When applying for certificates in Singapore, applicants are usually required to provide NRIC or IC. What is a Singaporean NRIC/IC then? If you are a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident, then you need to read this article carefully. This article provides you with complete information about Singaporean NRIC/IC from all aspects.
What Is Singapore NRIC or IC?
The National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) is Singapore’s identity card (IC). It is a mandatory and irreplaceable identity card issued to all Singaporean citizens and permanent residents for government procedures, bank account opening, and other business transactions.
In Singapore, citizens or permanent residents must register for the NRIC within one year of attaining the age of 15 years. Citizens and permanent residents aged 30 and 55 years are required to re-register unless they have re-registered for the NRIC within the previous 10 years.
What is the NRIC number?
Every Singapore citizen and permanent resident has a physical NRIC card. It displays an identification code consisting of a string of nine characters, which is used to identify each individual’s information. The structure is combined with three parts, and that is @XXXXXXXX*.
- The @ stands for a letter which can be “S”, “T”, “F”, “G,” or “M”. This is determined by the identity of the NRIC holder.
- “S” stands for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born before 1 January 2000.
- “T” stands for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born on or after 1 January 2000.
- “F” is for foreigners who were granted a Long-Term Pass before 1 January 2000.
- “G” is for foreigners who were issued with a Long-Term Pass (LPA) between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2021.
- “M” stands for aliens issued a long-term permit on or after 1 January 2022.
- The XXXXXXX represents the 7-digit number assigned to NRIC holders.
- Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born on or after 1 January 1968 will be issued with a National Identity Card (NIC) number starting from the last two digits of the year of birth.
- For example:
A person born in 2002 will be issued with T02xxxxx*.
Those born in 1971 will be issued with S71xxxxx*.
- For Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born on or before 31 December 1967, the number is not relative to the year of birth and usually starts with 0 or 1 and is allocated in the order of issue.
- Non-local residents born before 1968 who are granted Permanent Residence or Citizenship are allocated number 2 or 3, which also is not relative to the year of birth.
3). The * is a checksum for the letters and 7 digits.
Different Types of Singapore IC
There are currently two types of NRIC cards issued to different groups of people: pink card (for Singapore citizens) and blue card (for permanent residents).
Is Singapore NRIC Compulsory?
NRIC in Singapore is mandatory. Singapore citizens and permanent residents are required to register when they reach the age of 15, that is, before their 16th birthday.
Under the prevailing law, all Singapore citizens and permanent residents must be required to re-register when they turn 30 years old (before their 31st birthday). All Singapore NRIC card holders who turn 55 on or after 1 January 2017 (i.e., those born after 1962) will have to re-register their NRICs if they have not been issued a replacement NRIC card within the 10 years before turning 55 years old.
How to Apply for Singapore NRIC
Register Identity Cards for 15-year-olds
👉 Criteria
As mentioned above, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are required to register for the NRIC when they reach the age of 15 (before their 16th birthday). The application can be done online, and biometric enrolment is also required.
For those Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents studying in Public Schools or government-aided schools in Singapore, biometric enrollment will be done uniformly at the school on a specified date.
For those Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are not attending a public school or government-aided school or have missed the school’s NRIC Registration Day, you will be prompted to make an appointment to register biometrically in person at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) office after completing the online application.
📃 Prepare necessary documents
The following documents in digital image are required to apply for IC for Singapore Residents and Permanent Residents, respectively:
Singapore Citizens:
- Baptism or religious certificate if you wish to include a religious name.
- Deed Pollo (if applicable) for changing the name with the consent of both parents or legal guardians. If only one parent/legal guardian agrees, he or she must submit a court order to authorize them to change the minor’s information in the online application unilaterally. Alternatively, after submitting the application, please email a copy of the court order along with a completed declaration form to ICA_IC_Unit@ica.gov.sg.
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months. Check the detailed information on photo requirements in the Photo Guide.
📚 Read Also: How to Take Good-looking Singapore IC Photos
Permanent Residents:
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months.
- The page of your current passport that contains your details, and your new name, if any. Please also note that Singapore Permanent Residents who change their names must first update their names in their existing passport and provide a copy of their passport with their new names printed on it as a supporting document for the change of name on the IC.
✅ How to Register Identity Card for 15 years old
If the applicant is a Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident studying in a public school or government-aided school:
- You will be notified to register your IC 2 weeks prior to enrolment, and you must also register your IC online by the appointment date stated on the notification date.
- Bring along your student card (Ez-Link card) for IC verification.
- Payment is S$10 for Singapore citizens.
If the applicant is not a Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident studying in a public school or government-aided school:
- You will be notified to register your IC on your 15th birthday.
- Once you have completed the online application, you will be prompted to make an appointment with ICA for biometric enrolment. The places to enroll his/her biometrics are:
- IC Unit
- Citizen Services Centre
- ICA Building
- 10 Kallang Road, Level 3
- Singapore 208718
- (next to Lavender MRT station)
Working hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 PM and Saturday from 8:00 am to 12:30 PM
- Bring along your student card (Ez-Link card) for verification.
- Payment needsS$50 for Singapore permanent residents.
🙋♀️ Collect the IC card
If your registration is done at the school, you can get an IC card at the school.
If your registration is done at the ICA office, after completing the biometric registration, you can make an appointment to collect the IC card at the designated post office on the next working day.
Please note: The IC will be kept for three months from the date of registration. Any unclaimed IC after three months will be destroyed, and the IC application fee will not be refunded. You will need to resubmit your application then.
Re-Register Identity Card for 30/55-year-olds
👉 Criteria
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are required to re-register before they turn 30 (before their 31st birthday). If you have not re-registered for IC in the past 10 years, you must re-register before 55 (before your 56th birthday). If residing overseas, re-registration is required within one year of returning to Singapore.
📃 Prepare necessary documents
The following documents in digital image are required to apply for IC for Singapore Residents and Permanent Residents, respectively:
Singapore Citizens:
- Baptism or religious certificate if you wish to include a religious name.
- Deed Pollo for changing the name if applicable.
- If you want to add your married name on the IC card, you are required to provide your marriage certificate.
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months. Check the detailed information on photo requirements in the Photo Guide.
Permanent Residents:
- Marriage certificate (if you want to include your married name).
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months.
- The page of your current passport that contains your details, and your new name, if any.
- Please also note that Singapore Permanent Residents who change their names must first update their names in their existing passport and provide a copy of their passport with their new names printed on it as a supporting document for the change of name on the IC.
✅ Procedure
Any applicants, if they are eligible, will receive an ICA notification. Please use Singpass to log in to the e-Services website and complete the online application form.
Please note that after receiving the notification, applicants must re-register for ICA within one year before the date of the notification letter.
Payment is S$10 for Singapore citizens and S$50 for Singapore permanent residents.
🙋♀️ Collect your IC card
Once you are approved, you will receive a notification in the form of an SMS or an email. You can get the IC card in three months through an appointment.
Re-Register Identity Card for 56 years old and above
👉 Criteria
From 1 January 2018, applicants can apply for re-registration of IC if they meet the following conditions:
- Applicants born before 1 January 1962.
- Applicants who have not re-register their IC in the last ten years (current IC was issued before 1 January 2008)
📃 Prepare necessary documents
The following documents in digital image are required to apply for IC for Singapore Residents and Permanent Residents, respectively:
Singapore Citizens:
- Baptism or religious certificate if you wish to use a religious name.
- Deed Pollo for changing the name if applicable.
- If you want to add your married name to the IC card, you are required to provide your marriage certificate.
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months. Check the detailed information on photo requirements in the Photo Guide.
Permanent Residents:
- If you want to add your married name to the IC card, you are required to provide your marriage certificate.
- You should provide a passport-size color digital photograph taken within the last three months.
- The page of your current passport that contains your details, and your new name, if any.
- Please also note that Singapore Permanent Residents who change their names must first update their names in their existing passport and provide a copy of their passport with their new names printed on it as a supporting document for the change of name on the IC.
✅ Procedure
Eligible applications will receive a notification from ICA. Upon receipt of the notification, you can log on to the Singpass e-Services website and complete the online application form.
Please note that applications need to be re-registered with IC within one year from the date of the notification letter.
Payment is S$10 for Singapore citizens and S$50 for Singapore permanent residents.
🙋♀️ Collect IC card
Once you are approved, you will receive a notification in the form of an SMS or an email. You can make an appointment to collect your IC within three months.
Fee & Processing Time
In the case of IC registration in public schools, the timings are arranged by the government.
If you have a biometric enrollment at the ICA, the processing time depends on the workload of the ICA. You may have to wait for a longer time during busy periods. However, you will usually be able to collect your IC from the designated post office on the next working day. You can get the IC card in three months through an appointment.
If you are 30 years old or 55 years old to re-register IC, it usually takes 7 days to process (excluding unforeseen circumstances).
How to Check NRIC Application Status
Log in to e-Service, and use your IC Number, Date of Issue, and Date of Birth to track your application status.
How to Check NRIC Validity
The validity of the IC can be verified through e-Service. Please note that to verify the validity of the ID, you will need:
👉 Enquirer’s Details (only for Non-Singpass Holder)
- Foreign Identification Number (FIN)
- Date of Birth
👉 IC Details
- IC number;
- Date of issue; and
- Date of Birth
💡 Tip: The Singapore Blue Identity Card (IC) will not expire as long as the IC holder remains a permanent resident of Singapore.
How to Renew an Expired/Lost/Damaged IC
You can apply for a replacement on e-Services if:
- Any damage and defacement to the IC card needs replacement, please make the application within 14 days from the day of damage, and the fee is $60
- If you lose your identity card (IC), you should report the loss and apply for a replacement within 14 days. Payment is S$100 for the first loss and S$300 for the second and subsequent losses.
The documents needed are:
👉 Singapore Citizens:
- Baptism or religious certificate if you wish to include a religious name.
- Deed Pollo for changing the name if applicable. If the applicant is a minor, the consent of a parent or guardian is required for the change of name. He or she must submit a court order to authorize them to change the minor’s information in the online application unilaterally. Alternatively, after submitting the application, please email a copy of the court order along with a completed declaration form to ICA_IC_Unit@ica.gov.sg.
- If you want to add your married name on the IC card, you are required to provide your marriage certificate.
- Provide a passport-size colored digital photo taken within the last three months. For photo requirements, please see the Photo Guide.
👉 Permanent Residents:
- If you want to add your married name on the IC card, you are required to provide your marriage certificate.
- You should provide a passport-size colored, digital photograph taken within the last three months. Check the detailed information on photo requirements in the Photo Guide.
- The page of your current passport that contains your details and your new name, if any.
- Please also note that Singapore Permanent Residents who change their names must first update their names in their existing passport and provide a copy of their passport with their new names printed on it as a supporting document for the change of name on the IC.
The application will usually be processed within 7 working days. Once the application is approved, you will receive an SMS or Email. You can arrange an appointment to collect the IC within 3 months.
How to Change an IC Address?
You can log into the e-Services to apply for a replacement of IC if you want to change any particulars, including address.
Conclusion
That’s all the information about the Singapore NRIC card, and hope the above is helpful. Please remember that you have to register when you turn 15 years old. The age at which re-registration is required is 30 and 55 years old, respectively. If you have any questions, you can consult the official ICA staff.
Dolores Xiao