On October 7, 2013, Singapore Customs released a circular to the trade community as a reminder to only act as the importer or exporter of record when being the owner of the goods.

According to the notice, "Singapore Customs has recently observed that a number of traders and declaring agents have allowed their Unique Entity Number (UEN) to be used as the importer or exporter in TradeNet® declarations for goods that do not belong to them."

Singapore Customs furthermore stresses the importance to respect the requirements, as the responsible parties "may be liable for penalties in the event the goods are subject matter of an offence under the Customs Act, the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act or other legislation."

In an effort to avoid such penalties, Singapore Customs “Would therefore like to remind all traders and declaring agents to refrain from acting as the importer or exporter for goods which do not belong to you.”

The letter and further information can be accessed here