Filipinos selling homemade food in Singapore face rules from three agencies, not one.
MOM covers work pass conditions, ACRA covers business registration and SFA covers food safety. A home kitchen does not take you outside all three.
The three areas
Each agency answers a different question before you take your first order through Facebook, WhatsApp or a chat group.
Agency
Question it covers
MOM
Work pass conditions on running a side business
ACRA
When business registration is required
SFA
Whether a home-based food seller needs a licence
SFA is the national food agency overseeing food safety and food security in Singapore. It was set up as a statutory board on 1 April 2019 under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
SFA's site lists a page for home-based food businesses, alongside lists of businesses that need a licence, permit or registration and businesses that do not.
Who it affects
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Work pass holders on EP, S Pass or Work Permit who want a sideline should check their pass conditions with MOM before selling.
Home-based sellers taking orders through social media or chat groups should check ACRA's registration rules for their scale of selling.
Anyone preparing food at home for sale should read SFA's home-based food business page first.
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What to do
Check each agency's official page before you start selling: mom.gov.sg for work pass conditions, acra.gov.sg for registration and sfa.gov.sg for food licensing.
SFA publishes response times for enquiries: general enquiries within 3 working days, complex or case-specific issues within 15 working days, and business regulatory applications within 30 working days.
Processing time for applications starts from the date SFA receives a complete application with all supporting documents and, where required, a satisfactory pre-licensing inspection.
