ICA Waives Collection Fees For Passports & ICs At SingPost Offices
Collecting our passports and identity cards (IC) used to entail a trip to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building at Lavender.
Alternatively, folks may collect their documents at certain SingPost outlets, but will have to fork out between $6 and $12 for the extra convenience.
From 1 Oct, however, the ICA will be ‘absorbing’ the extra fees, allowing Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) to collect their documents for free.
Those who’ve received specific instructions to collect their documents at the ICA building cannot enjoy this service.
ICA will bear fees for passport collection at SingPost offices
In a press statement on Wednesday (22 Sep), the ICA announced that they will be waiving fees for the collection of passports and ICs at SingPost outlets.
This is apparently part of their effort to provide greater convenience to their customers.
Currently, Singaporeans and PRs have to pay between $6 and $12 for this collection service.
However, they won’t have to do so from 1 Oct, as the ICA will start bearing these costs. This means that customers can collect their documents for free at 27 SingPost outlets islandwide. You may find the list of SingPost outlets here.
Residents will have to make an appointment via ICA’s website to collect the documents at the post offices of their choice.
Not everyone can collect passports from SingPost offices
Unfortunately, not all Singaporeans and PRs will be able to collect their documents at the SingPost offices.
Those who’ve had unsuccessful biometric verification in earlier transactions with the ICA, for example, will still have to visit their headquarters.
This is because SingPost staff rely on biometric features to verify identities before issuing the relevant documents.
If you’re unsure about whether you qualify, don’t worry. ICA will notify you of your collection options when your documents are ready.
Greater convenience & smaller crowds
With collection more accessible and affordable now, more residents can choose to obtain their documents at SingPost offices nearby.
In turn, this will likely decrease the number of visitors to the ICA Building, thereby reducing crowds and risks of transmission amid the pandemic.
Kudos to the ICA for the thoughtful initiative. We’re sure many residents will be grateful for the convenience.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and by MS News.
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