Types of Food Licence in Singapore: Which One Does Your F&B Business Need?

You have just signed a lease for a unit in a coffee shop, and now you need to decide whether to apply for a Food Shop Licence or a Food Stall Licence. It is a common point of confusion, and the answer turns on one thing: how you operate.

Of the different types of food licences in Singapore, most food retailers need one of three, and which one depends on their setup. If you run an independent outlet, such as a restaurant, café, caterer or takeaway kiosk, you need a Food Shop Licence. If you run a single stall inside a multi-unit shop, such as a food court or coffee shop, you need a Food Stall Licence. Supermarkets that sell raw meat or seafood or prepare food on-site need a Supermarket Licence. Food manufacturers and cold stores are subject to a separate set of licences. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issues all of them, and you need the right one before you start operating, as SFA states that running a food retail business without a licence is an offence.

What Type of Food Licence Do I Need to Open a Food Business in Singapore?

It depends on how your business sells food. An independent outlet needs a Food Shop Licence. A stall inside a multi-unit shop needs a Food Stall Licence. A supermarket that prepares food or sells raw meat or seafood needs a Supermarket Licence. Temporary fairs need a permit for the fair operator and a licence for each stall that prepares food or drinks.

SFA sets this out on its page listing the businesses that need a food retail licence, which is also the source of the fees below. Check that page before you budget, as fees can change.

Licence or permit	Who needs it	Fee set by SFA
Food Shop Licence	Restaurants, caterers, coffeeshops, canteens (including staff canteens run by third-party vendors), food courts, takeaway kiosks, mobile food wagons, pet cafés	$195 a year
Food Stall Licence	Individual stalls inside multi-unit Food Shops, such as food courts, coffee shops, canteens and private markets	$32 a year, or $64 for two years ($13 a year for hawker stalls and canteen stalls in primary schools, secondary schools and junior colleges)
Supermarket Licence	Supermarkets that sell raw meat or seafood, or prepare food on site	$250 a year (under 200m²), $500 a year (over 200m²)
Temporary Fair Permit	Organisers of temporary fairs in public spaces, or in private venues where food is handled for sale	$60 per permit

Hawker stalls in NEA-managed hawker centres work differently. NEA helps stall operators get their SFA licences as part of the tenancy process, so they do not apply to SFA separately. The exception is centres whose tenancies are run by managing agents appointed by NEA, where stallholders apply for a Food Stall Licence themselves. Stalls that prepare food or drinks at temporary fairs need a licence too. The fair operator submits these stall applications, and SFA charges no extra fee beyond the operator's permit.

What Is the Difference Between a Food Shop Licence and a Food Stall Licence?

A Food Shop operates as an independent unit. A Food Stall operates inside a Food Shop that has several units, such as a food court or coffee shop. The coffeeshop operator holds the Food Shop Licence, and each stall inside holds its own Food Stall Licence. One shop licence, many stall licences.

The fee gap is wide. A Food Stall Licence costs $32 a year, about one-sixth of the $195 for a Food Shop Licence. But the fee does not decide which licence applies; your setup does. A Food Stall Licence only applies if your stall operates inside a multi-unit Food Shop licensed to someone else and does not run its own dining area.

Licence types also cannot be switched later. SFA does not allow a licence to be changed from one type to another, so if your operations change and need a different licence type, you must submit a fresh application. Licences are not transferable either. Getting the type right before you apply for your Singapore food licence helps you avoid a second application later.

Which Licences Do Central Kitchens, Food Manufacturers and Cold Stores Need?

If you manufacture, process, package or store food for distribution to other businesses, rather than selling it to consumers, the retail licences above do not apply. A Licence to Operate a Food Processing Establishment covers premises that make, process, prepare or package food for wholesalers and retailers, such as central kitchens and flour confectionery factories. A Licence to Operate a Cold Store covers cold stores holding meat and seafood for wholesale distribution. Warehouses that store other food are encouraged, but not required, to register with SFA as a Food Storage Warehouse.

Fees and conditions for these are published by SFA on a separate page from the retail ones, so do not assume the retail figures above apply. The Food Processing Establishment licence can also apply to growing F&B groups: SFA treats a food retail business that supplies food to its own other outlets, or to other food businesses, as a food processing establishment, such as a central kitchen. We handle these applications, as well as Food Shop, Food Stall and Supermarket Licence applications.

Which Food Businesses Do Not Need an SFA Licence?

SFA does not currently license home-based food businesses or online food businesses that only act as intermediaries. Retailers that sell only pre-packed food supplied by SFA-licensed processors or importers also do not need a food retail licence, unless that food includes minimally processed raw meat or seafood, such as packed whole fish or unmarinated chicken wings.

Since 1 January 2025, market stalls selling food items that SFA considers of lower regulatory concern, such as fresh raw vegetables, pre-packed processed food, dried food and shell eggs, no longer need an SFA licence. Not needing a licence does not remove your duty to sell food that is safe to eat.

Does My Unit Need Other Approvals Before I Apply?

A food licence is separate from URA's approval of how a unit can be used. SFA's licensing looks at what food you sell and the setting of your premises. If the unit is not yet approved for food use, you may need URA Change of Use approval too, so check the URA Change of Use requirements before you commit to a lease.

Can't I Just Work This Out From SFA's Website?

You can. SFA publishes its licensing rules, and many setups are straightforward. The harder cases are the exceptions: a stall that runs its own dining area, a hawker centre managed by an agent rather than directly by NEA, a retail kitchen that starts supplying other outlets, or a unit that is not yet approved for food use. Each of these changes which licence or approval you need. With over 20 years of experience across the private food industry and the government sector, we are familiar with SFA's regulatory requirements and can check the licence type against your premises and operations before you apply.

If you are unsure which licence fits your business, get in touch with CMM Food Consultancy and we will help you confirm it before you submit anything.