Passport expiring? Apply for new one now if travelling at year end

Singaporeans with year-end travel plans should apply for new passports now if they are holding passports with less than six months' validity or expired ones.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in an advisory yesterday that doing so will help to avoid another surge in passport applications towards the end of the year.

"(This will) provide sufficient time for ICA to meet the demand for year-end travel," it said.

"Singaporeans who submit their application late will risk not being able to collect their passports in time for their travel."

According to the ICA website, the current waiting time for new passports is at least six weeks.

The ICA advisory comes after a surge in passport applications earlier this year as travel resumed following a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In May, the ICA said the number of passport applications had increased to more than 7,000 a day, compared with 2,000 daily before the pandemic.

With additional manpower, the ICA is now able to produce 6,500 new passports daily.

Applicants can submit their applications online at the ICA website (https://www.ica.gov.sg) or through the MyICA Mobile app.

Those seeking to check their passport application status can do so by logging in to the website or the mobile app.

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Passport photo guidelines

DOS

• Photos must be taken with equal brightness

• Photos must be taken within the last three months

• Facial expression should be neutral with the mouth closed

• The applicant's shoulders and hair must be fully visible

• Photo background must be white

• File size should be no more than 2MB

• Photos must not be distorted or flipped

• There should be no reflection or glare on the applicant's spectacles

• Digital photos should not be altered using computer software or mobile applications