This page provides information on IMDA’s regulations related to the provision of mailroom and mailbox services, including the requirements for obtaining a licence to provide these services and the standards that must be met to ensure compliance with IMDA’s regulations.
IMDA has received enquiries from members of the industry on whether a person could provide Mailroom services to businesses and corporations in Singapore, without infringing the monopoly rights granted to Singapore Post Ltd ("SingPost").
Provision of Mailroom Service
Mailroom operation may comprise of the following :
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The provision of internal Mailroom collection, sorting and distribution services provided to an organisation occupying a single premises (Intra-Organisation Mailroom Service (Single Premises));
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The provision of internal Mailroom collection, sorting and distribution services provided to an organisation occupying multiple premises (Intra-Organisation Mailroom Service (Multiple Premises));
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The provision of internal Mailroom collection, sorting and distribution services provided to an organisation and its related or affiliated organisations (Inter-Organisation Mailroom Service); and
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The collection and processing (includes franking) of outgoing local and international mails from an organisation, followed by the subsequent forwarding of such mails to the public postal licensee for delivery to the intended recipients via its postal network (Messenger Service).
The detailed description of each service is set out in this document (12.70KB).
For Intra-Organisation Mailroom Service (Single Premises), it is not a licensable service under section 6 of the Act. The activities undertaken in relation to the provision of Intra-Organisation Mailroom Service (Single Premises) is confined within a single physical premises of the customer and does not involve any conveyance within the meaning of section 4(1) of the Act.
The Inter-Organisation Mailroom Service is a licensable service under section 6 of the Act.
Therefore, any persons intending to offer the Inter-Organisation Mailroom Service shall first obtain a Postal Services Operator licence from IMDA. However, the Inter-Organisation Mailroom Service can also be undertaken by other persons with an Express Letter licence granted by IMDA, provided they comply with the Express Letter performance and relevant requirements stipulated under the Express Letter licence.
Provision of Mailbox Service
Public mailbox services or commonly known as P.O. box services refer to the services related to the setting up and renting of letterboxes by a service provider to customers, for the purpose of receiving letters sent by post to the customers. The provision of mailbox services on its own is not a licensable service under Section 6 of the Postal Services Act (Cap 237A) (the "Act").
However, any act of onward delivery by a mailbox service provider from the addressee's letter box to the customer at a separate and distinct physical location is a licensable service. In this respect, a person intending to provide such onward delivery service must first obtain a Postal Services Operator licence.
Although the provision of stand-alone mailbox services is not a licensable service under the Act, this does not prejudice or prevent IMDA from introducing regulations or guidelines in the future to regulate the provision of such services if the need arises.
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