Singapore is efficient, expensive and unusually specific about what may cross its border. The shipping is predictable and the clearance is fast. What needs planning is what you bring, because flats are smaller than British houses and several everyday items are simply not allowed in.
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Singapore is one of the least frustrating places we clear goods into. Entries are processed quickly, the port runs well, and inspections are proportionate. The trade-off is that the rules are applied precisely as written. Items that would raise an eyebrow elsewhere are seized here, and there is no negotiating afterwards.
The second thing to plan for is space. A three-bedroom British house holds considerably more than a typical Singapore apartment, and storage costs money in a city where land does. We would rather spend twenty minutes at survey telling you what not to ship than watch you pay to store a dining set you will never use.
The city · The shophouses · The port
Volume decides it first, urgency second. We recommend one after your survey and show you the alternative price rather than quietly choosing the bigger box.
Under roughly 300 cu ft · groupage or LCL
You pay for the space you occupy in a container shared with others bound for Singapore. Very common on this route, because expatriate housing is frequently let furnished and many people ship personal effects rather than a household.
Roughly 1,000 cu ft · one to two bedrooms
Yours alone, sailing when it is loaded. A sensible choice for a couple moving a full flat, and it avoids waiting on a consolidation that may take several weeks to fill.
Roughly 2,200 cu ft · three to five bedrooms
Chosen mainly by families moving into landed housing or a large condominium. Think hard before filling one: what fits a house in Surrey rarely fits an apartment off Orchard Road.
Priced by weight · 4–7 days
Widely used here, because people frequently arrive weeks ahead of the container to start a role. Work equipment, documents and a first month of clothes are the usual contents.
Most movers make you fill in a form before they will discuss money. Here is the shape of it up front — and, unlike most published prices in this trade, an honest account of what these figures do and do not cover.
| Size of move | Shipping, port to port | Packing and UK collection |
|---|---|---|
| Small move, shared containerA flat, a student move, part of a house | £865–£1,879 | Quoted per move |
| 20ft containerTypically a three-bedroom house | £2,596–£3,720 | About £2,010 |
| 40ft containerFour bedrooms and upwards | £4,672–£6,342 | About £2,510 |
The middle column is the shipping, and only the shipping. It is the cost of moving the container from a UK port to the destination port. The third column adds packing to export standard and collection from your home. Still to come on top of both: customs clearance at each end, quarantine or biosecurity inspection where the destination requires it, insurance, destination charges and delivery into your new home. Those are quoted per shipment, and every one of them is explained with published figures on what your quote doesn’t include.
We split it out this way because a shipping figure presented as the price of a move is how an advertised number ends up a couple of thousand pounds below what anybody actually pays. Ranges are indicative, move with sailing rates and the season, and depend on your actual packed volume — which is why we survey before we quote. The same figures for every destination, with a worked example, are on what an international move costs.
Door to door, from UK collection to delivery at your Singapore address. Planning figures rather than guarantees, though this is one of the more reliable routes we run.
| Destination | Shared container | Sole-use container |
|---|---|---|
| Central and CBDTanjong Pagar, River Valley, Orchard, Marina | 8–11 weeks | 7–9 weeks |
| East and north-eastKatong, East Coast, Tampines, Serangoon | 8–11 weeks | 7–9 weeks |
| West and northBukit Timah, Holland, Jurong, Woodlands | 8–11 weeks | 7–9 weeks |
| Sentosa and the southSentosa Cove, Harbourfront | 8–11 weeks | 7–9 weeks |
| Air freightIsland-wide | 4 | & |
Singapore is small, so the delivery address barely affects the timeline — what varies is access. The sea leg through Suez is around five weeks and clearance is usually a matter of days. Building management is more likely to determine your delivery date than the port is.
Quoted as one price, delivered as one service. Anything not on this list is named in your quotation rather than discovered later.
There is no biosecurity regime here on the Australasian scale, but there is a prohibited list that is short, well known and rigorously enforced. Assume anything on it will be found.
None of this is obscure. It catches people out because these items are unremarkable in Britain, so they get packed without thought. Tell us at survey and they simply stay behind.
Singapore’s prohibited and controlled lists are published and are updated. We confirm the current position at survey and give you a written list before packing.
Singapore is one city, so what changes is not the port but the front door. These are the housing types we deliver into, and each has its own access constraints.
Tanjong Pagar, Marina, River Valley
Serviced apartments and high-rise condominiums close to the business district. Expect booked service lifts, loading bay windows and strict delivery hours. Volumes here tend to be small and air freight is common.
Island-wide
The default expatriate housing. Management approval, lift protection and a refundable deposit are usually required, and some developments only permit moves on weekdays. We handle the paperwork with the managing agent.
Tampines, Bishan, Punggol, Toa Payoh
Public housing, and home to the great majority of Singaporeans. Lift access is generally good, but lift dimensions govern what will actually go up, and long walks from the loading point are common.
Bukit Timah, Holland, Sentosa Cove
Detached and terraced houses, mostly in the central and western districts. Easier for volume, harder for access: narrow lanes and gated driveways often mean a shuttle vehicle from the main road.
Katong, Tiong Bahru, Chinatown
Beautiful, and the hardest deliveries on the island. Narrow frontages, steep internal stairs and protected fabric mean careful planning and sometimes a hoist. Tell us early if this is you.
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam
Singapore is our hub for Southeast Asia, and onward shipping to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City is routine. Rules differ sharply by country — tell us where and we will confirm.
Working backwards from your flight.
Book the survey and confirm the quotation. Start deciding what will actually fit the flat you are moving into.
Confirm your Singapore address and managing agent. Set aside anything on the prohibited list to stay behind or be disposed of.
We complete your valued inventory and the GST relief claim. Separate air freight and documents.
We pack, inventory and load over one to two days, with humidity-sensitive items protected accordingly.
We clear the entry, book the service lift and deliver within your building’s permitted window.
Volume first, then access. Because the island is small, the delivery address barely changes the freight, but a shophouse with a hoist costs more to deliver into than a condominium with a service lift. Use the volume estimator on our home page for a sense of scale, then let us survey and quote.
Probably not. Apartments are smaller than British houses, many come part-furnished, and storage is expensive. We will walk the house with you and say honestly what is not worth the freight. It is the single biggest saving available on this route.
You may be able to claim relief on used household effects when transferring residence, provided the claim is made correctly at entry. Alcohol and tobacco are dutiable regardless. We prepare the claim as part of the service.
Realistically, no. Vehicles more than three years old cannot be imported at all, and any car faces the certificate of entitlement, which commonly costs more than the vehicle itself. We would rather tell you that now than quote for a shipment you will regret.
The one that catches British movers is vaping equipment, which is prohibited to import or possess. Chewing gum in quantity, obscene material and unapproved radio transmitters are the others we see. We give you a written list before packing.
Considerably. Leather, paper, photographs, artwork, wooden instruments and anything with adhesive suffer at Singapore humidity, especially in an apartment that is air-conditioned only in the evenings. We pack for it and advise on what is better left with family in the UK.
Yes, and onward across Southeast Asia. Returning to Britain after twelve consecutive months abroad may qualify you for Transfer of Residence relief, which must be applied for before your goods arrive.
Tell us where you're heading and roughly when. A consultant will come back within one working day to arrange a survey.