For certain countries like Singapore, you have to declare dutiable and taxable goods upon entering the country or risk getting fined.
A woman learnt this lesson the hard way and was left RM16,000 poorer after she was caught possessing undeclared goods upon touching down in Singapore.
Fined RM16K for failing to declare Labubu dolls & branded bags
In a press statement released by the Singapore Customs, it wrote that the woman had just returned from a business trip to the UK and landed in Singapore.
However, her return quickly turned sour after a bag inspection found that she had failed to declare several goods she carried with her.
The goods included designer bags and accessories from various luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as Labubu dolls that she intended to hand out as gifts.
When questioned, the woman admitted to being “aware of the goods and services tax (GST) relief limits but believed that only personal items required declaration”.
She was eventually slapped with a maximum fine of S$5,000 (approx. RM16,687) while an additional S$3,963.69 (approx. RM13,230) was collected as part of GST.
According to Singapore Customs, the woman was among the 13,099 travellers who were caught not declaring dutiable and taxable goods brought into Singapore across air, land, and sea checkpoints within January and October this year.
It also urged travellers to declare and pay for their dutiable goods up to three days in advance before arriving in Singapore.
If they fail to do so, they face up to two years in jail or a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded.
In 2022, an Australian woman was fined RM8K for failing to declare a Subway sandwich she bought from Singapore:
