Number of Applications to Amend the Applicant’s Date of Birth in His or Her Passport in the Past Five Years

Question:

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past five years, how many applications has been received by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to amend the applicant’s date of birth in his or her passport; and (b) how can the ICA better aid Singaporeans in this process so that they are able to travel without hassle.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) does not track the number of requests to amend the date of birth in passports.

2. Some individuals have incomplete records of their date of birth in the national register. Such individuals may update their date of birth by providing verifiable documentary proof of their date of birth to ICA. If they do not have such proof, ICA will consider the specific circumstances that resulted in the incomplete records, and advise the individual of the appropriate course of action.

3. If the request to amend the date of birth is successful, ICA will update the individual’s date of birth in the national register, following which the individual may apply for a new passport with the updated particulars.