Singapore Customs Rules for Visitors: Allowances, Vapes, Medicines and Cash
Visitors to Singapore get a duty-free allowance on liquor and GST relief on new goods, but none on cigarettes. Vapes, chewing gum and many tobacco products are prohibited, some medicines need approval before you travel, and cash above S$20,000 must be declared to the police.
Verified: October 28, 2026
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Duty-free liquor
Singapore Customs grants the duty-free concession on liquor only if you meet all these conditions: you are 18 or older, you spent at least 48 hours outside Singapore before arrival, you are not arriving from Malaysia, and the liquor is for your own consumption and not prohibited. If you cleared Malaysian immigration before arriving, you count as arriving from Malaysia. Choose one option:
| Option | Spirits | Wine | Beer |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 litre | 1 litre | - |
| B | 1 litre | - | 1 litre |
| C | - | 1 litre | 1 litre |
| D | - | 2 litres | - |
| E | - | - | 2 litres |
Liquor above your option is taxed and must be declared. Bringing in more than 10 litres of liquor needs a Customs permit.
Cigarettes and tobacco
- There is no duty-free concession or GST relief for cigarettes and tobacco products. Even a single packet is taxed, including cigarettes bought in Singapore with the SDPC (Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette) mark.
- Cigarettes and tobacco products must meet Singapore's standardised packaging rules. Packs that do not are not allowed in and are disposed of at the checkpoint.
- Declare them at the Red Channel or pay in advance. Singapore Customs lists a composition amount of S$200 per packet, or per 20 sticks or part of it, for a first offence of failing to declare cigarettes.
GST relief on new goods
- Away 48 hours or more
GST import relief on new goods up to S$500 in value
- Away less than 48 hours
GST import relief on new goods up to S$100 in value
- Above the relief
GST is payable on the value above your relief amount
- Used personal belongings
Separate relief with no value cap, for items you owned before arriving and will take out again when you leave
- Not covered
Liquor, tobacco and goods for commercial purposes
New goods include souvenirs, gifts and food bought abroad, even if you have started using them. If your goods exceed the relief, you can declare and pay in advance with the Singapore Customs Customs@SG web application, or at the Customs Declaration Kiosks at the checkpoints. The SG Arrival Card e-Service also offers a customs declaration after you submit your card.
Prohibited goods
- Chewing gum, except oral dental and medicinal gum approved by the Health Sciences Authority
- E-cigarettes, vaporisers and their components, and e-liquids containing nicotine
- Chewing tobacco, dissolvable tobacco or nicotine, and smokeless cigarettes
- Controlled drugs and psychotropic substances
- Endangered wildlife and products made from it
- Obscene, seditious and treasonable material, and unauthorised copies of copyright publications, software and recordings
- Concealed weapons, some knives, knuckledusters and catapults, and some telecommunication equipment, such as jamming devices
Controlled goods, such as some medicines, meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, plants, animals, toy guns and weapons, need a licence or authorisation before arrival. Show the goods and the permit at the Red Channel. Without the permit, the item is kept and you get a receipt to claim it once the authority approves. See the Singapore Customs list of prohibited and controlled goods.
Vapes and e-cigarettes
Vaping is illegal in Singapore, and vapes are prohibited goods. The Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act (TVCA), in effect since 1 May 2026, raised the penalties. According to the government's stop vaping penalties page:
- Individuals found with prohibited products such as vapes can be fined up to S$10,000.
- Importers face mandatory imprisonment of up to nine years and a fine of up to S$300,000.
- Etomidate: since 1 May 2026, etomidate and its analogues are Specified Psychoactive Substances under the TVCA. Individuals can be fined up to S$20,000, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. Importers face 3 to 20 years' imprisonment and 5 to 15 strokes of the cane.
Medicines
- You may bring up to 3 months' supply of a medicine for yourself or an immediate family member without approval, if it was lawfully prescribed in your country of residence and contains no controlled or prohibited substance.
- Carry a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter from your country of residence.
- Keep each medicine in its original packaging, labelled by the pharmacy with the patient's name, the medicine and the quantity.
- More than 3 months' supply is not allowed, and you may not carry medicines for others outside your immediate family.
- Medicines containing controlled substances need approval from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). Apply at least 2 weeks before arrival.
Check the active ingredients against HSA's lists before you travel: HSA's page on personal medications explains which medicines need approval and how to apply. Approved medicines do not need to be declared at customs, but keep the approval email with you.
Drugs
The Central Narcotics Bureau states that Singapore adopts a strict policy of zero tolerance towards controlled drugs. Importing, exporting, possessing, selling or consuming controlled drugs, or products containing them, even in trace amounts, is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Hemp and CBD products come from the cannabis plant and should not be brought in. CNB lists possession or consumption of cannabis as punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both. The SG Arrival Card's travel advisory notes that drug trafficking is punishable by death under the Act.
Cash above S$20,000
- When
Entering or leaving Singapore with cash and bearer negotiable instruments, such as traveller's cheques, worth more than S$20,000 in total, or the same in a foreign currency
- How
Form NP 727 to the Singapore Police Force, online within 72 hours before arrival or departure: the e-727 e-Service, the MyICA app, or the Submit Cash (CBNI) Declaration option after your SG Arrival Card
- Limit on amount
None. The declaration is a reporting requirement against money laundering and terrorism financing.
- Penalty for not declaring
A fine of up to S$50,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both; the cash may be seized or confiscated
Submit one declaration for each crossing, including when you carry the cash for someone else. If details such as the travel date change, void the declaration in the e-727 e-Service and submit a new one. Keep the summary page or acknowledgement email to show ICA officers if asked; no paper form is needed.
Green Channel or Red Channel
Use the Green Channel only if you have nothing dutiable, controlled or prohibited and you are within your allowances. Otherwise use the Red Channel. Officers may check bags in either channel, and not declaring is an offence. If in doubt, Singapore Customs and ICA advise the Red Channel. How immigration works before this point is in Singapore arrival and automated lanes, and passport and visa rules are in Singapore entry requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much alcohol can I bring into Singapore duty-free?
If you are 18 or older, have been outside Singapore for at least 48 hours and are not arriving from Malaysia: one of five options, such as 1 litre of spirits and 1 litre of wine, or 2 litres of beer.
Can I bring cigarettes into Singapore?
Yes, but there is no duty-free allowance or GST relief on them. Declare and pay tax on every packet, and they must meet Singapore's standardised packaging rules.
Can I bring a vape into Singapore?
No. E-cigarettes, vaporisers and their components are prohibited. Individuals can be fined up to S$10,000, and foreign visitors who offend again are banned from re-entering Singapore.
Do I need to declare cash when entering Singapore?
Yes, if you carry more than S$20,000 in cash and bearer negotiable instruments, or the same in a foreign currency. Submit Form NP 727 online within 72 hours before arrival.
Can I bring chewing gum into Singapore?
No, except oral dental and medicinal chewing gum approved by the Health Sciences Authority.
Can I bring my prescription medicine?
Usually up to 3 months' supply, with a copy of the prescription and in the original labelled packaging. Medicines with controlled substances need HSA approval, which you should apply for at least 2 weeks before arrival.
Sources checked
- Singapore Customs: Duty-Free Concession and GST Import Relief · October 28, 2026
- Singapore Customs: Controlled and Prohibited Goods for Imports · October 28, 2026
- Singapore Customs: Prohibited and Controlled Goods (travellers) · October 28, 2026
- Singapore Customs: Travel Rules and Penalties · October 28, 2026
- Singapore Customs: Customs@SG web application · October 28, 2026
- ICA: Prohibited, controlled and dutiable goods · October 28, 2026
- ICA: Baggage clearance and the dual-channel system · October 28, 2026
- ICA: Taking cash in and out of Singapore · October 28, 2026
- Singapore Police Force: Cross-border cash movement reporting · October 28, 2026
- gov.sg: Stop Vaping, higher penalties for vaping offences · October 28, 2026
- HSA: Personal medications · October 28, 2026
- CNB: Frequently asked questions · October 28, 2026
- ICA: SG Arrival Card e-Service (travel advisory, observed 28 October 2026) · October 28, 2026
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