The validity period of the Singapore passport, issued by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), will be increased from the current five years to 10 years for Singapore Citizens aged 16 and above who submit a passport application on or after 1 October 2021. This will reduce the frequency of passport renewals, and offer greater convenience to Singaporeans. There will be no change to the passport application fee, which will remain at $70. The validity period of the passport issued to children below 16 years old will remain at five years.

Increasing the Singapore Passport Validity Period

2          In April 2005, the validity period of the Singapore passport was reduced from 10 years to five years, in conjunction with the introduction of the biometric passport. The biometric passport incorporated an embedded microchip that contains the passport holder’s biometric information (i.e. facial and fingerprint identifiers). Reducing the validity period in 2005 was to allow ICA to monitor the stability of the technology and incorporate enhancements, as necessary, when Singaporeans renew their passport. This ensured that the Singapore passport remains a highly secure and trusted travel document, which gives Singaporeans access to many countries without the need for a visa.

3          It has been 15 years since the introduction of the biometric passport. There is now widespread use of biometrics screening technology by immigration authorities around the world to validate travellers’ identity and detect stolen and forged passports. This has made it increasingly difficult for criminal syndicates and persons with ill intent to use forged or stolen passports to gain illegal entry. Also, biometric passport technology has stabilised. We now have greater confidence in the durability of the passport microchip. In view of these developments, ICA has assessed that it is now viable to increase the validity of the Singapore passport to 10 years without compromising security or global confidence in the Singapore passport. Many countries that previously issued five-year passports have also moved to a 10-year passport.^[1]

4          For citizens aged 16 and above, the passport validity will be capped at 10 years, in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) recommendation. Therefore, when a citizen renews the passport, any remaining validity in the old passport cannot be added to the new passport.^[2]

5          For citizens aged below 16, the passport validity will remain at five years.^[3] As children’s facial features change more rapidly, renewing their passport every five years will allow the photograph in their passport to be updated more frequently, which will minimise identification problems when going through immigration.

6          We will keep the passport application fee at S$70.^[4] The application process also remains unchanged. Singapore Citizens who need to apply for a new passport may do so online via our e-Service.^[5] Those who are unfamiliar with or have difficulty accessing the e-Service can get their family members or friends to assist with their passport application online, or to apply on their behalf. Applicants with no access to the Internet may visit the Citizen Connect Centres (CCCs) located at Our Tampines Hub and selected Community Centres/Clubs islandwide, where they can have free access to Internet-enabled computing devices.^[6] Those who are unable to transact online and do not have someone who can help them, may visit ICA for assistance.

7          Director of Citizen Services Centre, Assistant Commissioner Chui Wai Cheng said, “Biometric passport technology has stabilised since we first introduced it in 2006. In view of this, ICA will increase the validity of the Singapore passport, and will implement this for passport applications on or after 1 October 2021. We are making this announcement now, so that travellers can plan ahead for their passport renewal.”

8         ICA will continue to review our processes and services to provide greater convenience and enhanced experiences for our customers.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
7 MAY 2021