SG dollar limit in flight to Singapore

[srktugga@gmail.com]

Hi All,

I will be moving to Singapore from India next month.I want to know how much Singapore Dollars(via Cash) I can bring to Singapore in a flight from India.

Regards,
Vijay

[MOCHS]

Your answer can easily be found via Google.

[Lisafuller]

Have they increased the limit? Always remembered it being 10,000 in cash, from the signage posted in the airport.

[malcontent]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

[PNGMK]

It's put in place as a catch all Mal (for drug smugglers etc).

My good friend Paul was the first ever case prosecuted in Australia for a similar law when he stupidly took back all his USD offshore pay from Singapore in 1989. All his friends were dragged into it as well as the cops photocopied his address book and went to every contact to make sure he wasn't into drugs or crime.

[malcontent]

It's put in place as a catch all Mal (for drug smugglers etc).

My good friend Paul was the first ever case prosecuted in Australia for a similar law when he stupidly took back all his USD offshore pay from Singapore in 1989. All his friends were dragged into it as well as the cops photocopied his address book and went to every contact to make sure he wasn't into drugs or crime.

Nowadays it couldn’t be easier or cheaper to avoid carrying cash. TransferWise (now Wise) charges between 0.4-0.5% (depending on the amount) for SGD to USD which includes the transfer cost and nothing is hidden or buried in the exchange rate.

Every time I’ve checked DBS “free” transfers, they are not quite as good as Wise because of the exchange rate. I especially like the ability in Wise to lock in a rate for 72 hours and cancel if the exchange rate improves - but Wise has gotten wise to this and only lets me do it twice. Still, that savings can sometimes pay for the transfer!

[PNGMK]

I like Wise also. I do all my invoicing as a freelance via my Wise accounts. We tease another friend Peter K that he is the reason Wise brought in transfer limits in Singapore. He transferred $3MM on wise from GBP to AUD! MAS brought in limits almost immediately afterwards (it was a house sale in the UK and he moved to Australia).

[x9200]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

I am just watching on NGC the episodes of "To Catch a Smuggler" - it is based on a few major US airports: Miami, JFK etc. Probably 20% of the cases concern bringing in the money and failing to declare it. Looks like they got pretty accustomed since that trip of yours.

[malcontent]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

I am just watching on NGC the episodes of "To Catch a Smuggler" - it is based on a few major US airports: Miami, JFK etc. Probably 20% of the cases concern bringing in the money and failing to declare it. Looks like they got pretty accustomed since that trip of yours.

Yep, that is one thing I don’t understand — and this seems especially prominent in the Asian culture to not want to declare anything.

In reality, declaring things is the best way to get away with something. Because people who do declare generally don’t try to get away with anything! If you want to try and bring in food items that aren’t allowed, the best way is to declare the food items that are allowed and put that on top so it’s the first thing they see when they unzip your luggage!

Also, declaring is a bit like an insurance policy… at least if you declared something, they are less likely to fine you. Declaring nothing when you clearly have something is the best way to kena fine. And the chance of getting caught is higher than many people think, especially if you are Asian — they do profile, as they know Asians tend to bring food.

For cash it’s even more of a no-brainer, if you declare it you have nothing to lose, it’s not like they are gonna levy a tax on your cash, they just want it declared. But if you don’t declare it you’ve got everything to lose — they can confiscate all of your money and you may never see a single cent. Is it worth that risk?

[Lisafuller]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

Were you getting paid in cash at this time? Can’t imagine how it would have been more convenient to carry a suitcase full or cash instead of just transferring electronically.

[Lisafuller]

It's put in place as a catch all Mal (for drug smugglers etc).

My good friend Paul was the first ever case prosecuted in Australia for a similar law when he stupidly took back all his USD offshore pay from Singapore in 1989. All his friends were dragged into it as well as the cops photocopied his address book and went to every contact to make sure he wasn't into drugs or crime.

Does make a lot of sense though, where else would you get a suitcase full of cash other than if you were involved in something shady?

[Lisafuller]

I like Wise also. I do all my invoicing as a freelance via my Wise accounts. We tease another friend Peter K that he is the reason Wise brought in transfer limits in Singapore. He transferred $3MM on wise from GBP to AUD! MAS brought in limits almost immediately afterwards (it was a house sale in the UK and he moved to Australia).

$3M?!?! That’s crazy!

[Lisafuller]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

I am just watching on NGC the episodes of "To Catch a Smuggler" - it is based on a few major US airports: Miami, JFK etc. Probably 20% of the cases concern bringing in the money and failing to declare it. Looks like they got pretty accustomed since that trip of yours.

In the US sometimes it can be casino winnings, especially on flights out of Vegas they get a lot of “smugglers”.

[Lisafuller]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

I am just watching on NGC the episodes of "To Catch a Smuggler" - it is based on a few major US airports: Miami, JFK etc. Probably 20% of the cases concern bringing in the money and failing to declare it. Looks like they got pretty accustomed since that trip of yours.

Yep, that is one thing I don’t understand — and this seems especially prominent in the Asian culture to not want to declare anything.

In reality, declaring things is the best way to get away with something. Because people who do declare generally don’t try to get away with anything! If you want to try and bring in food items that aren’t allowed, the best way is to declare the food items that are allowed and put that on top so it’s the first thing they see when they unzip your luggage!

Also, declaring is a bit like an insurance policy… at least if you declared something, they are less likely to fine you. Declaring nothing when you clearly have something is the best way to kena fine. And the chance of getting caught is higher than many people think, especially if you are Asian — they do profile, as they know Asians tend to bring food.

For cash it’s even more of a no-brainer, if you declare it you have nothing to lose, it’s not like they are gonna levy a tax on your cash, they just want it declared. But if you don’t declare it you’ve got everything to lose — they can confiscate all of your money and you may never see a single cent. Is it worth that risk?

Very true, the one with something to hide is always going to be found guilty over the one who is upfront and transparent. And at times, paying the tax can be much cheaper than paying the fine later.

[malcontent]

I’m not sure if anyone has had the experience of exceeding the limit and having to make a declaration upon entry. I had this experience once on a trip to the US where I was carrying more than the US$10,000 limit. I had the declaration filled out and printed before arrival and handed it to customs. The way they reacted told me they don’t see many of these, and they made me go to a separate place and discuss it with another officer. That officer also seemed to be surprised to see such a form, and after he felt comfortable about where the money came from (my salary from work) he told the other officer he feels comfortable and the other officer did not object - I was then allowed to pass as normal. In total this probably delayed me by about 15-20 minutes, mainly because of the apparent novelty and lack of experience the officers had with such things. I told them in the future I will just transfer the money rather than carrying cash, it’s just not worth the extra time and hassle involved. Besides, I don’t want to know what would happen if the officer decided he wasn’t comfortable!

Were you getting paid in cash at this time? Can’t imagine how it would have been more convenient to carry a suitcase full or cash instead of just transferring electronically.

No, I have always been paid in SGD by direct deposit to my account, but this was before the cheap transfer options that exist today. Money changers offer attractive rates, good ones are just 0.3% or better from spot. So I thought, why not try it for once?

At the time I was bringing our kids on a trip to Disneyworld, so we brought around US$20k… I think we ended up spending close to $10k just on Disney alone for all 4 of us, including flights, hotel, food, transport and park entry.