If you are planning on heading overseas and have just realised your passport is expiring, we have some unfortunate news.
According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singaporeans who apply for a new passport might need to wait for about a month.
Came After Easing of Border Restrictions
It seems all Singaporeans think alike.
Once border restrictions were eased further and the Vaccinated Travel Framework was implemented, ICA began receiving an unprecedented number of applications in March, with a whopping one million passports either expired or expiring.
Those who had applied in early March were able to process their applications within a week or longer during peak periods.
However, now some 6,000 applications are reaching the authority each day. This comes as triple the pre-COVID-19 average two years ago of 2,000.
Apply Online via ICA Website
Lest you book all your accommodations only to realise your passport has expired, ICA advises you to renew your passports early.
You can do so via the ICA website. Do note that the application fee for a new passport is $70.
Once the passports are ready, applicants will be notified and you can make an appointment to collect them at any of 27 designated post offices without paying additional fees.
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Don’t Need to Rush if You Aren’t Travelling
On the other hand, if you have no plans to travel overseas for the next six months, don’t need to FOMO or be kiasu and rush to get a new passport.
The Singapore passport is not a mandatory identity document, and there is no penalty for not renewing passports that have expired, ICA says.
Since midnight on 31 March, all travellers fully vaccinated with two doses against COVID-19 and children aged 12 and below can enter Singapore quarantine-free with just a pre-departure test, unless they are coming from a country or place in the restricted category.
Currently, no country is classified under the restricted category.
Those who are fully vaccinated can also travel freely between Singapore and Malaysia by land, including by driving and on public transport, without testing or quarantine.
So plan ahead of your trip and happy travelling!
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