Importer of Record service in Singapore

An Importer of Record is the legal party on the customs declaration responsible for goods entering Singapore — declaring the shipment, paying GST and any applicable duties, and complying with Singapore import regulations. Under Singapore law, this role can only be filled by an entity registered in Singapore with Customs registration, plus any sector-specific licenses for the product category.

Foreign companies without a Singapore entity can't be the Importer of Record themselves. Through this service, Emerhub Singapore takes that role on your behalf — goods enter the country under our name, using our registration and licenses, while ownership of the goods and the brand remains entirely with you. It's commonly used by brands that want to start importing immediately without first setting up a Pte Ltd (and finding a local resident director), or by companies bridging the gap while their own entity setup is in progress.

For most goods, once your supplier confirms Emerhub as the Importer of Record and we've reviewed your documents, the import can move forward immediately — typically within weeks of the first conversation.

For products requiring pre-import approval (cosmetics, food, supplements, medical devices), the relevant HSA or SFA approval needs to be in place before shipping. We can sequence that work in parallel with onboarding.

Emerhub Singapore is named as the consignee and Importer of Record on the official documentation. You remain the owner of the goods and the brand throughout — the arrangement is a service relationship, with our licenses and infrastructure working on your behalf.

Most general consumer and commercial goods can be handled. Some product categories require additional product registration or sector-specific approvals before import or sale — for example, cosmetics, supplements, and medical devices through HSA, food and beverages through SFA, telecom equipment through IMDA, or specific certifications for chemicals.

We confirm category feasibility during initial document review. If a product needs registration in addition to the Importer of Record service, we can handle both.

Singapore customs calculates GST based on the declared customs value of your goods, and import duties on the few dutiable categories (alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles, petroleum). Our team handles the calculation, filing, and settlement on your behalf during clearance.

The actual duty and tax amounts are passed through to you at cost. We confirm the applicable rates during the initial document review so you can factor them into your pricing.

Selling on marketplaces is a separate role from importing. The Importer of Record service gets your inventory legally into Singapore. Acting as the marketplace seller — listing the products, processing customer payments, handling transactions — is a different service we offer called Seller of Record. We often run both engagements together for brands selling on Shopee, Lazada, Amazon, or other Singapore marketplaces.

Both work. There's no minimum frequency or volume commitment. The service is useful for sporadic shipments where setting up your own import infrastructure isn't justified, and for ongoing imports while you test the market before committing to a permanent local entity.