Travellers failing to declare goods surge to 23,742 cases

Common breaches involved commercial goods such as renovation materials and machinery parts, apparel and accessories.

Singapore Customs detected a sharp rise in travellers failing to declare dutiable or taxable goods in the first ten months of 2025, recording 23,742 cases and issuing $7.1m in composition sums.

This is up from 13,099 cases and $3.5m in 2024, and 7,139 cases with $2.3m in 2023. Enforcement officers also imposed the maximum 5,000-dollar penalty on 142 travellers for incorrect or incomplete declarations, compared with 46 such cases in 2024 and 51 in 2023.

Common breaches involved commercial goods such as renovation materials and machinery parts, apparel and accessories, including bags, clothing, phones and watches, consumer items like health supplements, food and skincare products, and duty-unpaid or over-allowance cigarettes and alcohol.

Singapore Customs reiterated that all goods brought into Singapore are subject to GST, and offences can lead to fines of up to 20 times the duty and GST evaded or up to two years’ imprisonment upon conviction.

Travellers are encouraged to declare and pay taxes in advance, with options to pre-declare up to three days before arrival through the Customs@SG web app, or complete declarations at Customs Declaration Kiosks located at checkpoints to avoid penalties.

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