Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Whether ICA Will Consider a Fee Waiver for Future Renewals of Passports Ineligible for 10-Year Validity

Question:

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether ICA will consider a future waiver of the passport renewal fee for those who renewed their passports before October 2021 and were thus not eligible for the new 10-year validity passports.

Answer:

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

1.   The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has no plans to waive the passport renewal fee for those who renewed their passport before October 2021. The ICA had announced the 10-year passport on 7 May 2021, five months ahead of its introduction on 1 October 2021. The early announcement was to provide Singaporeans with sufficient time to plan ahead for their passport renewal, and make an informed decision whether to renew their passport before or after October 2021.

2.   The fee for the new 10-year validity passport has been kept unchanged at $70 for applications which are made online. In addition, Singaporeans are now able to enjoy the convenience of collecting their renewed passport at designated Singpost outlets across Singapore, with the ICA absorbing the collection fee.