Key Benefits
 
  • The United Kingdom-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (UKSFTA) provides Singapore and UK companies with certainty and clarity in trading arrangements between both countries.
  • Under the UKSFTA, Singapore and UK companies enjoy the same benefits that they have been receiving under the European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA).
  • Tariffs will continue to be reduced or eliminated according to the EUSFTA tariff schedule for Singapore goods exports to the UK. The timeline for tariff reduction and/or elimination will follow from the EUSFTA’s entry into force (i.e. 21 November 2019).
  • Asian food products made in Singapore continue to be able to enter the UK tariff-free, up to a combined annual quota of 350 tons. Under the flexible rules of origin applicable to such Asian food products, there is no need to ensure that the ingredients used were grown or produced in Singapore. All that is necessary is to show that the products were made in Singapore.
  • Non-tariff barriers are reduced across major sectors, such as electronics; motor vehicles and vehicle parts; pharmaceutical products and medical devices; and renewable energy generation.
  • Other benefits include increased access to respective services and government procurement markets, and enhanced protection of intellectual property rights.
  • On 25 February 2022, the UK and Singapore signed the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (UKSDEA), which seeks to update the Electronic Commerce Section as well as other relevant sections of the UKSFTA Services Chapter. The UKSDEA includes binding disciplines on cornerstones of the digital economy, such as data flows, as well as cooperative elements in a wide range of emerging and innovative areas such as Artificial Intelligence, FinTech and RegTech, digital identities and legal technology.
  • There are three key thrusts in the UKSDEA:
    • First, advancing end-to-end digital trade. The agreement will facilitate seamless end-to-end digital trade through common and interoperable digital systems for e-payments, e-invoicing and other key electronic documents such as bills of lading. This will enable faster and cheaper transactions, and reduce costs for businesses.
    • Second, enabling trusted data flows. The agreement will ensure high standards in data protection and prohibit data localisation requirements, including in financial services.
    • Third, facilitating a trusted and secure digital environment, and promoting participation in the digital economy. For companies, this includes the protection of source codes (including embedded algorithms) and private keys in cryptography. For consumers, this includes guarding against fraudulent, misleading or deceptive conduct online. The UKSDEA will also promote cross-cutting participation in the digital economy by people and businesses, especially Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
  • Under the UKSDEA, Singapore and the UK have also signed three MOUs (Digital Trade Facilitation, Digital Identities, and Cyber Security) and exchanged two side letters (FinTech, Customs) that provide a dynamic framework for bilateral cooperation on forward-looking and emerging issues, including through pilot projects involving businesses. For more information on the MOUs and side-letter, please refer to the MTI microsite.
 
Entry Into Force
 
  • The UKSFTA entered into force from 11 February 2021, 8.00am Singapore time.
  • The UKSDEA was signed on 25 February 2022. It entered into force on 14 June 2022.
 
Can your product(s) enjoy this FTA's tariff concessions?
 

Step 1: Find out the customs duties applicable to your product HS code.

 

As the UKSFTA’s tariff schedule takes reference from the EUSFTA, please refer to the following for the UK’s tariff schedule:

The UK’s timeline for tariff elimination will match the EUSFTA and the staging categories will start from the EUSFTA’s entry into force (i.e. 21 November 2019). For example, for exports to the UK of tilapia (CN 0303 23 00) in staging category 5, the custom duty shall be removed in six equal stages beginning on 21 November 2019, and shall thereafter be free of any customs duty from 21 November 2024.

1(a). If your product HS code is included in the Tariff Schedule of the European Union under the EUSFTA, the respective staging categories (3, 5 or X) under the EUSFTA will apply to the elimination of customs duties on your product to the UK.

1(b). If your product HS code is not included in the Tariff Schedule of the European Union under the EUSFTA, it means that the customs duties on your product being exported to the UK have already been eliminated.

Step 2: Find out the rules of origin criteria for your product HS code.

 

Rules of origin are a set of criteria which determine a product’s originating status in each FTA. It is put in place to ensure that only goods originating from the FTA partner country will benefit from tariff concessions.

For the rules of origin applicable to your product to the UK, please refer to the Protocol under the UKSFTA.

Is your product
obtained/produced entirely
within Singapore?
Wholly
Obtained Rule
applies
(Article 4 of UKSFTA Protocol)
Product Specific Rule
applies
Click here to find out
How to apply, if your products(s) can enjoy tariff concessions:
 

Under the UKSFTA, the exporter shall submit an origin declaration on the invoice, or any other commercial document which certifies that the goods qualify as originating goods for their export into the UK. The origin declaration shall contain the text and details as set out in Annex E of Protocol of the UKSFTA legal text and must describe the goods in sufficient detail to enable its identification by the importing customs authority.

UKSFTA and UKSDEA Legal Text
 

UKSFTA legal text

Click here for the EUSFTA legal text for reference.

UKSDEA legal text

Others
 

MTI Press Release on provisional application of the UKSFTA
MTI Press Release on entry into force of the UKSFTA

Click here for the UK’s guidance on movement of goods through Northern Ireland

UKSDEA page on MTI microsite
MTI Press Release on the UKSDEA signing
MTI Press Release on the UKSDEA enters into force