Import Vietnamese Tea to Singapore: SFA, Labels & GST

Vietnamese tea can be imported into Singapore by any Singapore company that holds a free SFA registration to import processed food, applies for a TradeNet permit for every consignment and sells the tea with an English label that meets Part 3 of the Food Regulations. Tea is not a dutiable good in Singapore, so no customs duty is payable; importers pay GST at 9% on the import value. Pesticide residues must stay within the limits in the Food Regulations, with Codex limits used where Singapore sets none.

Step	Who handles it	What the Vietnamese exporter supplies
UEN and activated Customs account	Singapore importer	Nothing
SFA registration to import processed food (GoBusiness, free, about 1 working day)	Singapore importer	Product details, HS code
TradeNet import permit and Cargo Clearance Permit, each consignment	Importer or declaring agent	Commercial invoice (not pro-forma), packing list, bill of lading
English label under the Food Regulations	Importer checks, exporter prints	Artwork with Singapore importer’s name and address, lot code
Pesticide residue compliance	Exporter and importer	Lot test reports, ideally from an accredited laboratory
Duty (none) and 9% GST	Importer	Accurate invoice value

SFA registration and the TradeNet permit

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) lists green and black tea (HS 0902) in its product codes for processed food. An importer of processed food needs SFA’s “Registration to Import Processed Food Products and Food Appliances”, which is free and takes about 1 working day for a complete application on the GoBusiness portal.

Clay teapot and a poured cup of Thai Nguyen green tea at the TRAVINA cooperative office — Samples for Singapore buyers are brewed and checked at our cooperative office in Thai Nguyen.

Before applying, the importer must be registered with ACRA and hold a valid UEN, have an activated TradeNet account with Singapore Customs, and keep a GIRO account with SFA. Then, for each shipment:

The importer or its declaring agent applies for an import permit in TradeNet with the product/HS code, before the goods enter Singapore. SFA charges no permit fee for processed food.
On approval, the importer receives a Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP) and keeps a printed copy.
Any food import may be inspected on arrival and held until laboratory results are released; food that fails cannot be sold in Singapore.

Singapore Customs treats the consignee named on the commercial invoice as the importer, does not accept pro-forma invoices for permits, and requires supporting documents to be kept for 5 years.

Labelling: what an English tea label must show

SFA’s “A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements” (revised November 2025) says prepacked food for sale in Singapore must carry the following in English:

Name of the food, for example “Green Tea”.
Ingredients, under an ingredients heading.
Net weight in metric units, as one value, not a range.
Name and address of the Singapore business entity. A phone number, email or website cannot replace the address.
Country of origin with wording such as “Product of Vietnam” (required from 30 January 2026).
A lot mark identifying the factory and production lot (from 30 January 2026).

Tea is not on the guide’s list of foods that must carry a date mark, so whether to print one is a choice to agree with the importer; date marks must be in letters at least 3 mm high. Sticker labels may be used to add mandatory information. Keep health claims off the pack.

Pesticide residue limits for tea

Under regulation 30 of the Food Regulations, residues listed in the Ninth Schedule must stay within its limits; any other pesticide must not exceed the limit adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. An SFA circular of 20 April 2020 added that a pesticide with no limit under either the Food Regulations or Codex “should not be detected in food products”, and introduced a further set of limits from 1 May 2020. SFA’s consolidated MRL list includes tea entries such as:

Deltamethrin, tea: 10 mg/kg; ethion and dicofol, dry manufactured tea: 5 mg/kg each (Ninth Schedule).
Acetamiprid, tea leaves: 30 mg/kg; carbendazim: 10 mg/kg; acephate: 0.2 mg/kg (limits from 1 May 2020).
Methomyl, hexaconazole and hexaflumuron, tea leaves: 0.05 mg/kg, marked as default limits.

Check each active ingredient used on the farm against all three sources before shipping. SFA does not require testing before import but encourages traders to use accredited laboratories, so a multi-residue report on the shipping lot is worth having. For how these limits compare with Europe’s, see our guide to EU pesticide limits for Vietnamese tea.

Duty, GST and the ATIGA Form D

Singapore Customs lists four groups of dutiable goods: intoxicating liquors, tobacco products, motor vehicles, and petroleum products and biodiesel blends. Tea is not among them, so no customs duty is charged on Vietnamese tea.

GST is charged on all imports. IRAS’s GST Guide on Imports (twelfth edition, 30 January 2026) confirms a 9% rate from 1 January 2024, levied on CIF value plus any duty, commission and incidental charges and collected by Singapore Customs. A GST-registered importer can usually claim it as input tax, backed by an import permit naming it as importer.

Because duty is already zero, the ATIGA Form D brings no duty saving for tea in Singapore. Vietnam and Singapore have exchanged the electronic Form D through the ASEAN Single Window since January 2018, and Singapore Customs notes that importing administrations may reject a hard-copy Form D for preference claims.

Documents from Vietnam and shipping to Singapore

SFA’s requirements for processed food do not list a health certificate. A typical tea shipment carries:

Commercial invoice naming the Singapore importer as consignee, plus packing list.
Bill of lading or air waybill.
Pesticide residue test report for the lot, and a product specification.
Certificate of origin (e-Form D) when the buyer requests it.

See our checklist of Vietnamese tea export documents. From Thai Nguyen, the nearest seaport is Hai Phong; Ho Chi Minh City ports are the alternative for southern consolidation. Sailings and transit times vary by carrier, so check current schedules with your forwarder; our note on FOB, CIF and EXW for tea sets out who pays what.

How TRAVINA works with Singapore importers

TRAVINA is the brand of HTX Tâm Trà Việt, a tea cooperative in Đại Từ, Thái Nguyên. Our raw material comes from a 40.5 ha area cultivated following VietGAP standards, and our La Bằng processing facility holds ISO 22000 certification. We supply Thai Nguyen green teas (Trà Bắc, Special Green Tea, Móc Câu, Nõn Tôm), Broken Needle Tea Bags and Núi Cốc black tea, with OEM/private label and gift box options.

English artwork drafts with space for the importer’s address and a lot code; samples and test reports from your lot.
In-stock products need no deposit; OEM orders from VND 20,000,000 carry a 20–30% deposit; any order with a printed logo carries 50%. Orders under 100 kg ship from our warehouse within 24 hours.
Order quantity depends on grade and packaging – ask us. Prices are quoted per order on request.

For tasting, brew Traditional Northern Green Tea at 5–7 g per 200 ml, 80–85°C.

Preparing a first tea shipment to Singapore. Importers can request samples of Traditional Northern Green Tea, Special Green Tea or Broken Needle Tea Bags through our Contact page, or message our export team on Zalo/WhatsApp at +84 855 318 678. Tell us your pack sizes and we will send draft English label artwork with the samples.

FAQ

Does a Singapore importer need an SFA licence to import tea?

For processed food such as tea, SFA requires a free registration rather than a licence, applied for on GoBusiness; a complete application takes about 1 working day.

Is there import duty on tea in Singapore?

No. Tea is not on Singapore Customs’ list of dutiable goods. GST at 9% applies to the import value, and GST-registered importers can usually claim it as input tax.

Do I need a Form D to export tea to Singapore?

Not to lower duty, because the duty is already zero. Provide an e-Form D if your buyer asks for one; Vietnam and Singapore exchange it electronically through the ASEAN Single Window.

Must tea sold in Singapore carry an expiry date?

Tea is not on SFA’s list of foods that must be date-marked. A lot identification mark is required from 30 January 2026.

Which pesticide limits apply to Vietnamese tea in Singapore?

The Ninth Schedule of the Food Regulations and SFA’s 2020 list first, then Codex limits for pesticides Singapore does not list. A pesticide with no limit in either should not be detected.