Not too long ago, there was at least a six-week waiting period for Singaporeans who applied to renew their passports.
But those days are finally over. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced on Sept 19 that the current processing time for the passport application is now around one to two weeks.
If you have year-end travel plans, now would be a good time to get those old and expiring passports renewed.
However, the processing time will be longer if your photograph does not meet the requirements, so do get it professionally shot or remember to read the dos and dont’s before submitting that selfie.
The shorter waiting time is a relief from the delays in recent months caused by overwhelming demand for passports following the easing of travel measures in Singapore and around the world.
In a report from the ICA. the number of applications during that period spiked to over 7,000 per day. To compare, in pre-Covid times they saw about 2,000 applications daily, with 14,000 at its peak.
Applicants are still encouraged to do their applications online and book a slot ahead of time when doing their collections from the ICA building.
Alternatively, you may also collect your passport at no extra cost from any one of 29 designated post offices.
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