An Informational Guide for Singaporeans and Residents
Updated February 2026 | Based on current Singapore law and enforcement practice
What This Guide Is About
Moving large amounts of cash might seem like a private matter, but in Singapore, it is governed by specific laws designed to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, and other serious crimes. Whether you are a traveller returning home, a businessperson dealing in cash, or someone simply unaware of the rules, understanding Singapore’s cash declaration and seizure framework is essential.
This guide explains what the law requires of you, what can happen if you do not comply, what recent enforcement cases look like, and how Singapore’s approach compares to other countries — including the controversial practices described in the United States.
The Legal Framework
The Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime (CBCRR)
Since 13 May 2024, Singapore operates under a fully electronic Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime. The core rule is straightforward: if you are entering or leaving Singapore carrying Cash or Bearer Negotiable Instruments (CBNI) worth more than S$20,000 (or its equivalent in any foreign currency), you must declare it to the Singapore Police Force.
‘CBNI’ includes physical currency (notes and coins) as well as Bearer Negotiable Instruments — financial documents that can be transferred by hand without endorsement, such as traveller’s cheques or blank cheques. Importantly, there is no restriction on how much cash you can carry — the requirement is only to declare.
What Must You Declare?
Any physical currency or bearer negotiable instruments (CBNI) with a combined value exceeding S$20,000. This applies whether you are travelling alone, with a group, or carrying cash on behalf of someone else.
The Legal Authority
The obligation to declare is established under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA). This is the same legislation that governs the confiscation of assets derived from serious crimes in Singapore. Cash seizure and confiscation powers are therefore directly tied to the broader anti-money laundering framework, not to airport security in the way seen in the United States.
How to Make a Declaration
Declarations must now be made electronically — paper forms are no longer accepted. There are two ways to submit:
Download the MyICA mobile app and select ‘Submit Cash (CBNI) Declaration’; or
Submit the declaration online at go.gov.sg/cbnideclaration.
The declaration must be submitted within 72 hours before you enter or leave Singapore. If you are arriving, you may also submit it after completing your Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) on the MyICA app.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Failing to make an accurate and complete declaration is a criminal offence. The penalties are serious:
A fine of up to S$50,000
Imprisonment of up to three years
Both a fine and imprisonment, in more serious cases
Seizure and/or confiscation of the undeclared cash
In practice, enforcement officers have discretion in how they respond, and penalties vary depending on the amounts involved and the circumstances. For first-time offenders with relatively modest amounts just over the threshold, a Notice of Warning or a composition sum (an out-of-court fine) is often issued. For larger amounts or clear signs of criminal activity, investigations can be initiated and cash seized pending inquiry.
Important: Inaccurate Declarations Are Also an Offence
It is not enough to simply declare cash. The declaration must be full and accurate. Travellers caught making false or incomplete declarations face the same penalties as those who declare nothing at all. Several recent enforcement cases involved travellers who had declared, but declared less than they were actually carrying.
Recent Enforcement Cases
Singapore authorities conduct regular multi-agency enforcement operations at land, air, and sea checkpoints. These operations involve officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore Customs, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), and other agencies. The following cases illustrate how the rules are applied in practice.
Date Amount Involved Outcome Key Lesson
Oct 13, 2025 S$1,249,666 across four travellers in a single day Inaccurate or absent declarations; investigations ongoing for some; others issued composition sums Large-scale cash smuggling is actively tracked; multiple travellers moving cash on the same day can be flagged together
May 23, 2025 S$399,965 + MYR 1,621 — inaccurate declaration Cash seized; suspected to be linked to unlicensed moneylending Source of funds matters; cash linked to unlicensed activities faces seizure even if partially declared
May 21–24, 2025 S$541,000 (single traveller); others ranged from ~S$22,000 to S$380,000 Composition sums issued; some under ongoing investigation Even very large sums can result in fines rather than prosecution if there is no strong criminal nexus — but this is at the authorities’ discretion
Feb 25, 2025 S$93,000 — undeclared Composition sum issued The threshold at which authorities escalate to prosecution is not fixed; context and cooperation matter
Feb 21–25, 2025 Multiple travellers; S$23,000–S$50,000 range Mix of Notices of Warning and composition sums totalling S$21,000 Enforcement is frequent and systematic, not merely occasional
These cases show a clear pattern: enforcement is regular and coordinated across multiple agencies. The majority of travellers caught are foreign nationals, but Singaporeans and residents are equally subject to the law. The outcome in each case depends on the amount involved, whether a declaration was made at all, the credibility of the explanation offered, and whether there are signs of underlying criminal activity.
The S$3 Billion Money Laundering Case: A Wake-Up Call
To understand why Singapore takes cash seizures so seriously, it helps to look at the country’s most significant financial crime case. On 15 August 2023, the Singapore Police Force conducted a massive islandwide operation, involving over 400 officers, that resulted in the arrest of 10 foreign nationals. The assets seized — including cash, luxury properties, vehicles, cryptocurrency, gold, and jewellery — were initially valued at S$1 billion and later rose to nearly S$3 billion as investigations deepened.
The perpetrators had laundered proceeds from overseas criminal activities, including scams and illegal online gambling, by creating shell companies in Singapore, falsifying documents to show legitimate sources of funds, and using the Singapore financial system to integrate illicit money. All 10 accused eventually pleaded guilty and were sentenced to between 13 and 17 months in jail, after which they were deported and permanently barred from re-entering Singapore.
By November 2024, 15 of the 17 fugitives connected to the case agreed to surrender a further S$1.85 billion in assets, bringing the total recovered to nearly S$2.8 billion. In July 2025, nine financial institutions — including major banks such as Credit Suisse, UOB, Citibank, UBS, and Julius Baer — were fined a combined S$27.45 million by the Monetary Authority of Singapore for failures in their anti-money laundering controls.
This case directly shaped Singapore’s current enforcement posture. The government has since tightened the CDSA, lowered the due diligence threshold for casinos from S$10,000 to S$4,000, enhanced data sharing between agencies, and increased scrutiny of the financial sector’s compliance obligations.
Singapore vs. the United States: Key Differences
A recent case in the United States drew attention to a very different approach. Rebecca Brown, a woman travelling through Pittsburgh International Airport, had approximately US$82,000 — her father’s life savings — seized by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which suspected the funds were proceeds of crime. It took her approximately a year and a half to recover the money, even after it was determined to be legitimate.
What makes the US case particularly troubling is that it arose from civil asset forfeiture — a legal doctrine that allows the government to seize property without first securing a criminal conviction. The burden then falls on the owner to prove the money is clean. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the resulting class action have argued that even amounts as low as US$100 in one-dollar bills were treated as suspicious.
Singapore’s approach differs in several important respects. First, the CDSA ties confiscation to criminal proceedings rather than to suspicion alone. Second, Singapore’s enforcement agencies — SPF, ICA, and Customs — have clear, defined mandates, unlike the TSA, which is primarily a transport security body. Third, Singapore’s threshold is transparent and fixed at S$20,000, and the obligation is to declare rather than to justify. Carrying cash above the threshold is not itself suspicious; failing to declare it is the offence.
That said, Singapore is not without enforcement discretion. Officers can and do investigate the source of funds, particularly for large amounts or where other indicators of suspicious activity exist. The difference is that this discretion operates within a structured legal framework, with clearer rights of recourse for the individual.
Key Comparison: Singapore vs. USA
In the US, cash can be seized based on suspicion alone under civil asset forfeiture, placing the burden on the owner to prove innocence. In Singapore, seizure is linked to failure to declare, inaccurate declaration, or suspected criminal proceeds — and is conducted by agencies with defined law enforcement mandates under the CDSA.
Practical Advice for Singaporeans
If You Are Travelling with Large Amounts of Cash
Always declare cash or CBNI exceeding S$20,000 electronically, using the MyICA app or the ICA website, within 72 hours before travel.
Keep documentation of where the funds came from — bank statements, withdrawal receipts, business invoices, or a letter of explanation. This is not legally required, but it makes the process smoother if you are questioned.
There is no limit on how much cash you can carry. The law requires declaration, not permission.
If you are carrying cash on behalf of someone else (e.g., for a family member or employer), you are still personally responsible for declaring it. Ensure you have written authorisation and documentation showing the source.
Declarations are required in both directions — entering and leaving Singapore.
If Your Cash Is Seized
Do not resist or argue at the checkpoint — comply with officers and ask clearly what your rights and next steps are.
Ask for a receipt or documentation of the seizure.
Contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Singapore’s CDSA provides for judicial oversight of seizure orders, and cash cannot be permanently confiscated without due process.
The SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) handles cash-related investigations. You can contact them through official SPF channels.
When in Doubt, Declare
Singapore’s cash declaration regime is designed to be low-friction for honest travellers. If you are carrying legitimate funds and you declare accurately, the process should be straightforward. The legal risk arises primarily from non-declaration or inaccurate declaration — not from the act of carrying large sums of cash itself.
Reminder: Group Travel
ICA may treat cash carried by a group travelling together as a combined amount. If the total across all members of your travel party exceeds S$20,000, a declaration is required.
Summary
Cash seizures in Singapore are governed by a clear and well-established legal framework under the CDSA. Unlike practices in some other jurisdictions, Singapore does not allow arbitrary or suspicion-based confiscation of funds without legal grounding. The primary obligation for travellers is simple: declare cash or CBNI exceeding S$20,000 electronically before crossing the border.
Enforcement is active, frequent, and coordinated across multiple agencies. The S$3 billion money laundering case of 2023 has reinforced political and regulatory commitment to robust AML enforcement, and both individuals and financial institutions face serious consequences for non-compliance.
For the ordinary Singaporean traveller, the rules are manageable — declare your cash, keep documentation of its source, and cooperate with authorities. The system is designed to catch criminals, not to penalise ordinary citizens carrying legitimate funds.
Sources
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) — CBNI Declaration: ica.gov.sg
Singapore Police Force (SPF) — Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime
Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — IMC Report 2024
Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA)
ICA Multi-Agency Enforcement Operations newsroom releases, 2023–2025
Mothership.SG, The Independent SG — enforcement case reports, 2024–2025