Despite jokes about it being a “national pastime” for Singaporeans, few things in life are more tedious or frustrating than queuing.
But recently, many found themselves having to queue not for a meal or concert ticket, but a document essential for travel — a passport.
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) recently experienced a surge in passport applications after global travel made a grand return as countries opened their borders.
As a result, there were long lines at ICA over the past two months, with hordes of Singaporeans waiting to collect their passports after halting their travel plans due to the pandemic.
While some have taken to social media to vent their frustrations, others have tried to help by sharing their experiences.
On Monday (6 Jun), a netizen took to Facebook to share about his recent visit to the ICA building, where he allegedly needed to queue despite making an appointment.
Source: Facebook
A photo of the long lines at the building accompanied his post, driving home his point.
Perhaps in hopes of offering a solution, one netizen suggested opting for passport collection at a post office instead of queuing at the ICA building.
Source: Facebook
Others, however, clarified that if an e-appointment has been made, there is no need to queue.
This led to a chain of replies between the OP and other users.
Source: Facebook
Judging from the comments, there seems to be some confusion about whether queuing is still required if one has made an appointment.
Some users said those with an appointment can go straight to Level 2 to collect their passports.
Source: Facebook
But others did not seem to get the memo from ICA staff. They also claimed that they were not aware that they could collect their passports at a post office.
Source: Facebook
Some claimed the officers there said everyone had to queue, regardless of whether they had an appointment or not.
MS News has reached out to ICA for clarification on its passport collection processes. We will update this article when they get back to us.
A quick check on the ICA website shows that the rules are clearly stated.
Once your passport application has been approved, you will be notified by:
After receiving your notification, you can make an appointment to collect your passport within one month of the approval date.
Refer to the pink notification card or email for the items to bring on the day of collection.
On the day of collection, bring the pink card along as well.
You can collect your passport at:
Note that there are certain conditions to be met for the option to collect at post offices to be made available to you. You can read more about them here.
Passports will be cancelled if uncollected after three months. No refund of the passport fee will be given.
Parents of children below six years of age can collect the passports on their behalf by appointment.
Applicants of other ages must collect their passports in person.
As many netizens pointed out, you can collect your passport at designated post offices.
Before doing so, you need to bring your current passport if it’s still valid and a digital or physical IC.
Parents collecting their child’s passport should bring the following:
If you fail to collect your passport within four days from your appointment date, it will be returned to the ICA Building.
While you won’t be able to make another appointment for collection at the post office, you can make an appointment to collect the passport at the ICA Building.
Here’s how to get there:
ICA Building
Address: 10 Kallang Rd, Singapore 208718
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-1pm, Closed on Sundays
Nearest MRT: Lavender Station
Be punctual for your appointment to avoid long waiting times during these peak periods:
If your passport has expired or is expiring, it is best not to book any travel plans until you collect your new document. If you must make plans, make sure there is enough time to reapply if your passport application is rejected.
Be open to collecting your passport at any of the designated post offices if the long queues at ICA look daunting.
You can also try making a special request if you need to travel urgently. Remember to follow these guidelines to reduce the chances of your passport photo being rejected.
It can be a frustrating process, but it will be worth it at the end of the day when you finally get to go on that long-awaited vacation overseas.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Yock Pein Leow on Facebook and John Yong Yew Meng on Facebook.
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