Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)

Import, Export or Transhipment of Controlled Substances

With effect from 5 Sep 1999, any person who intends to import, export or tranship any controlled substances (as defined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973) shall declare through the TradeNet or to CNB for approval 14 days before effective date of import, export or transhipment.

The declaration to CNB shall be submitted through the Permit Administration and ConTROL (PATROL) System (opens in new tab), a web-based online licence application system. Upon CNB’s licence approval, you have to submit an application through TradeNet to obtain a customs permit before you import, export or tranship the controlled substances.

Applying via PATROL

When submitting your licence application through the PATROL System, you must provide all relevant supporting documents such as sale agreement, invoice and purchase order for CNB to assess your application properly. Any missing documents will result in the delay of the processing of your application. Other documents such as shipping documents and Bill of Lading may also be included if they are available.

Once your application is approved, you will be issued with an e-licence that contains a unique CNB Licence Number. You may retrieve this e-licence from the online portal. You will need to cite the CNB Licence Number in the “CA Licence Number” field of the permit application submitted through TradeNet.

Information required to complete the permit application on TradeNet

Please ensure that you have already applied for and obtained a customs permit through TradeNet before the controlled substances arrive in/depart from/tranship through Singapore. When applying for the customs permit, you are advised to take note and provide the relevant information in the fields listed below. Do note that your application may be delayed or rejected if the information is incomplete.

1. CA Licence Number field – declare the CNB Licence Number in this field.

2. Goods Description field – provide the full chemical name of each substance.

3. Remarks field – state the description of the packaging (e.g. 100 drums of 225 kg each), and the purpose and usage of the goods.

4. Supplier/Manufacturer Name field - declare the name of supplier/manufacturer for import permit applications.

5. Consignee Name field – declare the consignee’s name for export permit applications.

Importation of Food Products Containing Poppy Seeds

Poppy seeds are classified as a controlled import under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations, with the Director, CNB (‘the Director’) as the competent authority regulating the import of this item. This means that an approval is required from the Director for the import into Singapore of poppy seeds.

Any company or person who wishes to import poppy seeds or any food products that contain poppy seeds or both (regardless of the amount or purpose) must submit the Inward Declaration Form (download (opens in new tab)) together with a certificate from the exporting country or the country of origin of the poppy seeds.

You must send a sample of the seeds or food product or both to the Health Sciences Authority (‘HSA’) located at 11 Outram Road, Singapore 169078 for analysis.

If the sample is in the form of seeds, it is to be sent to the Division Director, Illicit Drugs Division, Applied Sciences Group, Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

If the sample is in the form of food products, it is to be sent to the Division Director, Analytical Toxicology Division (ATL-CFT), Applied Sciences Group, HSA.

Your application to the CNB will be pending the submission of the HSA report. Once you have received the report, please forward it to CNB so that your application can be reviewed. If HSA certifies that the poppy seeds or food products containing poppy seeds are cleared of any controlled drugs, e.g. no traces of morphine detected, CNB will endorse and approve the Inward Declaration Form. With the endorsement by CNB, the poppy seeds or food products containing poppy seeds will be allowed for import into Singapore. If the poppy seeds or food products containing poppy seeds are found to contain any controlled drug, the import application will be rejected.