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I'm flying to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) via Singapore.

I'm taking Tiger Air from Bangalore to Singapore and Air Asia from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

I want to carry one bag (weighing 17kg) to give it to my friend who's staying in Singapore.

So is it possible for me to pass on this luggage to him in Singapore airport?

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  • How much is the time duration between the flights?
    – why
    Oct 6, 2014 at 10:43
  • i have some 4 hours in between .. Oct 6, 2014 at 10:44
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    And what passport are you on?
    – Mark Mayo
    Oct 6, 2014 at 11:05
  • I'm with Indian Passport Oct 6, 2014 at 11:17
  • 2
    @Dwellerincellar Please edit all of your answers to comments within your question itself. Comments are subject to deletion for various reasons while the question is more durable. As the OP, you should always be able to (re)edit your own question at will.
    – CGCampbell
    Oct 6, 2014 at 12:54

2 Answers 2

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The following is "common sense" based on my own travels. Officialdom may decide otherwise.

If I was doing this I'd try very hard to get an official answer to this in advance and very preferably in writing.

I certainly would not trust only the advice of well meaning people like me on an internet site :-).

If you have a Singapore visa and the two flights are not linked, so that you recover your bags as of right between flights, then you should be able to take all your baggage (or just the bag in question with the rest in luggage storage) into Singapore airport public spaces, passing through Singapore customs* in the normal manner. Once clear of customs you can do what you wish with your baggage (subject to the normal laws of Singaporean society).

If you then check in with whatever luggage you have left you can pass through security in the normal manner.

*The "trick" here is customs and "normal manner". You would need to declare that the bag of goods is to remain in Singapore. Depending on contents they may wish to charge duty and may need to know its value. It probably does not matter to them whether the bag belongs to the other person or not. They will probably want to work on the basis that as you are carrying it, you own it. and charge you accordingly.

I'd imagine that there is some risk of this going wrong - if they cannot assess value you MIGHT end up losing the bag if you cannot provide a means of it passing from their hands into Singapore after you leave. If you do not tell them what you are doing and they then find you are doing other than they expected, both you and the bag may not make your next flight.

You need to be CERTAIN what is in the bag.
Saying no to "Did you pack your bags yourself" at Bangalore may cause problems.
Saying yes when you are not 101% aware of contents could be worse.

It MAY be easier and not overly dear to send the bag to Singapore from KL via a freight forwarder.


FWIW - I have found Singapore customs officers friendly and helpful. Last time through, travelling from India, I was carrying a potentially banned (in Singapore) item which I declared, and they were professional and helpful and I was allowed to proceed.

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  • Why is it necessary to collect the checked bags before going through customs? They're not going to stay in the country, why not check them on to their final destination (if even necessary) before clearing customs, and save a ton of hassle?
    – Flimzy
    Oct 6, 2014 at 13:05
  • @Flimzy - The 2 points in your query are already covered in my answer. |Re '(if even necessary)' -> " ... and the two flights are not linked, so that you recover your bags as of right between flights ... " | Re collecting bags -> The 17kg bag is too heavy for carry on so must have been checked. If the bags are auto transferred between flights accessing 1 only is liable to be "problematic". Once he has them all he can store or re-checkin all but one as per " ... (or just the bag in question with the rest in luggage storage ... " | I missed the obvious "re-check-in all but 1 bag". Oct 6, 2014 at 20:52
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    A note on why you need to be certain on what's in the bag: Drug trafficking gets you a death sentence!
    – Doresoom
    Apr 15, 2015 at 17:39
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As an Indian passport holder, you would not be allowed through immigration unless you apply for and receive a visa in advance. (see here) And if your friend does not have a valid ticket, then they can't get past security. So, unfortunately, it seems like you will probably need to bring your bag with you to Malaysia.

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  • you may have not expanded the comments and this missed that he said " ... its a checkin baggage and yeah i do have a visa for both singapore and malaysia ...". Oct 6, 2014 at 20:45

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