A House to House and Street Collections (HHSC) licence is required (except when exempted) if you are collecting money or other property by way of appealing to the public, visiting house to house or soliciting in streets or other places or combination of such means for money or other property.
Please note that a person intending to promote any collections should work with the beneficiaries.
1.1 Exemption
A House to House and Street Collections licence is not required if you are conducting any of the following:
- A private collection that is confined to friends or relatives
- Making an appeal through the telephone or the media such as the internet and newspapers; or sending out appeal letters by post
- A collection that is carried out by or for a beneficiary that is a registered or exempted charity, or the fund-raising appeal for foreign charitable purpose is by a person who has been approved by Commissioner of Charities (“COC”). However, you would need to comply with the Charities Act 1994.
The HHSC Act does not apply to collections made using unmanned collection boxes.
Therefore, no licence is required under section 4 of the HHSC Act, if there is no person using face-to-face means to actively reach out to any other person to encourage donations at such boxes.
For the avoidance of doubt, please note that nothing in this website or in any correspondence with SPF shall be construed as limiting or restricting SPF's ability to administer the HHSC Act or any other law, or exempting you from the provisions under any other laws.
You may wish to seek independent legal advice if you have any doubts.
1.2 Refusal for Grant of Licence
Under Section 4 of the House to House & Street Collections Act 1947, Police may refuse to grant a licence (or revoke a licence granted by the Police), if it appears to the Police —
- that the total amount likely to be applied for the purpose of the collection from the proceeds of the collection (including any amount already so applied) is inadequate in proportion to the value of the proceeds likely to be received (including any proceeds already received);
- that remuneration which is excessive in relation to the total amount referred to in paragraph (a) is likely to be, or has been, retained or received out of the proceeds of the collection by any person;
- that the grant of a licence would be likely to facilitate the commission of an offence under any written law, or that any such offence has been committed in connection with the collection, and in particular, that any force, threat or compulsion is likely to be, or has been, used in order to obtain any contribution for the purpose of the collection;
- that the applicant or the holder of the licence is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence by reason of the fact that he has been convicted, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, of any offence conviction for which necessarily involved or implied a finding that he had acted fraudulently or dishonestly, or of any offence of a kind the commission of which would be likely to be facilitated by the grant of a licence;
- that the applicant or the holder of the licence, in promoting a collection in respect of which a licence has been granted to him, has failed to exercise due diligence to ensure that persons authorised by him to act as collectors for the purposes of the collection were fit and proper persons to secure compliance on the part of persons so authorised with the provisions of this Act or any of its regulations, or to prevent prescribed badges or prescribed certificates of authority being obtained by persons not so authorised;
- that the collection is in aid of, or that the promoter or any of the collectors are members of, an unlawful society, or that the purpose of the collection is illegal, fictitious or objectionable on grounds of public policy, or that the refusal or revocation of a licence is otherwise desirable in the public interest; or
- that the applicant or the holder of the licence has furnished false information to the Police or has refused or neglected to furnish to the Police such information as he may have reasonably required for the purpose of informing himself as to any of the matters specified in paragraphs (a) to (f).
1.3 Types of Applications
| Types of Applications |
Remarks |
| New House to House and Street Collections Licence Application |
A House to House and Street Collections licence (HHSC) is required if one promotes a collection by way of appealing to the public, made by means of visits from house to house or of soliciting in streets or other places or by both such means, for money or other property. You may submit a new House to House and Street Collections Licence via GoBusiness portal. |
| Amend Existing House to House and Street Collections Licence Application |
You can make the following amendments to your existing House to House and Street Collections licence at least 14 working days before its expiration:
You may submit an amendment of your Existing House to House and Street Collections Licence via GoBusiness portal. You are required to obtain the following documents before amending your existing House to House and Street Collections licence: Change of beneficiary: To submit the Memorandum of Agreement signed by you and the intended beneficiary containing information such as name of the beneficiary, mechanics of the fundraising, date and places of collection, targeted amount to be raised and breakdown of the projected expenditure. Change of place of collection (including open spaces): Obtain approvals from the relevant planning authorities or management/owner of buildings, such as URA, HDB, NEA, SLA, LTA etc; Town Councils concerned; and/or Singapore Tourism Board. For fundraising activity in public areas and streets, please submit a map that clearly indicates and demarcates the specific areas of collection. |
| Withdrawal of House to House and Street Collections Licence Application |
You can withdraw your application for a House to House and Street Collections licence any time before licence approval. If licence has been approved and issued, you will have to submit a request to cancel licence. |
| Cancel Existing House to House and Street Collections Licence Application |
You are permitted to cancel your existing House to House and Street Collections licence any time before its expiration. |
1.4 Licensing Conditions
| S/N | Licensing Conditions |
| 1 |
The licensee shall ensure that no collection is carried out at:
|
| 2 | The licensee shall ensure that the collectors do not impede the free movement of human or vehicular traffic. |
| 3 |
The licensee shall ensure that no collection is carried out at:
without the express and written permission of the premises owners. |
| 4 | The licensee shall ensure that no collection is carried from house to house between 2230hrs and 0700hrs. |
| 5 | The licensee shall ensure that collectors do not act in any way which might reasonably cause annoyance to any member of the public. |
| 6 |
The licensee shall ensure that the collectors do not:
|
| 7 | The licensee shall, prior to every collection, conduct briefings to all the collectors on strict compliance with the provisions of the House to House and Street Collections Act 1947, the regulations made thereunder, and the licensing conditions imposed. |
| 8 | The licensee shall ensure that there is no unauthorised amendment when using any the prescribed form in the House to House and Street Collections Regulations, including the insertion of any letterhead or any change in the formatting. |
1.5 Documents Required
| Collection Activities | Requirements |
| House to house collection of recyclable items such as old electrical appliances, old clothes and old newspapers | Submit details of the locations and schedule of the intended collection to National Environment Agency (NEA). |
| Fundraising activity in Orchard Road |
Obtain approval from Singapore Tourism Board (STB). |
| Fundraising activity on behalf of a beneficiary |
Submit the Memorandum of Agreement signed by you and the intended beneficiary containing information such as name of the beneficiary, mechanics of the fundraising, date and places of collection, targeted amount to be raised and breakdown of the projected expenditure. |
| Distribution of flyers or putting up of posters in the HDB Housing Estates |
Obtain approval from the relevant Town Councils. |
| Events involving the conduct of donation draws or lucky draws |
Ensure that the conditions under the Remote Gambling (Exempt Persons) Order and/or the Common Gaming Houses (Exemption) Notification are complied with. For further enquiries, you may wish to write to the lucky draw administrator at SPF_Lucky_Draw@spf.gov.sg. |
| Events involving Public Entertainment and supply of Liquor |
Obtain the relevant Public Entertainment, Infocom Media Development Authority (IMDA) or Liquor licences. |
| Events involving assembly or procession of 1 or more persons in any public place |
Obtain a valid Police Permit. |
| Use of premises (including open spaces) for the conduct of the collection |
Obtain approvals from the relevant planning authorities or management/owner of buildings, such as URA, HDB, NEA, SLA, LTA, etc |
| Fundraising activity in public areas and streets |
Submit a map that clearly indicates and demarcates the specific areas of collection. |
1.6 Submission of Application
- You will be directed to the GoBusiness Licensing web page. Have your SingPass ready to log in.
- If you require assistance or guidance on the GoBusiness portal, please contact the helpdesk at (+65) 6336 3373 or email AskGoBiz@crimsonlogic.com.sg
1.7 Estimated Completion Time
Estimated Time to complete
20 minutes
Processing Time
- Approximately 4 weeks from the receipt of the application and if all necessary supporting documents are enclosed (if required). Any incomplete or incorrect submission will be rejected.
- You will be notified of the outcome via SMS and/or Email. In the meantime, you may log in to GoBusiness to view your application status.
1.8 Contact Details