Man Charged For Failing to Update NRIC Address; Could Face Up to $5,000 Fine or 5 Years’ Jailtime

Did you know that if you shift house, you have to update your address with ICA?

And that if you don’t do it, you’re technically breaking a law?

A man had to learn this the hard way when he was charged for failing to update his NRIC address.

So if you haven’t updated your residential address, you better do so now.

According to the law, all identity card (IC) holders to update their address within 28 days of moving into a new home, even if their residence is located abroad.

Man Charged For Failing to Update NRIC Address; Could Face Up to $5,000 Fine or 5 Years Jailtime

According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), a 28-year-old man was charged for the offence of failing to register a change of residential address under the National Registration Act.

He is under investigation by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for a separate charge under the Penal Code.

What Happened

On 25 Nov 2019, the SPF received a report about a man, Liao, who failed to update his residential address when he moved out of his registered residence.

They handed the case over to the ICA which proceeded to investigate the man.

It was found that Liao had moved out of his registered address since Oct 2018.

ICA officers advised Liao to update his residential address but he refused to do so.

Penalties

So, the question remains: why must people update their residential address?

According to the ICA, it’s because they can ensure that everyone remains contactable to the authorities.

Anyone who refuses to comply with the regulations could be fined up to S$5,000, jailed up to 5 years, or both.

Which is not worth it, especially since updating your residential address is now easier than ever.

ICA Online Service

Before Oct 2020, residents who move into new homes have to update their address in person at a Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP), Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) or the ICA building.

As an added service, they’ll paste a sticker with the changed address onto your NRIC for you.

But now, you can do your change of residential address in the comfort of your own home.

You can proceed to ICA’s e-service here (https://go.gov.sg/ic-address) and login via SingPass to update your address.

Once the application is complete, applicants will receive a unique PIN sent via mail to their new address within three to five days.

To verify the new address, applicants then have to enter this PIN via the e-service. Once verified, they will receive an acknowledgement that the change is successful, and voila!

Applicants will also receive a sticker via mail which bears the new address. They are required to stick this on the back of their ICs.

By the way, did you know that if you don’t change your NRIC at the age of 30, you can be fined up to S$5,000, jailed for up to five years, or both? Read more about this here.

Here are some interesting facts about your NRIC (please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):