TODAY (Singapore)
10 May 2008
(c) 2008. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Letter from Lim Jing Jing Deputy Head, Public and Internal Communications, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

I REFER to "Rebates for kids' passports" (April 30). We thank Chng Kim Guan for the suggestions.
We would like to take this opportunity to explain why we are unable to charge a lower passport fee for children.

The cost of producing a passport is the same, be it for a child or an adult, and regardless of the length of its validity.

Also, as with most other public services, the passport fee is determined based on a cost-recovery model. If a lower passport fee is levied on children, a higher passport fee would have to charged for all other passport-holders.

In view of the above, we are unable to offer a monetary rebate to a passport holder who applies for a new passport before his or her current passport expires.

However, the unused validity of the old passport will be transferred to the new passport, up to a maximum of nine months.


rebates for kids' passports?
Letter from Chng Kim Guan
30 April 2008
TODAY (Singapore)
(c) 2008. MediaCorp Press Ltd.


My child's passport has to be changed although it is valid for another 32 months, as her picture is no longer accepted.

Her passport was made when she was three months old. She is now 31 months old. Her photograph cannot be updated due to her non-biometric passport.

As children's facial features change, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority should help to ease the financial burden of parents who need to make biometric passports for them.

ò Rebate for the remaining passport validity period e.g. $70 for 5 years = $1.17/month x 32 = $37.44.

ò Reduce the validity from 5 years to 2 years for children under 6, with a proportional reduction in the fee involved (ie. $70 for 5 years, $28 for 2 years.)