The Straits Times

14 August 2013

 

Fixing passport errors: ICA replies

 

WE REFER to the letters ("Can't fix error in passport" by Mr Jairam Amrith, July 31; and "Hassle to have 'Mrs' in passport" by Mrs Roshni Asha Wijeyekoon, Aug 6).

 

The passport is a travel document that facilitates the movement of people across countries.

 

It is required by law that a person's Singapore passport should bear the same name as that in his identity card, or in the case of a child below 15 years old, the name as reflected in his birth certificate.

 

A person's name, once registered with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and shown on his identity card, would be deemed official.

 

Changing one's official name on the identity card is a serious matter as the card is an important document used for identification purposes.

 

Hence, any application to change the official name will require the necessary supporting documents, such as a deed poll or marriage certificate.

 

Thereafter, the applicant is required to apply for a replacement identity card and passport, to reflect the amended name. Replacement fees for both the identity card and passport are applicable.

 

For more information, visit our website at www.ica.gov.sg . Mr Amrith and Mrs Roshni can also contact us at [email protected]

 

Vincent Ng

Head, Public and Internal Communications

Corporate Communications Division

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

<Original Letter>

The Straits Times

6 August 2013

 

Hassle to have 'Mrs' in passport

 

I FACE the same problem as Mr Jairam Amrith's wife ("Can't fix error in passport"; last Wednesday).

 

I, too, have tried numerous times to have the "Mrs" prefix removed from my passport. But this means my identity card has to be corrected first.

 

I was told that the only way is to have my name changed by deed poll. This seems an extreme step to take to fix a minor error.

 

When travelling to certain countries, I am invariably kept waiting while my passport is taken to a back office to be checked, because the name in my online visa does not match the name in my passport.

 

Roshni Asha Wijeyekoon (Mrs)

 

 

The Straits Times

31 July 2013

 

Can't fix error in passport

 

THROUGH an administrative quirk and our inattentiveness to detail, my wife's name on her identity card and passport includes the "Mrs" prefix.

 

We tried to rectify matters when her passport was renewed a few years ago, but were told by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that it could not be done.

 

I wonder why some flexibility cannot be shown in order to correct what is an obvious mistake.

 

Jairam Amrith