Shipping From Thailand to Singapore: What It Costs and When Singapore Charges GST
S$400 decides whether Singapore charges GST on a parcel. Below that line, goods arriving by air pay nothing at import, above it the 9 percent applies to the whole value, and a few goods are taxed or stopped at any value. A parcel sent from Thailand with Dragon Courier travels by air in 1 to 2 days, priced from 423 THB with duty and tax included.
Do I pay GST on a parcel from Thailand to Singapore?
Only above S$400. Singapore grants import GST relief on goods arriving by air or post with a total value of S$400 or less, counting the goods, freight and insurance. Above S$400, GST at 9 percent is charged on the full value, not on the part above the line.
Singapore's tax authority sets out the rule in one sentence:
For such goods (except dutiable item), GST is not charged at the point of importation if the CIF value is S$400 or less. However, if the CIF value exceeds S$400, GST will be applied to the entire value of the goods.
Source: GST on Imported Low-Value Goods, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.
The rate has been 9 percent since 1 January 2024, when it rose from 8 percent. The tax is calculated on the goods, the freight and the insurance together, plus any customs duty:
GST is 9% of the total CIF value plus any customs duties.
Source: Consumers Importing Goods into Singapore, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.
What is in the parcel | Value by air (goods, freight, insurance) | GST at import | Customs duty |
|---|---|---|---|
General goods: clothes, accessories, spare parts | S$400 or less | None | None |
General goods | above S$400 | 9% on the full value | None |
Alcohol or tobacco | any value | 9%, no relief | Yes |
Plants, medicines, some food | any value | as general goods | None, but a permit is needed first |
Sources: Singapore Customs, Paying GST and Duty for Postal / Courier Items; Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore; Goods and Services Tax (Imports Relief) Order 1994, Schedule item 38.
The relief is for air and post only. Goods that reach Singapore by sea or by road pay GST at any value.
What does the S$400 line actually measure?
The S$400 line is two different tests. When an overseas seller registered for Singapore GST makes the sale, the test is the price of each item without shipping. When the parcel lands, the test is the value of the whole consignment with freight and insurance included.
The first test belongs to online sellers big enough to register in Singapore: businesses with more than S$1 million of global turnover and more than S$100,000 of sales to Singapore consumers a year. They charge the GST at checkout. Singapore Customs defines the value they use:
Sales value refers to the price of the goods only.
Source: GST on Low-Value Goods, Singapore Customs.
The second test is the one a Thai shop or a family sending a box will meet, and it adds parcels together. Singapore Customs explains:
Goods from the same consignor, to the same importer, on the same flight are assessed together, regardless of separate airway bills.
Source: Paying GST and Duty for Postal / Courier Items, Singapore Customs.
Three parcels of S$150 each, sent on the same day to the same person, arrive as S$450 and lose the relief. Splitting a large order into small boxes does not work for the same reason.
The exchange rate is the last trap. The value is converted into Singapore dollars on the day of import, not on the day of the sale, and the tax authority gives its own example: a bag priced at S$398 at checkout was worth S$402 at import. A sender close to the line should leave a margin.
Does Singapore charge customs duty?
Almost never on a normal parcel. Singapore charges customs or excise duty on four categories only, and everything else is non-dutiable, although GST may still apply.
There are four categories:
Intoxicating liquors
Tobacco products
Motor vehicles
Petroleum products and biodiesel blends
Source: Duties and Dutiable Goods Overview, Singapore Customs.
For clothes, food, accessories and spare parts from Thailand, the only tax that can apply is GST. The person named as receiver is the importer and is legally responsible for it, and on a service without tax included the courier collects it from the receiver before or on delivery. Tobacco sent by post must also meet Singapore's standardised packaging rules, so cigarettes are not worth sending.
What does Singapore Customs stop at the border?
Singapore prohibits some goods outright and controls others behind a permit. Chewing gum, e-cigarettes and vapes, chewing tobacco and shisha, endangered wildlife and controlled drugs cannot be imported at all. Plants, medicines and some food need approval from the agency in charge before they arrive.
The prohibited list reads:
Chewing gum (excluding Health Sciences Authority approved oral dental and medicinal chewing gum)
Imitation tobacco products (electronic cigarettes, vaporisers) and components of imitation tobacco products
Source: Controlled and Prohibited Goods for Imports, Singapore Customs.
A parcel with controlled goods and no permit does not reach the receiver. Singapore Customs states that it "will be detained by ICA and subject to assessment by the relevant Competent Authority(s)", the border agency holding it until the permit question is settled.
Goods | Status | Agency |
|---|---|---|
Chewing gum | Prohibited, except approved dental and medicinal gum | Singapore Customs |
E-cigarettes, vapes and their parts | Prohibited | Health Sciences Authority |
Chewing tobacco, shisha, snuff | Prohibited | Health Sciences Authority |
Live plants, orchids included | Import permit and phytosanitary certificate | National Parks Board |
Medicines | Approval needed | Health Sciences Authority |
Food for sale, samples included | Licensed importers only | Singapore Food Agency |
Sources: Singapore Customs; Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Prohibited / Controlled / Dutiable Goods; Singapore Food Agency.
Food is the category most often misjudged. On the Singapore Food Agency's list of foods allowed for personal use, Thailand is an approved source for poultry and shell eggs but not for beef, pork or mutton, and food that will be sold needs a licensed importer:
You are deemed to be importing food for commercial sale even if you are receiving and selling food and/or food samples by parcel posts.
Source: Import Requirements for Food & Food Products, Singapore Food Agency.
The wider rules for goods that never fly are in the guide on prohibited and restricted items, and for food in the guide on shipping food and snacks from Thailand.
What does Singapore need for plants from Thailand?
Every live plant needs a Singapore import permit and a phytosanitary certificate, whatever the quantity. Orchids are named in the law, and the rule applies to hobbyists and traders alike.
The certificate has a deadline written into Singapore's plant rules:
The phytosanitary certificate referred to in paragraph (4)(a) shall be issued not more than 14 days prior to the date of shipment of the consignment
Source: Control of Plants (Plant Importation) Rules, rule 5(5), Singapore Statutes Online.
The National Parks Board charges S$11 for an import permit per consignment, valid for two weeks. Plants shipped with growing medium need an extra line on the phytosanitary certificate declaring them free from plant parasitic nematodes, or a treatment endorsed on it, and orchids listed under CITES also need an NParks CITES permit.
Dragon Courier holds an import permit for each plant market it serves, Singapore included, and the list of plants on the permit is sent on request. The phytosanitary certificate is arranged in Bangkok, plants travel bare root in fresh sphagnum moss with door to door temperature control, and the Singapore leg takes 2 to 3 days. The declared value limit on a plant shipment to Singapore is SGD 400. The rules for other plant markets are in the guide on importing plants from Thailand, country by country.
How much does it cost to ship from Thailand to Singapore?
Shipping from Thailand to Singapore with Dragon Courier costs from 423 THB for 0.5 kg to 2,497 THB for 20 kg, with duty and tax included and delivery in 1 to 2 days. Singapore is zone 30 on the general list.
Weight | Price (THB, duty and tax included) |
|---|---|
0.5 kg | 423 |
1 kg | 468 |
2 kg | 559 |
5 kg | 868 |
10 kg | 1,411 |
20 kg | 2,497 |
Thai Baht, general price list of 3 August 2026. Cartons are charged on actual weight or on dimensions, whichever is greater.
Insurance is required on every shipment and covers loss, at a declared value chosen by the sender. If the receiver changes the address or the delivery arrangements without going through Dragon Courier, insurance cannot be claimed in case of loss, so the address on the booking has to be the final one.
About Dragon Courier
Dragon Courier is a Bangkok courier, family owned, with more than 30 years in logistics in Thailand and more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations. It is the number one exporter of live plants in Thailand, with Singapore one of its plant markets alongside the USA, Canada, Europe, the UK and Hong Kong. For a quote, the contents of the parcel and the receiver's name, address and contact number are enough.
Contacts and drop-off
The contents of the parcel and the receiver's address are enough to get a quote. Office +66 2656 9019, Justin is on LINE and WhatsApp at +66 6-5937-0812, or info@dragoncourier.com. Drop-off runs until 17:00, Monday to Saturday, at the Bangkok office on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110) or the Chiang Mai office on Viangbua Road, and a pickup can be arranged for a date and time that suits. Is the parcel going to Singapore worth more than S$400 with the freight added?
Do I have to pay GST when Dragon Courier ships to Singapore?
No. Dragon Courier's Singapore prices come from its duty and tax inclusive list, so any GST due at import is part of the price paid in Thailand. Under Singapore's own rules, general goods by air with a total value of S$400 or less pay no GST at import, and above S$400 the 9 percent applies to the full value.
Is there a duty-free threshold for parcels sent to Singapore?
Yes, for GST. Goods arriving by air or post with a total value of S$400 or less, including freight and insurance, are relieved of import GST, except alcohol and tobacco. Several parcels from the same sender to the same receiver on the same flight are added together, so splitting a shipment does not keep it under the line.
How long does delivery to Singapore take?
A parcel from Thailand to Singapore takes 1 to 2 days with Dragon Courier. Live plants take 2 to 3 days, because the phytosanitary certificate and the import permit have to be in place first. Delivery is door to door, and parcels can be dropped at the Bangkok or Chiang Mai office or collected on a booked date and time.
Can I send plants or orchids to Singapore?
Yes, with paperwork. Singapore requires an import permit from the National Parks Board and a phytosanitary certificate issued no more than 14 days before shipment, and CITES orchids also need an NParks CITES permit. Dragon Courier holds an import permit for its Singapore plant service and arranges the phytosanitary certificate in Bangkok.
Can I send chewing gum, a vape or Thai snacks to Singapore?
Chewing gum and vapes cannot be imported into Singapore at all, except approved dental and medicinal gum. Snacks for personal use are a matter for the Singapore Food Agency's rules on allowed foods, and food that will be sold, samples included, can only be imported by a licensed importer.
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