Businesses that Need Licence / Permit for Food Retail

Type of Food Retail	Description	Licence/Permit Required
Food Shops	Food Shops include: restaurants, caterers, coffeeshops, canteens (including staff canteens operated by third party vendors), food courts and takeaway kiosks medicine halls that prepare and sell herbal tea standalone butcher shops selling raw meat privately-run markets with stall units within (‘private markets’) Mobile Food Wagons, i.e., vehicles with full-fledged food preparation kitchens pet cafes (Food Shops where pets are allowed) food vending machines that are equipped with in-machine food preparation functions; or are used for the sale of raw meat or seafood	Food Shop Licence
Supermarkets	Supermarkets are establishments where the selection of food and goods sold is organised on a self-serve basis. Supermarkets that: (i) sell raw meat or seafood; or (ii) conduct on-site preparation of food for sale (e.g. at a rotisserie counter) require a SFA licence to operate. Retailers that solely sell pre-packed food* supplied by SFA-licensed food processing establishments or importers do not require SFA food retail licences. *Except minimally processed meat or seafood (for example: packed whole chicken that has been defeathered and degutted, packed unmarinated chicken wings, packed whole fish, packed raw fillet etc.)	Supermarket Licence
Food Stalls	Food Stalls are individual stall units operating inside Food Shops that are multi-unit premises. Examples of multi-unit Food Shops are food courts, canteens, private markets, and coffeeshops. If you run a stall inside such Food Shops, you operate a Food Stall. However, if you operate a stall unit within a Food Shop but are responsible for your own refreshment area, the applicable licence type is Food Shop. Please select ‘Restaurant’ as the business trade description. The licensing officer will advise you further upon submission.	Food Stall Licence
Hawker Stalls	Hawker Stalls are stalls operating inside one of the publicly-managed hawker centres / markets in Singapore. These centres / markets are managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA). There is no need for Hawker Stall operators to submit separate licence applications to SFA, as NEA will assist stall operators to obtain their SFA licences as part of the tenancy administration. However, if you operate within centres / markets that have their tenancies managed by third-party managing agents appointed by NEA, you will need to submit a Food Stall Licence application to SFA. From 1 January 2025, operators of market stalls selling food items of lower regulatory concern, such as pre-packed food, will not require a SFA licence. The safety of food from these stalls will continue to be regulated through standards imposed by SFA on the importers and suppliers of these food items. For details, see Requirements for Licence / Permit for Food Retail – Food Stall.	Food Stall Licence
Temporary Fairs	Temporary fairs are events where there are individual stalls selling merchandise, food or drinks. To operate such a fair, you will need a permit from SFA when your event is one of the following: the event is in a public space (e.g. footpaths in a housing estate) the event is in a private venue (e.g. conventional hall atrium, mall atrium, etc.) and there is handling of food for sale Each individual stall preparing food and beverages for sale at a temporary fair will also require a licence from SFA. The licensing officer will work through the fair operator to process stall licence applications. Temporary fair stall operators do not need to separately apply for licences.	Temporary Fair Permit
Home-based Businesses	Home-based food businesses, such as home bakers, operate on a small scale so they do not require a SFA food retail licence. However, they must still comply with food laws and food safety requirements. For details, see Requirements for Home-Based Businesses.
Online Food Sellers	Online food businesses that merely serve as intermediaries do not need a SFA food retail licence to operate. However, they must still comply with food laws and food safety requirements. For details, see Types of Online Food Businesses.

How much do the licences/permits cost?

Type of Licence	Licence Fee
Food Shop Licence	$195 a year
Food Stall Licence	$32 a year or $64 for 2 years Hawker stalls and canteen food stalls within primary schools, secondary schools, and junior colleges are charged a reduced fee of $13 a year
Supermarket Licence	$250 a year for supermarket with an area of less than 200m²$500 a year for supermarket with an area of more than 200m²
Temporary Fair Permit	$60 per permit
Temporary Fair Food Stall Licence	No additional licence fee imposed beyond the fee for the Temporary Fair Permit

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My school provides boarding services for the students. We provide a hostel kitchen for the students to prepare their own food. Do we need to obtain a SFA canteen licence?

No. Since the food prepared is for personal consumption and not for sale, the hostel kitchen does not need to be licensed. However, a SFA Food Shop Licence would be required if the hostel kitchen is managed by a third-party operator to serve food to the student residents via a service contract.

When applying for the Food Shop Licence, the third-party operator should select ‘Canteen’ as the type to describe the food business activity.

My school is a private educational institution (PEI) and we have a kitchen/canteen within the school premises that prepares and serves meals to our students. Do we need to obtain a SFA licence for our food operations?

Yes. Canteens/kitchens within private educational institutions (e.g. those registered under Private Education Act) require a SFA Food Shop Licence to operate. This is regardless of whether the canteen is managed by the educational institution or a third-party operator appointed by the institution.

When applying for the Food Shop Licence, the applicant should select 'Canteen' to describe the food business activity.

My company provides free-of-charge, in-house meals for my staff. The kitchen operation is manned by in-house staff. Does my canteen operation need to obtain a licence from SFA?

No. Only private canteens operated by third-party vendors/businesses under a service contract need to obtain a licence from SFA to operate.

My company’s staff canteen is outsourced to a third-party operator, but my company oversees the canteen operations. Who should apply for and hold the licence?

The operator of the canteen should hold the licence, as it is responsible for food preparation. In this case, the third-party operator should hold the licence.

The staff canteen in my company provides free meals to staff. However, the food is catered from external parties, i.e. prepared offsite at the caterer's premises. Does my canteen need to be licensed by SFA?

No. Please note that you should only obtain catered food from food businesses that SFA has approved to conduct catering activities. These include SFA-licensed food caterers and select central kitchens.

Businesses that Need Licence / Permit for Food Retail

When does SFA require a licence/permit?

Singapore Food Agency

Do I need a licence/permit? Which licence/permit?

Note

When should I apply for the licence/permit?

What do I need to apply for the licence?

How much do the licences/permits cost?

How do I apply for licences/permits?

How long does it take to apply for the licences/permits?

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated 28 July 2026