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SINGAPORE: Singaporeans and permanent residents who need to report a change in their residential address can do so online starting in October, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Monday (September 28).
Currently, residents moving to a new home in Singapore must update their address in person at a Neighborhood Police Post (NPP), a Neighborhood Police Center (NPC) or the ICA building.
They must also present their identity card (CI) and documentary evidence of their new address to change the address reflected in their CI.
Meanwhile, those who move or change their address abroad should send an email to ICA to report the change.
Under the National Registration Act, all CI holders must update their address within 28 days of moving to a new home, whether the residence is located within or outside of Singapore, ICA said.
Starting October 1, Singaporean residents will be able to do so online and use their SingPass to access the electronic address change service on the ICA website.
This is part of ICA’s ongoing efforts to “digitize” its services, the authority said.
After applying online, applicants will receive a unique PIN mailed to their new address within three to five days. International delivery time will vary depending on the country’s postal service.
Applicants will need to enter the PIN through the electronic service as a way to verify the new address. After verification, they will receive an acknowledgment that the change was successful.
The new address will also be updated within one business day in public agency databases in the One-Stop Address Reporting (OSCARS) initiative, ICA said.
Once the online application is made and verified, applicants will be mailed a sticker with the new address, which they must stick to the back of their ICs.
This new electronic service will be available in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
Singapore residents living in the same household can update their address in a single app, ICA said.
Applicants can also designate SingPass Proxy Holders to submit an application on their behalf.
Proxies must provide the applicant’s CI number and its issue date to access the electronic service. They must also obtain and enter the PIN mailed to the applicant’s new address to complete the process.
The police will stop processing requests for changes of address at nuclear power plants and national power plants from December.
Singapore residents who cannot change their address online and do not have proxies to help them can visit ICA for help.
“ICA would like to remind users of the new electronic service that enforcement action will be taken against anyone who does it wrong,” he said.
Under the National Registry Regulations, anyone who reports a false residential address faces a fine of up to S $ 3,000, jail up to two years, or both.
It is also a crime if the user does not comply to paste the new address label on the IC, added the authority.
