Restaurants Can Verify If Families Are Staying Together By Checking Your NRIC
From today (10 Nov), families from the same household will be allowed to dine in together at eateries in a group of up to 5 if they’re fully vaccinated.
While this is good news for families who had to sit at separate tables before, it poses an additional requirement for restaurants to check.
This can include checking National Registration Identity Cards (NRICs). Although laws have changed over the years regarding this, lawyers confirmed with TODAY that it is still permissible for restaurants to check your NRICs.
So no, you can’t dodge that request if you wish to dine in with your family outside unless you’re a child.
Most importantly though, please be kind to F&B staff — they’re just doing their job.
Restaurants can check your NRIC if you’re dining in with family
Because groups not from the same household are still limited to 2-pax, there’s a need for restaurants to check if families are living together before seating them in groups of 5.
TODAY reported on Tuesday (9 Nov) that some restaurants are planning to check NRICs of diners for verification purposes.
Digital ICs on your Singpass app will also be accepted.
For now, the 5-pax limit for families doesn’t apply to coffee shops and hawker centres yet.
Those who are under 15 and don’t have their NRIC issued will be allowed in as the checks will be “practical”, provided the family consists of adults with children.
It’d be rather clear if groups aren’t from the same household, although restaurants may wish to make an additional check.
However, diners will be punished and F&B outlets will close immediately if any breach is found.
Legal to check NRICs for verification under PDPA
Some may be concerned as to whether it’s still okay for F&B staff to ask for your NRIC after laws were changed under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
Muttons In The Morning shared this, quoting from the TODAY article.
According to Jeffrey Lim, a lawyer who spoke to TODAY, companies are legally allowed to verify the identity of diners “for important reasons to a high degree of fidelity”.
But they cannot note down, retain, or take a screenshot of the NRIC, nor are they allowed to take down your NRIC numbers.
Checks by MS News also note the same on Asia Law Network regarding the PDPA updates in 2019.
It can be argued that restaurants need to ensure all diners are from the same household before seating them together, making this “a high degree of fidelity”.
Please help staff by being respectful
While the days of 5-pax dining aren’t here completely yet, we may return to this arrangement with time.
Until then, it’s good that families are now able to dine in together if they’re from the same household.
Please don’t make the lives of staff difficult by refusing to show your NRIC if it’s asked for.
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Featured image by MS News.
