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Sourcing from France

Sourcing French seafood in Singapore:SFA licence, permits, health certificates, flights and ordering times

Importing fresh French seafood into Singapore: SFA licence and permits, when a health certificate applies, live oysters, CDG flights, time zones.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. What does Singapore require to import fresh seafood?
  2. Which French species to look for?
  3. How does fish travel from a French auction to Singapore?
  4. What does the time difference change for ordering?
  5. How do Singapore importers compare French suppliers?
  6. Frequently asked questions

Importing fresh French seafood into Singapore means holding a licence from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), obtaining an import permit for every consignment through TradeNet before the goods arrive, and flying the fish from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Changi in about 13 hours nonstop, according to the carriers' published flight times. For most chilled fish, no health certificate is required. Live oysters, and a short list of other high-risk products, follow stricter rules, and France is on the SFA list of approved origins for live oysters.

What does Singapore require to import fresh seafood?

RequirementAuthorityWhat it means for a French shipment
Licence to import fish productsSFA ("Import/Export and Transhipment of Meat Products and Fish Products")Required for any trader importing fish commercially. S$84 a year
Import permit per consignmentSFA, through TradeNet (Singapore Customs)One permit for every consignment of fish products: the customs permit is obtained through TradeNet before the goods arrive, and once approved by SFA (Seafood) it serves as the import permit
Health certificate: chilled fishSFANot required for chilled fish that is neither high-risk nor CITES-listed, from any country
Health certificate: live oystersSFARequired for every consignment. Live oysters may only come from countries with a shellfish sanitation programme recognised by SFA: France is on the list
Health certificate: other high-risk itemsSFARequired for frozen oysters (stating they are free of norovirus), frozen cooked prawns and frozen crab meat, raw or cooked
Products not allowedSFAChilled shucked raw oysters, chilled cockle meat, chilled cooked prawns or shrimps, chilled crab meat
CITES speciesNational Parks Board (NParks)A CITES import permit, plus the export permit of the country of export, for every consignment of a listed species
Labelling of cartonsSFAEvery carton shows the product description, the origin and the net weight, among other details
Inspection on arrivalSFASFA may inspect any imported consignment of fish and fish products

Sources: SFA conditions for the import of specific foods; Singapore Customs, SFA (Seafood) requirements in TradeNet.

  • S$84a year for the SFA licence to import fish products
  • 1 permitfor every consignment, before arrival

Source : Singapore Customs, SFA (Seafood), page updated 23 February 2026.

On the French side, an export health certificate is only needed for products where SFA requires one, mainly live oysters. The mareyeur or the forwarder requests it through Expadon 2, the French Ministry of Agriculture's platform, which has been the only route for fishery products to non-EU countries since 3 June 2025. A catch certificate is only needed if the destination requires one: ask your clearing agent. The full list of French documents is in the sourcing guide.

Which French species to look for?

French product competes on wild catch and on a few signature species. Among the French species often found on export price lists:

  • Oysters from Brittany, Normandy and the Atlantic coast, live. France is on the SFA list of approved origins for live oysters.
  • Langoustine, best from April to July, with a peak in May.
  • Brittany blue lobster (homard bleu), May to July, still good in August.
  • Turbot, Dover sole, John Dory (Saint-Pierre) and line-caught sea bass (bar de ligne): whole fish for fine dining.
  • King scallops (coquille Saint-Jacques) in the shell, October to April; French fishing is closed from 15 May to 30 September.

How does fish travel from a French auction to Singapore?

Nonstop flights link Paris CDG and Singapore Changi in about 13 hours eastbound, according to the carriers' published flight times. Days and departure times vary by carrier and season: your forwarder knows the current ones.

StepFrench timeSingapore time (UTC+8)
Morning auction (Boulogne 5 or 6 am, Le Guilvinec offshore sale 5:30 am)Day D, 5 to 6 amDay D, 11 am to 12 noon (summer) / 12 noon to 1 pm (winter)
Mareyeur's price list receivedDay D, after the saleDay D, early afternoon
TradeNet permit filed by the importerBefore the goods arrive, once the order is confirmed
Order cut-off for the flightSet by the supplier and the forwarder
Hand-over to forwarder at CDGBefore departure; cut-off set by the forwarder
Flight from CDGAbout 13 hours nonstop
Clearance, cold room, delivery to kitchensUsually the next day or the day after, local date, depending on the supplier, the carrier and the flight

Singapore is 6 hours ahead of France from late March to late October (French summer time), 7 hours ahead the rest of the year. Sale times: Port Boulogne Calais and Société des pêches de Cornouaille. Departure and arrival times vary by carrier and day.

What does the time difference change for ordering?

  • Price lists land after lunch. French mareyeurs send their daily list early in the French morning, once they know what landed: early afternoon in Singapore.
  • Permits come with the order. The TradeNet permit must be in place before the goods arrive: one more task in the same afternoon window as comparing and ordering.
  • A few hours to decide. Between the lists and the cut-off set by the supplier and the forwarder, a Singapore buyer compares prices, checks orders and confirms, at the end of the local business day.
  • Late questions may wait a day. A Singapore evening is the French early afternoon, late in the mareyeur's working day.

How do Singapore importers compare French suppliers?

Importers who carry French fish often buy from several mareyeurs, sometimes in different ports, alongside other origins. Their comparison runs in three steps:

  1. Normalise each line. French names (bar, loup), presentations (whole, gutted, fillet) and size grades ("1/2 kg", "calibre 2", count per kilo for langoustine) differ from one list to the next. The sourcing guide sets out the six points to bring to the same basis.
  2. Convert to a landed cost in Singapore dollars. Ex works or FCA CDG price, plus trucking, packing, air freight on chargeable weight (ice and polystyrene count), handling, permit and local delivery; GST is payable on import, at the prevailing rate.
  3. Read the price over time. A price is only high or low against the same supplier's previous weeks, last season and the other lists of the morning.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to import seafood into Singapore?

Yes. A trader importing fish products needs an SFA licence for the import, export and transhipment of meat and fish products, and an import permit for every consignment, obtained through TradeNet before the goods arrive.

Is a health certificate required for chilled fish from France?

Not for chilled fish that is neither high-risk nor CITES-listed. Health certificates are required for live oysters, frozen oysters, frozen cooked prawns and frozen crab meat, raw or cooked.

Can French live oysters be imported into Singapore?

Yes. France is on the SFA list of countries whose shellfish sanitation programme meets its requirements. Each consignment needs a health certificate from the French authorities. Chilled shucked raw oysters are not allowed.

How long does fresh fish take from France to Singapore?

About 13 hours of flight from Paris CDG, according to the carriers' published flight times. From the French auction to a Singapore kitchen, fish is usually delivered the next day or the day after, local date, depending on the supplier, the carrier and the flight.

When do French price lists reach Singapore buyers?

In the early afternoon, Singapore time. Orders must be confirmed before the cut-off set by the supplier and the forwarder.

Sources

Further reading