Singaporeans to use Biometric Passports by end October

SINGAPORE will introduce biometric passports to its citizens in October, the Government said on Thursday, ensuring that they will continue to enjoy visa-free entry into the United States.

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng told Parliament the new passport, which will contain the holder's unique facial and fingerprint information, is part of the country's efforts to tighten security against terrorist threats.

It also follows a US government requirement that 27 nations, whose citizens are granted visa-free entry into the US, should have the biometric passports in use by Oct 26.

If the citizens of those nations, including Singapore, do not have the biometric passports, they will have to apply for a visa. The current visa-free entry allows for a stay of 90 days.

The United States imposed the tougher passport orders as part of increased national security measures following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Mr Wong said the biometric passport will have a unique 'inventory control number' that will serve as the passport number and make it easier to share information if the document is lost or stolen.

This will help in the global drive to prevent passports from being misused, he said.

The biometric passport's validity will also be reduced to five years from the current 10 years to allow the Government to update it with new technological features.

from The Straits Times Interactive 3 March 2005