Restricted goods shipping to Singapore: what needs paperwork first

1Most of these can ship. The order of events is what matters

"Restricted" is not "prohibited". The goods on this page are restricted in the sense that a carrier, Singapore Customs or a Singapore regulator wants to know more about them before they move: a safety data sheet, a test report, a licence, a notification, a particular kind of packing. Provide that, choose the mode that accepts them, and they ship like anything else in our China to Singapore service. Miss it, and the same carton sits at the hub, gets refused by an airline or is held at the border until the paperwork is right.

So the practical rule is about sequence. Tell us what you are shipping before you pay the supplier, or at the latest before the supplier dispatches. We check the mode, the carrier's acceptance and the Singapore side, and tell you what to obtain and from whom.

2Why air and sea rules differ

Air carriers apply the IATA dangerous-goods rules. Anything that could catch fire, leak, pressurise or interfere with an aircraft's instruments is either excluded or accepted only with specific documents, packing and declarations. That is why lithium batteries, flammable liquids, aerosols and strong magnets are so often turned away from air freight.

Sea freight is governed by a different regime and is far more accommodating. Batteries, non-hazardous liquids, aerosols with a correct declaration and magnetised material all move by sea routinely. The trade-off is time: sea takes 10–14 days hub to door against 3–5 days by air. For most restocks containing a battery or a liquid, sea LCL at S$82 per CBM is the route that actually works; the CBM calculator gives you the indicative figure. If you genuinely need air, we ask the carrier before you commit, not after.

3Product by product: route, documents, notes

"Usual route" is what normally works, not a promise; every case is confirmed with the carrier and, where relevant, the Singapore authority before you commit.

Two things run through the table. The MSDS (material safety data sheet) does most of the work for batteries, liquids, aerosols and powders: it is what a carrier reads to decide whether the goods are dangerous goods at all. And for food and health products the question is not the carrier but the Singapore regulator, and the licence or notification sits with the importer, not the forwarder. We can tell you which agency and what to ask for; the licence itself has to be yours.

4Controlled and prohibited goods under Singapore law

Separately from carrier rules, Singapore Customs maintains a list of controlled and prohibited goods for import. The two words mean different things.

• Controlled goods may be imported, but only with authorisation from the competent authority for that product before the permit can be approved. Food, cosmetics, medicines and medical devices fall here, which is why the SFA and HSA appear in the table above.
• Prohibited goods cannot be imported at all. Chewing gum is the well-known example on the Singapore Customs list. No paperwork changes that answer.

The Customs list is the authority, and it is worth reading before you order. Where we are unsure how a product is classified, we say so and ask the agency concerned before you pay a supplier, because the importer, not the forwarder, carries the consequences of a wrong declaration. The GST and customs clearance guide explains how the permit and the declaration work.

Whether a product is controlled shows up in its HS code: the HS code guide explains how to check it, and do you need an import licence in Singapore covers the licences and approvals the controlling agencies issue.

5What is not accepted

• Counterfeit goods. Branded items without authorisation, copies, replicas.
• Items prohibited under Singapore law. Anything on the prohibited list from Singapore Customs.
• Undeclared dangerous goods. A battery, flammable or aerosol that is not declared as such. It endangers everyone else's cargo in the same container and is the fastest way to have a whole consolidated shipment held.
• Anything you would rather not describe accurately on an invoice. If the description has to be vague to get through, it is not cargo we accept.

6What to tell us before your supplier ships

You do not need to know the regulations. You need to describe the goods well enough for us to check them. Tell us as much of the following as you have when you ask for a quote:

1. Product description in plain words: what it is, what it is made of, what it does. "Bluetooth speaker with built-in rechargeable battery" beats "electronics".
2. MSDS (safety data sheet) if the supplier has one, for anything with a battery, a liquid, a powder or a pressurised container.
3. Battery type and watt-hours if known, and whether the cells are loose or installed in the device. The UN38.3 test report if the supplier has it.
4. Photos of the product and its packaging, including any labels or hazard markings on the carton.
5. Intended mode, sea or air, and your deadline.
6. Quantity and purpose, because personal and commercial quantities of cosmetics and health products are treated very differently, plus any licence or notification you already hold as the importer.

With that in hand we confirm the mode, tell you which documents or approvals are needed and from whom, and send the confirmed quote in writing within a few hours. Nothing is booked until you say yes.