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Information on Licence to Import or Export Irradiating Apparatus and Radioactive Materials

Offences and Penalties

Under Section 6(1)(a) and 7(1)(a) of the Radiation Protection Act 2007, a person must not import into, or export out of, Singapore any irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials without a licence. Any person who contravenes Section 6(1)(a) and 7(1)(a) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both.

Definitions of Import and Export


Import and export refers to:

Import_Export_Table

A licence is required to import or export controlled irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials. The import and export licences are applied by the Declaring Agent (DA) via Singapore Customs’ TradeNet portal under a Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP) declaration prior to shipment arrival or departure date, except for cases belonging to special circumstances1. For more information on how to apply for an import or export licence, please refer to Application for Licence to Import or Export Irradiating Apparatus and Radioactive Materials. 

1 Special circumstances include, but not limited to, controlled items which are hand-carried into or out of Singapore and imported or exported through ATA Carnet. For such cases, please refer to the section Special Circumstances under How to Apply for Licence to Import or Export.

Import and Export of Controlled Irradiating Apparatus and Radioactive Materials

The types of import and export licences are shown below.

Import Export

For information on the controlled irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials that require a licence, you may refer to the list of controlled irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials here.  If you are unsure if an irradiating apparatus or radioactive material that is not included in the list requires a licence, please seek clarification from NEA by contacting us through NEA’s online feedback form or myENV app.

HS Codes

Singapore adopts the 8-digit HS Codes in the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) for use by all ASEAN Member States.

Controlled items must be declared with the correct HS codes in the customs permit application to enable the issuance of a valid import/export licence by NEA. To assist you in determining the appropriate HS Code for your controlled irradiating apparatus or radioactive material, you may refer to the List of HS Codes for Controlled Irradiating Apparatus and Radioactive Materials.

For non-controlled items that do not require an import or export licence but will be declared under a HS code for radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus, declarants may use the following codes based on the corresponding circumstances:

  • If the shipped items are non-controlled spare parts of controlled irradiating apparatus, declarants should enter ‘RADSPARE’ in both the “Licence No.” and “CA/SC Product Code” fields. 

  • For non-controlled items, declarants should enter ‘MISC’ in the “CA/SC Product Code” field, provided the particular HS code allows for it.

  • Otherwise, please contact NEA’s Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Group (RPNSG) TradeNet team via NEA_RPNSD_Tradenet@nea.gov.sg in cases where the item has to be declared under a HS code for radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus, but the use of 'MISC' CA/SC Product Code is not allowed.

For more information regarding HS Codes, you may refer to Singapore Customs’ website.