Tobacco retail licence, if you’ll sell tobacco
A licence from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to sell tobacco products at your premises.
A licence from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to sell tobacco products at your premises. Required for any retail sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products, separate from your food and liquor licensing.
Selling tobacco without a licence is an offence and can result in fines and product seizure. HSA also enforces strict rules on display, advertising and sales to minors that come with holding the licence — you need it in place, and understood, before you stock any product.
Who this is for
Any venue planning to sell cigarettes or other tobacco products to customers.
Open to any retailer; premises and display arrangements must meet HSA’s tobacco retail requirements (no display visible to minors, point-of-sale restrictions).
What you’ll hold
- Approved HSA tobacco retail licence — display it on the premises
Watch out for
- Displaying tobacco products in a way visible from outside the premises or to minors — HSA display rules are strict and enforced separately from the licence itself.
- Treating the $60 processing fee as refundable if the application is rejected — it is not; get the application right the first time.
- Forgetting the licence needs annual renewal alongside your other licences — it lapses like any other, and selling on a lapsed licence is the same offence as never having had one.
Sources
- HSA — Apply for a tobacco retail licence checked 2026-09-08
- HSA — Tobacco regulation fees checked 2026-09-08
See also
- Apply for your SFA Food Shop Licence
- Tobacco retail licence renewal— this becomes an ongoing job once you’re open →
- Put up everything you're legally required to display
This is item 34 of 36 in the free Singapore Launch Checklist. See the whole list →