Informational only, not legal advice. Verify with official sources before relying on this.

Know Abroad

SingaporeSingapore

Local Laws & Customs

Last verified August 21, 2026

Written for U.S. passport holders

Public Conduct

  • Import, sale, and possession of chewing gum are banned; you can be fined at least S$500 for it. Smoking is banned in nearly all indoor public places and most outdoor public areas unless specifically marked as a smoking area.
  • Vaping (e-cigarettes) is strictly prohibited under the Tobacco Act, purchase, use, possession, or distribution can mean heavy fines and possible imprisonment, not just confiscation.

Medicines You Can't Bring

  • Some common U.S. medications (including certain stimulants, sedatives, and codeine-containing products) are controlled substances in Singapore requiring an import permit. Check with the Health Sciences Authority before traveling if you take a controlled medication.

Photography & Drones

  • Drones require a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for most recreational flying, given how dense and built-up the city-state is; casual, permit-free drone flying is much more limited here than in many other countries on this page.

Drugs & Alcohol

  • The legal drinking age is 18. Public alcohol consumption is banned nationwide from 10:30pm to 7am, and takeaway alcohol sales are barred during those hours too.
  • Singapore has some of the strictest drug laws in the world: the death penalty is mandatory for trafficking, manufacturing, importing, or exporting amounts as low as 15g of heroin, 30g of cocaine, or 500g of cannabis. Personal possession alone can mean up to 10 years in prison and a S$20,000 fine.

Carrying ID

  • Foreign visitors should carry their passport; it's your primary form of ID and what you'll be asked for by authorities.

The Gotcha

Singapore's drug thresholds for the mandatory death penalty are genuinely low by global standards, 15g of heroin is a small, easily-hidden amount, not a trafficking-scale quantity in most people's mental model. This isn't a country where 'I only had a little' is a meaningful legal distinction once you're over the threshold; the law treats the amount, not your intent, as decisive.

Sources

This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change, so check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.