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SINGAPORE – A man, a 28-year-old Singaporean, has been charged with failing to change the residential address on his NRIC.
The National Registration Identity Card is the mandatory identity document issued to the citizens and permanent residents of Singapore. Individuals must register for an NRIC within one year of their 15th birthday or upon becoming citizens or permanent residents.
The Straits Times looks at why the residential address in the NRICs needs to be updated and how.
Q: Why is it necessary to update the address on your NRIC?
A: Government agencies use the address listed on the NRIC to communicate with Singapore residents for official purposes. For example, SingPass transactions, such as password reset and the Ministry of Health National Health Survey, are administered by mail using the residential address found in the NRICs.
Under the National Registration Act, all NRIC holders are required to report an address change within 28 days of moving to a new residence, whether the residence is within or outside of Singapore. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said it is the responsibility of individuals to update their residential addresses to ensure they can be contacted.
Q: How is it done?
A: The change of address request is now mostly done online at no charge, either in person or through a proxy. Proxies must provide the applicant’s NRIC number and its issue date to access the e-Service.
Since October 1 of this year, the three-step process is carried out through the ICA website:
1. Residents can go to the electronic address change service on the website and log in with their SingPass.
2. Applicants will receive a unique personal identification number (PIN) mailed to their new address. Applicants then enter the PIN through the electronic service to verify the new address. Upon verification, applicants will receive instant recognition that their address change has been successful.
3. Subsequently, applicants will receive a second email with a sticker with their new address, and then they will need to place the sticker on the back of their NRICs following the instructions provided.
Q: Wasn’t it handled by the police in the neighborhood police centers?
A: As of December 1, the police will no longer process address change requests. Singapore residents who are unable to transact online and do not have representatives to assist them can visit ICA for assistance.
Q: Why don’t some people update their addresses?
A: Some do it to exploit their original addresses; for example, they keep their parents’ addresses in their NRICs to register their children in preferred schools that may be located nearby. Others who rent a number of different locations for short periods of time may find it problematic to do so. ST understands that some people may keep old addresses on their NRIC for undesirable purposes, such as avoiding usurers from whom they have borrowed money.
Q: What are the penalties for not doing so?
A: The penalty for not reporting an address change is a fine of up to $ 5,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
Q: What if I am temporarily living elsewhere for legitimate reasons, such as when I am renovating my home?
A: As the law does not specifically define a “place of residence”, what constitutes a crime is judged on a case-by-case basis and is subject to the investigator’s assessment of whether or not a person has committed a crime. If a person intends to return to the registered address, they are unlikely to be considered a criminal.
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