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.
 
Entry Into Force
 
  • The UKSFTA took effect from 1 January 2021, 7.00am Singapore time, via provisional application.
  • The agreement will formally enter into force after the UK completes its remaining domestic procedures.
 
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 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 upon provisional application of the UKSFTA.

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 Legal Text
 

Download Download
Click here for the EUSFTA legal text for reference.

Others
 

MTI Press Release