Covers that look like Singapore passport on sale on Taobao have been removed: MCCY
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The imitation passport covers were going for 138 yuan ($26) on Taobao up until early December.
PHOTO: R/SINGAPORE/REDDIT
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SINGAPORE – Passport covers designed to look like Singapore passports are no longer available for purchase on Taobao after the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) reached out to the Chinese e-commerce platform to take down the offending listings, said a ministry spokesperson.
The imitation passport covers were going for 138 yuan (S$26) on Taobao up until early December.
Like government-issued Singapore passports, the covers featured the state crest set against a red background. They were also available in other colours like black and purple.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the MCCY spokesperson said on Dec 13 that the sale of any object bearing the state crest, also known as the National Coat of Arms, is prohibited without proper authorisation.
Under the National Symbols Regulations 2023, the use of the state crest is limited to government departments only, he added.
Checks by ST found that covers modelled after the passports of other countries like China, Malaysia, Australia and Japan were still up on Taobao on Dec 13.
Merchants claim that the passport covers are made of real leather and are waterproof.
In July, Singapore’s passport was ranked as the most powerful in the world by the Henley Passport Index
The index ranks the world’s passports based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa.
With a Singapore passport, citizens can travel visa-free to 192 out of 227 destinations.
A screenshot of a Taobao listing of the Singapore passport was posted on a Reddit forum on Dec 5, and has generated more than 150 responses.
“I don’t see the allure of faking something you don’t have,” said one user, to which another responded: “Exactly the same (reason) people buy fake branded goods – to show off.”
Another user said: “Nothing new, I bought the Japanese one when I was in Japan.”
In 2022, heartland bakery Pine Garden was ordered to pull its “passport cake” from shelves for unlawful use of the state crest.
More information about the Singapore state crest can be found here.
