- Gum between Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train doors in 1991, and cleaning problems in cinemas and housing estates, led to the 1992 ban.
- Singapore’s gum regulations ban importing and selling it; neither makes chewing or owning gum an offence.
- Registered health-product gum, bought in Singapore, is allowed; overseas-bought gum is barred even when prescribed.
Twice in 1991, in July and again in August, gum lodged between the doors of a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train and the doors would not close fully. Passengers had to get off before the train could move. The Environment Ministry gave those incidents as the main reason for a ban that took effect on 3 January 1992. Importing and selling ordinary gum remain prohibited as at October 2026.
Why did Singapore ban chewing gum?
Gum litter had been identified as a problem as early as 1983, when S. Dhanabalan, then Foreign Affairs and Culture Minister, raised it. No action followed until the train disruptions of 1991. The Environment Ministry explained the ban in a statement on 30 December 1991, four days before it took effect.
The ministry gave disruption to MRT trains as its main reason. It named a second: careless disposal of gum that caused cleaning problems in cinemas and housing estates.
A 1983 report said the Housing and Development Board allocated SGD 150,000 a year to clean up gum litter. The government had told the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation to stop gum advertisements, and school tuckshops had been told to stop selling gum. A ban was considered at that time.
What happened after the ban?
Two sets of figures record the early results, one for the first fortnight of enforcement and one for gum litter in February 1993.
In the first two weeks, Environment Ministry officers issued more than 2,000 notices to store owners to stop displaying gum. They confiscated more than five million packets, worth SGD 900,000 at market value, and issued summonses to five provision shops.
Gum litter cases fell from 525 a day before the ban to two a day in February 1993. Town councils reported less gum on pavements, lift floors and public benches, and gum no longer jammed lift doors.
Is chewing gum illegal in Singapore today?
Singapore’s gum ban does not make chewing or owning gum an offence. One set of regulations prohibits importing gum, and another prohibits selling it or advertising it for sale.
The Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations prohibit importing any chewing gum under regulation 3, except as regulation 3A allows. They commenced on 1 December 1995. The Sale of Food (Prohibition of Chewing Gum) Regulations prohibit the sale, or advertisement for sale, of any chewing gum under regulation 2.
Both sets of regulations define chewing gum broadly. The definition covers bubble gum, dental chewing gum and any like substance prepared from a vegetable or synthetic gum base and intended for chewing.
The ban was partly lifted in 2004, a change linked to free trade agreement talks with the United States. In law, the import regulations were amended with effect from 1 January 2004, and the sale regulations commenced on that date.
The import regulations now exempt three groups of gum under regulation 3A, in this form from 1 November 2016. The first is gum registered as a therapeutic product under the Health Products Act, other than gum classified as a general sale list medicine. The second is gum registered as an oral dental gum that passes one of two tests. One test requires calcium lactate at two to five percent weight in weight and xylitol at twelve to thirty-six percent. The other requires sugarless gum with sodium hexametaphosphate at one to two percent weight in weight. The third is any other registered oral dental gum classified as prescription-only.
The sale regulations apply a simpler test. Their prohibition does not apply to gum registered, or deemed registered, as a health product under the Health Products Act.
Can you bring chewing gum into Singapore?
Ordinary gum cannot be brought in, and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) applies the rule to medical gum bought overseas too. Singapore Customs lists ‘chewing gum (excluding Health Sciences Authority approved oral dental and medicinal chewing gum)’ as a prohibited import.
The HSA states that all chewing gums, including medical and dental ones, ‘purchased overseas are not allowed to be brought into Singapore’. The same applies to gum prescribed by a doctor or dentist and to gum identical to a brand or strength sold locally. Travellers who need nicotine gum can buy it from pharmacies in Singapore.
The rule reaches connecting passengers. The HSA states that chewing gums are not allowed to be carried by travellers who are only transiting through Singapore without clearing immigration.
A separate rule covers traders importing gum for re-export. A trader can bring gum into a free trade zone only after registering with Singapore Customs. Regulation 6 also requires a letter of undertaking and a banker’s guarantee of SGD 10,000, and Singapore Customs requires a permit through TradeNet.
What is the penalty for breaking the gum ban in Singapore?
Three laws carry separate penalties: the import regulations, the sale regulations and the law on littering. Every figure is stated as at October 2026.
Regulation 7 of the import regulations sets the penalty for importing gum. A first conviction carries a fine of up to SGD 100,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. A second or later conviction carries a fine of up to SGD 200,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.
Regulation 3 of the sale regulations sets a fine of up to SGD 2,000 for selling gum or advertising it for sale.
Dropping used gum in a public place is littering under section 17 of the Environmental Public Health Act 1987. The section bars dropping or throwing refuse and other articles in a public place, outside a dustbin or other receptacle. A first offence is normally settled with a composition sum of SGD 300. A court can fine up to SGD 2,000 on a first conviction and SGD 4,000 on a second. A third or later conviction carries up to SGD 10,000. A court can also order up to 12 hours of corrective work.
The penalties announced with the ban in 1991 were lower. For importers, a first offence carried a fine of up to SGD 10,000, up to one year in jail, or both. A repeat offence carried up to SGD 20,000, up to two years, or both. The maximum first-offence fine is now ten times higher and the jail ceiling has doubled. The sale fine of SGD 2,000 has not changed.
Frequently asked questions about chewing gum in Singapore
When did Singapore ban chewing gum?
Singapore banned the selling, importing and making of chewing gum on 3 January 1992. The Environment Ministry explained the ban on 30 December 1991. Gum stuck between MRT train doors in July and August 1991 had kept the doors from closing. The ban was partly lifted in 2004 for registered health-product gum. The current import exemptions took their present form on 1 November 2016.
Can you buy chewing gum in Singapore now?
Chewing gum can be bought in Singapore only if it is registered as a health product under the Health Products Act. The Sale of Food (Prohibition of Chewing Gum) Regulations bar the sale or advertisement for sale of every other chewing gum. The fine is up to SGD 2,000 as at October 2026. The Health Sciences Authority states that travellers who need nicotine gum can buy it from pharmacies in Singapore.
What happens if you eat chewing gum in Singapore?
Eating or chewing gum in Singapore is not an offence under the two gum regulations. The import regulations prohibit bringing gum in, and the sale regulations prohibit selling it. A first import conviction carries a fine of up to SGD 100,000, and a sale carries a fine of up to SGD 2,000. Dropping used gum in a public place is littering, with a composition sum of SGD 300 for a first offence. All figures are as at October 2026.
Why does Singapore hate chewing gum?
Singapore banned chewing gum for two practical reasons that the Environment Ministry stated on 30 December 1991. Gum stuck between MRT train doors in July and August 1991 had disrupted train services. Careless disposal of gum also caused cleaning problems in cinemas and housing estates. The ban took effect on 3 January 1992, and gum litter cases fell from 525 a day to two a day by February 1993.
Which country banned chewing gum?
Singapore banned the selling, importing and making of chewing gum on 3 January 1992. The ban covered all gum made from a vegetable or synthetic gum base, including bubble gum and dental chewing gum. Gum registered as a health product under the Health Products Act is exempt after the partial lifting in 2004. A first import conviction carries a fine of up to SGD 100,000, up to two years in jail, or both, as at October 2026.
In what country is chewing gum illegal?
Importing and selling chewing gum is illegal in Singapore, but chewing it is not an offence. Singapore Customs lists chewing gum as a prohibited import, with an exception for gum approved by the Health Sciences Authority. The Health Sciences Authority adds that gum bought overseas cannot be brought in, even when prescribed by a doctor or dentist. Selling gum carries a fine of up to SGD 2,000 as at October 2026.
Sources
- National Library Board Singapore, Infopedia: Chewing gum ban
- Singapore Statutes Online, Attorney-General’s Chambers: Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations (Rg 4)
- Singapore Statutes Online, Attorney-General’s Chambers: Sale of Food (Prohibition of Chewing Gum) Regulations (Rg 2)
- Singapore Customs: Controlled and Prohibited Goods for Imports
- Singapore Customs: Chewing Gum (HS Code 17041000), Competent Authorities Requirements for Controlled Items
- Health Sciences Authority: Regulations for bringing personal medications into Singapore
- National Environment Agency: Public Cleanliness, Overview
- National Environment Agency: Everyone has a role to keep Singapore litter-free
- Singapore government (mse.gov.sg): Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on High-rise Littering
Reviewed and updated by Jarrod Partridge, 5 October 2026.
