Food & Beverage Licensing

Food and beverage licenses allow individuals to lawfully carry out operations within the catering industry. Businesses that exist within this industry include bars, internet cafes, hawker stalls and even slaughterhouses.

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Quick Facts

All applications for food and beverage licenses are reviewed by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). Within this sector, it is a requirement by the Environmental Public Health Act to attain a license before carrying out any food retail activities. The act aims to improve Singapore's public-health laws by standardising the code governing public-health-related matters such as hygiene standards, markets, public places and the provision of public cleaning services.

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Types of Licenses

As there is an array of licenses available in the catering industry, the type of food and beverage license required for you may vary. Below are all the forms of catering within this sector, to learn more about the license and requirements specific to you, select the respective form of catering listed below and fill out a brief survey to find out accordingly.

• Dealings with rice
• Importing petroleum
• Operating a slaughterhouse
• Public consumption of liquor
• Sale of food and / or goods in a temporary fair

• Sales of liquor or sales for consumption of liquor
• Setting up a bar / pub / cabaret / nightclub / discotheque / karaoke lounge
• Setting up a coffee shop / canteen
• Setting up an internet café
• Setting up a food and beverages outlet

• Setting up a food catering business
• Setting up a food delivery business
• Setting up a food stall in a private establishment  
• Setting up a hawker stall
• Setting up a mobile food wagon / food truck

• Setting up a pet shop or café
• Setting up a restaurant / café
• Storing petroleum and flammable materials

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Common Examples

How to Obtain a Hawker Stall License

A hawker stall license, also referred to as a food stall license, is a requirement if you intend to operate a retail stall where foods and beverages are sold. In the case where you are taking over a food stall from another individual, you should engage the main operator to ensure the previous licensee has cancelled the license to avoid delays. Otherwise, the SFA will require 2 weeks to engage the food stall licensee for cancellation of the license. If not, the application should take 5 working days to process and approximately 7 working days to post out hardcopy licenses.

A food stall license costs S$32 and it is valid for a year in length. This is excluding food stalls in primary / secondary / junior college school canteens.  

When submitting an application for the following license, the supporting documents required are:

• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate / Refresher Food Hygiene Certificate of Food Handlers

• Layout of plan of premises (in scaled metric units)
• Tenancy agreement

However, if you are interested in operating a hawker stall in a NEA-managed food centre or market, you will be required to firstly secure a successful bid for a food stall, then sign a tenancy agreement with the NEA and lastly, a stall license will be issued to you from the SFA.

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How to Obtain a Food Shop License

A food shop license can be applicable to those individuals intending to operate a food outlet where food and/or drink are sold by retail. Businesses requiring a food shop license include restaurants, coffee-shops, food courts, snack and drink counters, market produce shops, private markets and food caterers. A food shop license can also be required for those entertainment outlets serving food such as nightclubs or pubs.  

A food shop license costs S$195 and take approximately 5 working days to process the application. After the application is submitted, you must now book a pre-licensing inspection. This is best to make 7 days in advance, it usually takes approximately 2 working days to confirm the inspection date. After successful completion, the SFA will post out the hardcopy licenses within 7 working days.

When submitting an application for the following license, the supporting documents required are:

• Approval from the URA/HDB for the use of premises
• A copy of the applicant’s NRIC

• A copy of the ACRA registered Company Business Profile
• Layout plan of the premises
• Floor plan
• Tenancy agreement
• Pest control contract

• Cleaning program / schedule
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate / Refresher Food Hygiene Certificate of Food Handlers
• Documentary proof of vehicle ownership *only applies to food catering companies
• FSMS Plan *for premises which are required to implement FSMS
• WSQ Apply Food Safety Management System for Food Service Establishments’ Certificate (Statement of Attainment)

• HACCP Plan *for premises which are already HACCP-certified
• Valid HACCP certificate accepted by SFA
• Letter issued by the “WSQ Apply FSMS for Food Service Establishments” course Approved Training Organizations

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Sprout With Us!

Sprout offers professional corporate services to help guide your company in the right direction with the help of our team of experts. Take a look at our budget-friendly corporate secretarial packages to allow us to manage and store your corporate documents to ensure a seamless licensing process. Feel free to contact us with any of your queries, we’ll respond within 24 hours.