Ordering Indian Food from India to Singapore

Most people assume ordering food from India to Singapore is slow or likely to be stopped at the border. Neither is true when it is done properly. Here is exactly how it works.

How it reaches Singapore

Made to order in India, handed to DHL Express and flown out the same day. Delivery to Singapore takes 3 to 5 business days, door to door, across Little India, Serangoon, Jurong, Tampines and the rest of the island. Every customs charge is prepaid, so nothing is owed on arrival.

What Singapore allows

The Singapore Food Agency permits commercially packaged, shelf-stable food for personal consumption, which covers mithai, namkeen, biscuits, pickles and spices. Declared properly and cleared through DHL Express. Singapore is one of our fastest corridors and NRI households here order the widest baskets of any market, usually sweets and namkeen together.

How long it keeps

Milk sweets one to two weeks. Ghee laddus two to three. Dry-fruit sweets and chikki a month or more. Namkeen three to four weeks from frying. Pickles three to six months. Delivery sits comfortably inside all of it.

What it costs

Expect $17 to $40 for a proper 250g to 500g box. Minimum order is $100, and over $100 shipping is free with duties covered, which is why most families order six or eight things together rather than one box.

Questions people ask