Self-Compliance

Singapore Customs encourages traders to maintain strong internal controls and corporate governance practices to ensure compliance with customs laws and regulations. By implementing clear procedures, businesses can reduce declaration errors, avoid regulatory breaches, and prevent operational delays arising from non-compliance.

Non-compliance may result in:

• Penalties

• Seizure and forfeiture of goods

• Suspension of import/export/transhipment facilitation for repeated breaches

• Increased monitoring by Singapore Customs

Education and Outreach

Singapore Customs actively engages with the trading community through regular dialogues and engagement sessions. These efforts aim to:

• Share regulatory updates

• Clarify compliance requirements

• Understand industry practices and challenges

Targeted outreach is also conducted for specific groups of traders to help them address compliance issues.

Singapore Customs has appointed Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) ↗ (opens in new tab) and Republic Polytechnic (RP) ↗ (opens in new tab) to offer specialised courses on customs requirements. These courses are designed to help businesses stay updated with the regulations and enhance their compliance efforts.

Companies interested in these courses can visit the NYP and RP websites to register.

Best Practices

To support compliance, Singapore Customs offers practice guidelines on various Customs procedures, schemes, and legislation, including:

• Importing of Goods

• Exporting of Goods

• Transhipment of Goods

• Rules of Origin

• Temporary Import/Export Scheme

• Licensed Warehouse Scheme

• Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act

These resources outline the obligations and recommended practices to support businesses in maintaining strong internal controls and ensuring adherence to Customs requirements.