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The Singapore Customs is a
regulatory agency A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government agency, government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous jurisdiction over some area of human activity in a l ...
under the
Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...
of the
Government of Singapore The government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore, Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to consist of the President of Singapore, President and the Executive. Executive authority of Singapore is vested in the Presi ...
. Singapore Customs was reconstituted on 1 April 2003, after the Customs and Excise Department and the Trade Facilitation Division and Statistics Audit Unit of
International Enterprise Singapore International Enterprise Singapore ( IE Singapore) was a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore. It facilitated the growth of Singapore-based companies overseas and promoted international trade. ...
(IE Singapore) were merged. The border function's at the land, air and sea checkpoints were also simultaneously transferred to
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA, zh, 移民與關卡局;) is a law enforcement agency within the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the border control agency responsible for frontline border c ...
(ICA). Singapore Customs became the lead agency on trade facilitation and revenue enforcement matters. It is also responsible for the implementation of customs and trade enforcement measures including those related to Free Trade Agreements and strategic goods. The headquarters is located in Revenue House along Newton Road,
Novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...
.


Goods and Services Tax (GST) Refund for Tourists

The Customs of Singapore is assisting on behalf of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) to administer the GST endorsement for the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) at Changi Airport Terminals 1-4.


History

The Customs Department was founded when Singapore was the British Empire's
Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...
and later
Crown Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...
. Established in 1910 under the name Government Monopolies Department, Customs is one of the oldest tax-collecting organisations in modern Singapore to increase the country's state coffers to help fund national programmes. Revenue collection began in December 1909 when the first import duty was imposed on hard liquors. In 1916, the tariff was extended to include tobacco and cigarettes. The collection of duty on petroleum was introduced in 1934. Motor vehicles are also subject to tax and excise duties. Effective 1 January 2012,
compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in ...
(CNG) for motor vehicles is subject to tax and excise duty. The department has gone through many transitions, mergers, and re-organizations in the last century under the government of Singapore. The department's responsibilities in securing Singapore's future are affected by worldwide globalization, market forces and changes in laws, tariffs, trading and traveling trends. On 1 April 2003, the department was re-constituted as Singapore Customs - a government agency transferred to the Ministry of Finance of Singapore - providing essential services for revenue collection and enforcement, trade documentation, trade facilitation, and security functions as Singapore’s single authority on customs and trade regulatory matters. On 15 November 2019, the new Customs Operations Command building was officially opened at Bulim Drive off Jalan Bahar in
Jurong West Jurong West is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential town located in the West Region, Singapore, West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares Wiktionary:boundary, boundaries with Tengah, Singapore, ...
. This will allow for intelligence, investigation and compliance-related functions to come under the command. On 1 January 2025, Singapore Customs unveiled a refreshed logo, along with an updated mission and vision, reflecting its commitment to protect revenue and facilitate trade for a thriving Singapore economy.


Primary roles and functions

Singapore Customs' primary roles and functions are: *collection of customs revenue; *protection of customs revenue by preventing the evasion of duties and taxes; *provision of one-stop service for trade and customs matters, such as issuance of permits, licenses and Certificates of Origin, and provision of classification and valuation advice; *facilitation of trade through simplification of customs procedures and administration of tax break schemes; *enforcement of trade requirements under the respective Free Trade Agreements (FTAs); *regulation of trade in strategic goods and strategic goods technology; and *enforcement against the illegal buying and selling of all kinds of duty-unpaid tobacco and liquors.


Organisational structure

Singapore Customs is currently headed by a
Director-General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
, who is assisted by a Deputy Director-General, 3 Senior Assistant Directors-General, 4 Assistant Directors-General, a Chief Human Resource Officer, and a Chief Information Technology Officer. The work of Singapore Customs is performed by the Trade Division, Compliance Division, Human Resource Directorate, Policy & Planning Division, Checkpoints Division, Intelligence & Investigation Division, Ops-Tech & Management Division, and the Information Technology Directorate. Each branch in a division is typically headed by a Chief Superintendent of Customs or a non-uniform equivalent. The Internal Audit Branch reports directly to the Director-General of Customs.


Rank structure

The rank structure of Singapore Customs is as such, in order of ascending seniority:


See also

*
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA, zh, 移民與關卡局;) is a law enforcement agency within the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the border control agency responsible for frontline border c ...
*
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Singapore in charge of tax collection. History Early beginnings The Singapore Income Tax Department was created in 1947 ...
*
Ministry of Finance (Singapore) The Ministry of Finance (MOF; ; zh, 财政部; ) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for managing the fiscal policies and the structure of the economy of Singapore. Responsibilities The authority's main regulatory st ...


References


External links


Singapore Customs Official Website



Strategic Trade Scheme

National Authority (Chemical Weapons Convention)

TradeNet
{{authority control 2003 establishments in Singapore Customs services Finance in Singapore Government agencies established in 2003 Organisations of the Singapore Government Law enforcement agencies of Singapore