Industry-Specific Business Licenses in Singapore

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Industry-Specific Business Licenses in Singapore
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Depending on the type of business activities your
company conducts, you may need a business license
before you can start business operations in
Singapore in strict compliance with Singapore
laws.
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Before you obtain a license

• Before obtaining a  business license in
  Singapore, you should note the following points
• Business licenses in Singapore are issued only to
  registered companies. This means that your
  company must be registered with accounting and
  corporate regulatory authority before it can
  apply for Singapore business license.
• Operating a business without a license is a
  punishable offense under Singapore laws. All
  businesses are therefore advised to carefully
  check the licensing requirements and get
  appropriate licenses to avoid any adverse legal
  consequences.

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Not all business types in Singapore require
licensing in order to do business in Singapore.
Even if your business falls under one of the
below-mentioned industries, whether or not you
need license may depend on your service
offerings, areas of service and business
revenues.  Consult Precursor, your expert
business advisory, and find us at Precursor
now. To help you determine whether your business
needs licensing as well as the accompanying
requirements, please look through the description
of the most popular industries as follows.
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Import and Export Permit in Singapore
Singapore permits the import and export of
non-controlled goods without any licensing
requirements. However, for the trading of
controlled goods, you will require a relevant
import/export permit license relating to the
goods you are dealing in, issued by the specific
governing agency. Examples of controlled goods
include cigarettes and tobacco products, drugs,
petrochemicals, animals and food products. The
list of controlled goods as detailed down by
Singapore Customs is comprehensive. For more
information, please refer to this link. Here you
can find a whole list of goods that are
controlled or prohibited. Do read through the
list first before you decide to start a trading
business in Singapore.
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Business license in Singapore for Retail Business

• Business Licensing requirements for retail shops
  vary depending on the nature of goods and
  services being sold. Following are the licenses
  required under Retail
• Tobacco Retail License, issued by the Health
  Sciences Authority, for the retail of tobacco
  products.
• Liquor License issued by the Liquor Licensing
  Board for retail of liquor.

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• Telecommunication Dealer License issued by
  Info-comm Development Authority (IDA) of
  Singapore for the manufacture, import, hire,
  sale, offer or possession for sale of any
  approved telecommunication equipment or equipment
  set out in the First Schedule of the
  Telecommunication (Dealers) Regulations.
• Pet Shop License issued by the AVA, if you intend
  to use a premise for the display, sale or export
  of pets. You do not need a pet shop license if
  you are only selling pet accessories or only
  engaging in pet grooming activities.

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Singapore business licensing requirements for
construction business
There are several permits, approvals, and
licenses that are required for setting up a
construction company in Singapore. In addition to
this, if such a company employs workers from
other countries, one needs to apply to the
Ministry of Manpower for work permits in order to
hire foreign laborers.
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Singapore business license for Hotels
Several licenses and permits are required for
setting up and running hotels or boarding houses
in Singapore.  Apart from getting the
licensing and approval from the Hotels Licensing
Board, Separate permits or licenses would have to
be obtained for activities such as organizing
ad-hoc entertainment, playing copyrighted music
or videos, running a spa, selling tobacco
products, operating a swimming pool, etc.
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Singapore Business license requirements for Spa
A Massage Establishment License is required in
order to offer massage services, foot reflexology
services, manicure treatments, spa baths or other
similar treatments.
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Singapore Business licensing requirements for
Employment Agency
For any business that involves recruitment and
job placement services for other employers, an
Employment Agency License is required from the
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore before
such a business can commence. Employment
agencies include head-hunting firms, executive
search companies, foreign domestic worker
agencies, local and foreign staffing companies,
construction worker agencies, online jobs
portals, nanny-placing agencies and so on.
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Singapore business licensing requirements for
travel agency

• Businesses that involve arranging and selling of
  travel or tour packages will need to apply for a
  Travel Agents License with the Singapore Tourism
  Board (STB).
• The license is required if your business falls
  within Section 4 of the Travel Agents Act (Cap.
  334) as below
• selling tickets entitling an individual to
  travel, or otherwise arranging for a person a
  right of passage on any conveyance. A Travel
  Agency License is not required if the conveyance
  is owned by the company.

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• facilitating a persons ability to travel by
  selling or arranging transport tickets, hotel
  accommodation and foreign visas to destinations
  outside and within Singapore. A Travel Agency
  License is not required if the mode of transport
  and the place of accommodation is owned by the
  company.
• purchasing for resale the right of passage on any
  conveyance
• arranging or conducting tours within or outside
  Singapore
• hold yourself out as or advertising that you are
  willing to carry on any activity referred to in
  the previous points.

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Business license in Singapore for Medical Clinic
There are three essential types of licenses
needed in order to operate a medical clinic in
Singapore. The Medical Clinic Licenses are
compulsory for any Health Care institutes, and
licenses for dealing with hazardous chemicals,
the usage of irradiating equipment or purchase of
certain medicinal products are also needed.
Lastly, licenses and approvals to carry out
medical procedures will also be required.
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Business license in Singapore for Food and
Beverage Business
All food related businesses in Singapore are
required to have a Food Shop License from the
National Environment Agency (NEA), which will
conduct an inspection prior to issuing a license.
Other related licenses that you may need or want
to apply additionally are Halal Certification
issued by the Islamic Religious Council of
Singapore (MUIS) Liquor Licence issued by the
Liquor Licensing Board for the retail sale of
liquor, including beer. Different types of
licenses are issued depending on whether
consumption is on or off premises.
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Tobacco Retail License, issued by the Health
Sciences Authority, for the retail of tobacco
products. For operating a central kitchen you
may require Factory Registration and a License to
Operate a Meat or Fish Processing Establishment
or Cold Store, issued by the AVA. License for
Importing Food Ingredients? If you intend to
import processed food products and food
appliances, you need to apply for several
licenses with the Food Control Division (FCD) of
Agri-Food Veterinary Authority of Singapore
(AVA).
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Singapore business licenses for Real Estate Agency
Given the rising importance of Singapores real
estate industry, a new statutory board was set up
in 2010 to better regulate the industry and raise
professional standards in the interest of
consumers. The new framework has enhanced the
licensing of real estate agencies, introduced a
compulsory registration of real estate agents
since 2011 and established new industry
regulations.
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Singapore business license for Event Management
Business
Event management companies that are in the
business of organizing various types of events
will have to obtain one or more licenses
depending on the event or activity being
organized. Examples of such licenses include
Arts Entertainment License, Copyright Permit,
Public Entertainment License, Trade Fair Permit,
Animal Exhibition License, etc.
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Singapore Business licensing requirements for
Educational Institutes
Setting up an educational institution or to
providing educational services usually requires
one or more license to operate. Each of the
licenses is issued by a different government
authority it can be the Ministry of Culture,
Community and Youth (MCCY) and/or Ministry of
Education. 
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Singapore business licenses for Publishing
Business
A publishing business publishes written materials
such as books, magazines, newspapers and any sort
of periodical. The Newspaper Permit and
Printing Press License are the two primary
licenses that are required for anyone wanting to
start a publishing business in Singapore.
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Read more information click this
link http//precursor.com.sg/industry-specific-b
usiness-licenses-singapore/
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