From 2020, all Singapore passport and NRIC applications must be done online

ALL passport and NRIC applications will have to be done online come 2010, as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will stop using paper forms for 15 services.

These services, which also include requests for birth/death extracts and applications for change of address, will be migrated online to support Singapore's Smart Nation goals.

In a release issued on Thursday, ICA said that all of the services are now already on its MyICA portal, a portal created by the authority that members of the public can access using their SingPass.

This portal was launched in June this year, and started out with eight services. MyICA also allows users to make one consolidated payment for multiple transactions.

Since the launch, ICA said that it has been gathering feedback about the portal and fine-tuning it. The app is currently supported across different web browsers and mobile devices.

ICA said that last year, 88 per cent of the more than 5.5 million applications it received were already made online.

The remaining hardcopy applications were mostly for passports and NRICs, and were submitted at the ICA building in person or were mailed to the authority.

To help ensure that no one gets left behind in its digital migration, ICA will be putting in place various measures to help those who might be unfamiliar with online transactions.

For instance, first-time users of MyICA can learn about its features through an online tutorial.

The authority also plans to introduce a multi-language step-by-step video guide on applying for passports and NRICs on its website and Facebook page.

Those who have trouble accessing the Internet or need help to make their applications can use the self-service kiosks at the lobby of the ICA building, where staff will be able to assist them, ICA said.

It added that it can also make special arrangements to help those who are unable to make the trip due to medical reasons, like in the case where someone is bedridden and needs to re-register their NRIC.

The authority is inviting customers to provide feedback on the service.

THE STRAITS TIMES