Exports, Transhipments and Transits

Under the Strategic Goods (Control) Act (SGCA) (PDF 284KB), an approved strategic goods permit under Tier 1 of the Strategic Trade Scheme (STS) is required prior to every export, transhipment or bringing in transit of strategic goods, unless otherwise stated.

Please note that strategic goods permits are required for the transhipment of goods that are:

        (a)    listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Strategic Goods (Control) Regulations (PDF
                276KB); or

        (b)    not listed in the Strategic Goods (Control) Order 2010 (PDF 810KB), but you know
                or suspect or have been notified by Singapore Customs that the item is intended
                or likely to be used for nuclear, chemical or biological weapon purposes, or missiles
                capable of delivering such weapons.

The category codes of goods listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Strategic Goods (Control) Regulations are:

Military Goods

Dual-use Goods

ML1

ML2

ML3

ML4

ML6

ML7.b.1., 2., and 3.

ML7.c.

ML8.a.1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 7., 10., 11., 13.a., 13.c., 15., 18., 19., 20., 21., 23., 26., 27., 28., 32.j., 33., 34., ML8.b.1. to 5.

ML8.c.1., 3. to 9.

ML8.d.1., 2., 3., 5., 6., 8., 9., 10.

ML8.e.1. to 6., 8. to 13., 15. to 18.

ML8.f.

ML8.g.

ML9

ML10

0A, 0B, 0C

1C350.1. to 9., 11., 12., 13., 17., 18., 19., 21., 22., 23., 26. to 36., 38., 46., 51.

52., 54. to 57., 59., 63.

1C351.a.2., 4., 5., 7., 8., 10. to 17., 19., 31.

1C351.b.1., 3., 4.

1C351.c.1., 2., 3., 4., 7., 8., 9., 13.

1C351.d.1., 2., 4. to 7., 12.

1C352.a.1. to 4., 9., 10., 12., 14., 15., 17.

1C352.b.

1C354.b.1., 5.

1C354.c.1.

1C450.a.

1C450.b.;

5A2, 5B2

For the transhipment of goods which are not listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Strategic Goods (Control) Regulations and the transit of goods which are listed in the Strategic Goods (Control) Order 2010, a strategic goods permit is not required if they fulfill the criteria below:

        a)    The goods are immediately brought into an FTZ upon entry to Singapore;
        b)    They remain within the FTZ all the time, until they are brought out of Singapore; and
        c)    The goods only stay in the FTZ or depart from Singapore within:

               - 45 days, if brought in by sea
               - 21 days, if brought in by air

For transhipments between air and sea or vice versa, the applicable period is based on the entry mode of the first point of entry. For example, in the case of goods that are transhipped from Changi FTZ to Keppel FTZ, no strategic goods permit is required if the cargo leaves the FTZ within 21 days.

Though such a permit is not required, the authorities have powers to ask for documents or notification, as and when necessary.

Catch-All

Under the 'catch-all' provision in the SGCA, a strategic goods permit under Tier 1 of the STS is also required prior to the export, transhipment or bringing in transit of goods, if a person:

has been notified by an authorised officer;
knows; or
has reasonable grounds to suspect,

that the goods to be exported, transhipped or brought in transit are intended or likely to be used, wholly or in part, for or in connection with the development, production, handling, operation, maintenance, storage, detection, identification or dissemination of any nuclear, chemical or biological weapon; or the development, production, maintenance or storage of missiles which are capable of delivering any such weapons.

Permit Declarations for the Exports, Transhipments & Bringing in Transit of Strategic Goods

A strategic goods permit under Tier 1 of the STS, applied via TradeNet®, is an individual permit for the physical transfer of strategic goods.

Strategic goods such as arms and munitions, chemical weapons precursors, etc. which are currently subject to the purview of certain Controlling Agencies, will continue to be subjected to these agencies' existing licensing and other regulatory requirements. However, for the purpose of strategic goods permit requirement, you will only need to apply for ONE strategic goods TradeNet® permit. The strategic goods permit will be routed first to the Controlling Agencies for processing, and then to Singapore Customs, for final processing.

Processing Time

Most applications will be processed, on average, within 5 working days upon receipt of duly completed applications and a complete set of supporting documents. However, the processing time could be longer for permit applications that require additional information or supporting documents, and could vary depending on the nature of the item and the destination/ end-user. For applications with sensitive items or destinations, the time required to process the applications may be longer.

Traders are advised to submit their permit applications well in advance (with complete set of supporting documents and information) to allow ample time for assessment by Singapore Customs to avoid last minute shipment delays.

Permit Declarations for the Exports of Strategic Goods under Tier 2 and Tier 3

Tier 2 and Tier 3 of the STS – Refer to permit approvals on a specified period for pre-approved exports to specific end-users or destinations.

Shipments approved under Tier 2 and 3 permits do not need a pre-approved strategic goods TradeNet® permit. For traders/declaring agents who are using TradeNet® version 4.0 platform to declare permit, you are required to key in your approved Tier 2/Tier 3 Number and the Product Code in the "Remarks" column of your normal permit application. Do not key the product code into the CA/SC Product Code field.

Prior to the upgrade of TradeNet® version 4.0 to 4.1 on 1st Jan 2012, there is a parallel run of both TradeNet® versions from 1st Dec 2011 to 31st Dec 2011. Traders/declaring agents who have upgraded their platform to TradeNet® version 4.1 would not be required to declare the approved Tier 2/Tier 3 Number and the Product Code in the "Remarks" column. Instead, they are required to declare specific information to the new fields created in TradeNet® version 4.1

TradeNet® Permit Declaration Procedures for the Controlled Transfer of Strategic Goods

For information on the TradeNet® 4.1 permit declaration procedures for the exports, transhipments & bringing in transit of strategic goods under Tier 1, 2 and 3, please click here (206KB).

Contact Us

For further clarifications on the permit and processing requirements for strategic goods and other strategic goods control matters, you may contact:

Fax	:	(65) 6355 2156
Email	:	customs_stgc@customs.gov.sg