All commercial food imports that enter Singapore must come from accredited food establishments in approved countries. In addition, only traders who are licensed or registered with AVA can bring in commercial shipments of food.
Please refer to Licensing and Registration of Traders for more information.
For overseas food establishments seeking approval to export food products to Singapore, see the section "Approval of Imported Food Sources" below for the process and documents required.
For travellers who wish to bring in food for personal consumption (i.e. not for sale), see Bringing Food for Personal Use for more information.
What to Do before Importing
1. Apply for a trader’s licence or register with AVA
You have to apply for a trader’s licence or register with AVA before importing food into Singapore. Only companies registered with ACRA can apply for a licence.
Licensed / registered traders are also required to maintain a GIRO account with AVA for the payment of related fees and services.
2. Comply with relevant food legislation
You must ensure that all food imports comply with the relevant legislation governed by AVA.
Type of Food Legislation
Meat and fish
Wholesome Meat and Fish Act
Sale of Food Act
Food Regulations
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Control of Plants Act
Sale of Food Act
Food Regulations
Fresh eggs
Animal and Birds Act
Sale of Food Act
Food Regulations
Processed eggs
Processed food
Food appliances
Sale of Food Act
Food Regulations
You can also find all relevant and subsidiary legislation in our Legislation section.
3. Meet AVA's conditions for specific types of food
Different conditions and requirements apply to specific types of food. The conditions would depend on the type of food, source country, etc. For example, meat and meat products can only be imported from accredited overseas establishments.
AVA advises all food importers to check the General Classification of Food and Food Products to find out what food group their products fall under.
You can also refer to the Conditions for Specific Types of Food for more details.
4. Satisfy AVA’s labelling requirements
If you intend to import pre-packed food for commercial purposes, you should follow AVA’s rules on food labelling and advertisements.
For more information on food labelling, please see Labelling Guidelines for Food Importers & Manufacturers.
5. Apply for an import permit
After meeting the above pre-import requirements, you need to apply for an import permit before importing food products into Singapore.
See section "Applying for Import Permit" below for more information.
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