge evaluation route, a documentary evidence that the 
product has been approved by a Drug Regulatory Agency such as Certificate of 
Pharmaceutical Product (CPP) is required to be submitted.  For a product   to be G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  evaluated through a Full Evaluation Route, documentary evidence like the CPP is 
not required.  Products manufactured from manufacturing facilities which have not been inspected and certified by the competent authorities recognized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be subject to HSA's GMP audit requirement. 
Medicinal product registration requirements and guidelines are published on HSA’s 
website;    
  
(vi) for Chinese Proprietary Medicines, full  product formula, a set of labels/package 
insert, product sample, manufacturer’s licence/certificate, certificate of free sale or 
equivalent and test reports containing test results for toxic heavy metals and microbial contamination; 
  
(vii) for plants, live insects, micro-organism s, growing medium such as soil, peat moss 
and fertilizer of plant origin, import permits are valid for two weeks and each 
permit is for one consignment only; and when required, accompanied by 
phytosanitary certificates/ CITES permit or similar official statement issued not m o r e  t h a n  1 4  d a y s  p r i o r  t o  d a t e  o f  s h i p m e n t  o f  c o n s i g n m e n t  b y  a  c o m p e t e n t  
government agency or agricultural authority.  Imports of the above listed items are 
also subject to plant quarantine inspection requirements; 
 (viii) for ODS, a valid Hazardous Substances licence must first be obtained from NEA to 
import ODS into Singapore.  During importation, bill of lading and invoices must be submitted to NEA for approval; 
 
(ix) for a licence to import petroleum and flammable materials, applicants are required 
to have a valid Petroleum & Flammable Materials (P&FM) Storage Licence, where 
the premises are licensed to store the imported flammable products;  
 
(x) for gas import licenses, information required for such applications can be found on 
http://www.ema.gov.sg /page/102/id:116/ ; 
 
(xi) for applications to import high risk biological agents and microbial toxins, the 
applicants must have prior approvals to possess the biological agents or toxins from the MOH;  
 
(xii) for applications to import hazardous waste, any person who wishes to export, 
import or transit hazardous wastes shall obtain a permit from NEA. NEA adopts the 
Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure of  the Basel Convention in granting any 
permit for the export, import or transit of hazardous wastes. 
 11.  Upon actual importation, most importers are required to make an Inward Declaration showing 
the correct description and quantities of ea ch consignment made electronically through 
TradeNet®. Shipping documents such as the Bill of Lading/ Airway Bill and invoice are also required.  Additional requirements for the importation of certain products include: 
 
(i) for publications, the language, title and num ber of copies of the publication have to 
be specified; 
 
(ii) for arms and explosives, imports must be produced for inspection at the Arms and 
Explosives Branch immediately after customs clearance; 
 
(iii) for meat and meat products, imports must be derived from sources approved by 
the licensing authority i.e. the AVA.  They must be accompanied by a veterinary 
health certificate issued by the approved sources in the exporting country and 
inspected upon importation; for selected fish or fish products, additional product 
quality and quarantine requirements apply; 
 
(iv) for live animals/birds/ornamental fish, products of live animals/birds and 
veterinary biologics, importers are required to show the import permits issued by 
the AVA together with relevant documents (s uch as veterinary health certificate, 
QC report) from the exporting country. All ornamental fish imported must be 
healthy and free from any clinical signs of disease at the time of import. Sources G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  may need to be approved by the AVA prior to import application, depending on the 
type of product. Endangered species must be accompanied by CITES permits;  
 (v) for fresh fruit and vegetables, each cons ignment must be subject to inspection and 
sampling upon importation; meet the sanitary standards prescribed under Rule 9 
of the Control of Plants (Import and Transhipment of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables) Rules; and be in containers which, at the time of importation, must bear the name 
and address of the producer.  In addition to the requirements above, the date and 
time of arrival of each consignment must be indicated; 
 (vi) for plants, live insects, micro-organisms, growing medium such as soil, peat moss 
and fertilizer of plant origin, importers are required to produce the relevant 
documents (such as phytosanitary certificate, CITES permit for endangered plant species, and   post entry inspection form); 
 
(vii) for rough diamonds, an Import Permit will only be issued upon presentation of a 
valid Kimberley Process certificate issued by the overseas exporting Kimberley 
Process authority; 
 (viii) Gas importers are required to submit their upstream and downstream gas 
contracts, as well as monthly imported quantities to EMA. Licensees are also 
required to declare bi-annually whether they have complied with all the conditions 
set out in the license. 
 
12.  Licensing fees are required for the following classes of licences: 
 
(i) Product licences 
 
-  a permit fee of S$11 per consignment of plants, live insects, plant 
micro-organisms, growing medium such as soil, peat moss and fertilizer of plant origin.  Other fees for and incidental to any inspection or examination activities are 
also specified under the Control of Plants (Plant Importation) Rules;  
 -  a permit fee of S$4.60 per 100 kilogramme s applies for chilled, frozen meat and 
processed meat, and S$77 per consignment of meat packed in cans; 
 
-  a permit fee of S$3.50 per consignment applies for ornamental fish, and S$3 per 
consignment for food fish and fish products  as well as fresh fr uits and vegetables; 
 - a permit fee of S$87 per consignment of live animals imported for commercial 
purposes; S$62 per consignment of live birds and eggs imported for commercial 
purposes; S$50 per permit for pet animals/birds; and S$22 per permit for 
veterinary biologics.  The import licences for the above products are valid for 30 days; extension may be granted with valid reason given by the importers; 
 
- a permit fee of S$12 per scheduled CITES endangered species or parts/derivatives, 
subject to a minimum amount of S$60 per consignment, depending on the species.  
Each permit is valid for three months and may be extended for another three 
months; 
 - a licence fee of S$40 per consignment applies to radioactive materials and 
irradiating apparatus. Each import licence is valid for one month or until the 
shipment is cleared, whichever is shorter.  Validity can be extended if the consignee can prove that the shipment was delayed; 
 
- a licence fee of S$16 per consignment applies to arms and explosives; 
 
-  licence fees for Western medicines, Chinese proprietary medicines, Cosmetic 
products, and controlled drugs as stipulated in: http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en /health_products_r egulation/licences_
fees.html; 
 G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  -  for registered western medicines, the a nnual licence fee is S$300 per product.  It 
is to be paid annually on renewal.  For new products, there will be application screening fee and evaluation fees charged depending on the route of evaluation.  
The fees are published on HSA's website; 
 
- for registration of medical devices, various fees are published on HSA’s website;  
- licence fees for tobacco products is stipulated in: 
 http://www.hsa.gov.sg/content/hsa/en/Heal th_Products_Regulation/Tobacco_Cont
rol/Application_and_Registration/Fees.html    
 
- a licensing fee of $50 per annum is required for Kimberly Process licenses for 
import and export of rough diamonds; 
 
- a licensing fee of $70 per annum is required for petroleum & flammable materials.  
 
(ii) Dealers’ licences 
 
- an annual licence fee of S$378 for fresh fruit and vegetables;  - a 2-year licence fee ranging from S$300 - S$3,700 for arms and explosives;  
 
- an annual licence fee of S$84 for meat and fish products;  
- an annual licence fee of S$350 for ornamental fish;  
 - an annual licence fee of S$45 for veterinary biologics; 
 
- an annual licence fee at S$525 for hazardous substances;   - an annual licence fee at S$210 and a biennial licence at S$420 for radioactive 
materials and irradiating apparatus; 
 - a lifetime licence fee of S$50 for rice (with effect from 1 Oct 2009); 
 
- an annual licence fee of S$180 for operations of fruit/jackpot machines, renewable 
at  S$30 per annum;  
 
- a registration fee of S$50 (one time only) for dealing in IDA approved/registered 
equipment under the Dealer’s Class Licence, and a licence fee of S$250 for five years for dealing in approved/registered as well as non-approved types of 
telecommunication equipment under the Dealer’s Individual Licence; 
 - a bank guarantee of S$200,000 for publishers to circulate offshore newspapers in 
Singapore; 
 -  an annual licence fee of $500 is applicable to importers of western medicines, and 
Chinese proprietary medicines;  
 - an import/export licence fee of S$100 per consignment is applicable for controlled 
drugs; 
 
- a licence fee of $250 per consignment is applicable to parallel imports of western 
medicines; 
   
- licence fees relevant to importers of medical devices are published on HSA’s 
website; 
 
- an annual licence fee of S$180 to manufacture, possess for sale or deal in 
irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials; an annual fee of S$130 to keep or possess radioactive materials or irradiating apparatus other than for sale; an G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
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  annual fee of S$120 to use radioactive materials or irradiating apparatus; and an 
annual fee of S$130 to handle and transport radioactive materials; 
 - An annual licence fee of S$308 for the import, export, sale, storage and transport 
of hazardous substances; an annual permit fee of S$74 for the purchase, use and 
storage of hazardous substances for end-users; 
 
- An annual Basel permit fee of S$335 for th e export, import or transit of hazardous 
waste, a 3 month Basel permit fee of S$125 for the export, import or transit of hazardous waste. 
 
13.  There are no deposit or advance payment requ irements associated with the issue of licences. 
 Conditions of licensing 
14.   The period of the validity of a dealer’s licenc e is as specified in the response to Question 12.  
The approved product licences cease to be valid on ce the importation of the concerned products is 
effected (except for biological agents and toxins regulated under the Biological Agents and Toxins 
Act). The NA (CWC) License issued is valid until th e end of the calendar year. The validity of these 
licences may be extended by renewal.  A Gas Importer Licence is valid up to the expiry of all gas sales agreements entered into between the licensee and a gas supplier under which the licensee imports or has the right to import natural gas into Singapore. The existing Gas Importer Licence (LNG) is valid up till the 20
th anniversary of the 
date of commercial operations of the Singapore LNG terminal or such later date as contained in any gas sales agreement approved by the EMA. The licensee may, no later than two years prior to the expiry of the licence, apply for a renewal of the licence.  
 15.   There is no penalty for the non-utilisation of licence or a portion of it.  
16.   Licences are not transferable without the ap proval in writing from the relevant authority. 
 17.   For products subject to quantitative restrict ion, in addition to the requirements listed in the 
responses to Questions 10 and 11, the following conditions are applicable: 
 
(i) Applicants importing CWC Schedule 1 chemicals are subject to the following 
conditions: 
 
- the licensee must inform the NA(CWC) not less than 45 days before and after 
the import from CWC State Party; 
 
- the licensee must inform the NA(CWC) not less than 5 days before and after the 
import from CWC State Party, if the import is Saxitoxin, not exceeding 5 milligrams, for medical/diagnostic purposes; 
 
- the licensee must not import from a CWC Non-State Party;  
- the licensee must not re-export the CWC Schedule 1 chemical. 
 
(ii) There are no other conditions attached to the issue of a license for a product subject 
to quantitative restriction. For products not subject to quantitative restriction, in 
addition to the requirements listed in the responses to Questions 10 and 11, the following conditions are applicable:  
 
- applicants dealing in fruit/jackpot machines must ensure that these machines 
are to be used in licensed clubs; 
 
- applications to deal in radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus are 
subject to the following conditions; 
 G/LIC/N/3/SGP/10 
 
- 12 - 
 
  - the company must possess a licence to handle and transport radioactive 
materials if it undertakes its own transportation.  In addition, the importer must ensure that the vehicle transporting radioactive materials displays a proper placard showing the radiation sign and that it is not left unattended; 
 
- the importer, if he is an end-user, must possess a licence that specifies the type 
and quantity of radioactive materials that may be possessed, and another 
licence for the use, handling and transport of radioactive materials; and another 
licence for an individual to use these machines; 
 - if the importer is the end-user of irradiating apparatus, the company must have 
a licence for each machine it possesses. 
 
(iii) Existing NEA regulations do have the provisions to licensing conditions and other 
administrative controls over the import or usage of radioactive materials and 
irradiating apparatus. Irradiating apparatus classified as medical devices are also subject to evaluation and approval by HSA before they can be imported for use in 
Singapore.  
 Other procedural requirement 
18.  There are no other administrative procedures, apart from import licensing and similar 
administrative procedures, required prior to importation.   
 19.  Foreign exchange issues are not applicable to import licensing for Singapore, as only 
Singapore-registered importers are able to obtain licences. 
  
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