Singapore Airport Customs

Anyone here gone to Singapore with vaping gear?

As you probably know, e-cigarettes are currently prohibited in Singapore and its stated so on their customs website.
So, doesn't look too good. Did a search and found a lot of conjecture but little in the way of first hand experience.

I'd appreciate hearing any real experience's.

I'm also going to Japan. I'm not too worried about bringing my gear there, but would be interested to hear of any experience's with customs there also.

 

in july i transferred planes there, and i was (stealth) vaping inside the airport with no problem. afterwards i read it was illegal. wont be doing that again, as a matter of fact i dont plan to even visit there or any countries that make it illegal again. if it was me, I would be very cautious of breaking Singaporean laws, caning is not an experience on my bucket list.

 

Recently, a mate of mine, whom I had just given a nice new Unitank and a Vision Spinner as a gift for Christmas, entered Singapore via air.

He had no issue going in by air, as Singapore is a lot like Thailand, in that they rarely search baggage. However, whilst there he traveled across the border into Malaysia by road.

Upon his return into Singapore, at the border he was body scanned, where they noticed he was carrying e-cigs. They promptly pulled him aside, told him it was illegal and then confiscated everything!


Bye bye Christmas gift!


And for those of you contemplating doing anything illegal in Singapore (particularly in the airport) - think again. They don't f#@ck around there!


Besides - they have the best smoking rooms (including outdoor ones) of any airport I have ever been to. And I've been to a lot!


Try the bar next to the outdoor pool.

Or the many other outdoor ones. You don't need to come out smelling like shite.
Stealth vape in their outdoor bars.

 

There is no way I would enter Singapore with anything illegal personally, but if you're just traveling through the airport it shouldn't be an issue. Legally you haven't entered Singapore, and they won't try holding those laws against you.

 

If I'd taken a taxi on the way back from Johor, and not the airport bus....... I'd still have my Christmas prezzie. I loved that Kanga.

I was aware of the ciggie laws in Sing. But ignorant of the ecig laws. As it stands at the moment, all elements of ecigs are illegal there. So don't leave anything in your bags if you go.

As to the pool bar (terminal 1, turn right after passport control, up the escalator to the Ambassador Hotel near gates D40 - 41). It should be open again this month. Great place to have a vape and a beer.

Ryanmacl is also correct about airside. Singaporian law is only held to a point. The barman at Harries told me it was cool to smoke in the no smoking area of the outside bar (no yellow lines there). So vaping is not an issue in smoking areas. It's really international airspace.

Having said all that. I did forget to hand over the backup ismoka (albeit out of juice), was bag checked going back in to the airport. I've still got it. Sorry Pipcon, I should have handed that one over and kept the Kanga.

 

Hi Antman. Thanks for taking the time to write this post. Just a couple of questions,

What would be different about taking a taxi?

So I take it they looked in your bag but didn’t ask you to empty your pockets. Did you go through a metal detector?

So was it Customs or Airport Security that took your device? Didn't have to pay a fine?
(Normally Customs checks you when your entering the Country after you pick up your bags, Airport Security is what you go through before going out to the gate to board the plane.)

Thanks again, I appreciate your advice.:thank you thank you

 

I fly into or through singapore all the time, i pack everything into my checked in baggage after dismanteling it and placing it in many different areas. So far I have not had a problem. This said I have only ever had 2 small units and a little liguid, next time i go through i will be going with 50 days of liquid and most of my kit including SVD, so a lot more to hide. Unfortunatly my only choice is this or analog cigs. Fingers crossed.

 

Cheers AI-NAAM

Tried to reply but I'm 3 posts short of full status.

I'll try to be brief.

The problem is entering Singapore, not exiting. They don't care what you take out.

I was busted going in at Woodlands. No fine, just confiscation.

Land is tougher than air.

All the best,

Antman

- - - Updated - - -

And Mack is right.

Checked in. Way to go.

Also, Don't chain vape at Clark Quay. Stealth all the way.

 

I would have thought a mech mod, no wires, in 18350 mode broken down to parts as best as possible. Tank broken down as much as possible as well. Maybe not seen on xray as a vaping setup or a reason to check the bag?

Juice in quantity would be a problem though. Definately a checked luggage item.

 

phommyb,

Yes sir. Small bottles in your toiletries. Eye drops ect.

Singapore does not want to get into the spotlight for expat business bods getting busted for ecigs. Be nice to them, they will be nice to you. Air beats land, everytime.

Love the input. I was just unfortunate.

(Thanks guys, I'm almost up to five posts.... woo hoo)

 

Get an MVP, it can be used as a charger for your cell phone, so that could help. As someone else said, keep the juice with your shampoo and toothpaste, and just disassemble your attys as much as possible.

 

a devise that is multi purpose would defiantly be safer. if they question it you attach it to your cell phone and say its a high tech power bank or whatever.

do you have a regular place you stay or a friend there you trust? if i was going there regularly i wouldnt try to smuggle it each time, i would get one devise and maybe a back up clearo and just leave it there. then each time you go you just need to bring a small bottle of juice in your toiletries which will not raise suspicion if there is no devise with it.

just my 2 cents

 

Thanks for all the responses.

I thought of the MVP multi-use excuse too. Put it into my laptop bag and say its a battery back-up if asked. Only thing is the connector sticking out the top and logo “taste it, love it” kinda give it away.

Breaking your devices down and scatter them in your checked luggage sounds like the way to go. Juice in with the toiletries, atty's that are mostly plastic or glass. Now that big hunk of metal mod... I'm thinking of what isn’t going to attract attention or set off a metal detector.

A mod that looks like something else? :


NES controller mod

A mod that has a very minimum amount of metal? :


Ali’i Mod

At the other end of the spectrum, this will probably get you a full cavity search:


Steampunk mod from Vent69

Think I'll just put some pen style PV's in my bag with some pens and pencils as camouflage and see what happens.