Here's something for anyone who intends to renew your passport at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to note.

Passport photo taking service to cease

If you are running errands at the ICA building, do remember to get your passport photos ready before heading down.

According to a spokesperson from ICA, the contract with photo taking service provider, Yishun Broadway Studio, will end on June 30, 2019.

The space will be used for other operational purposes instead.

With that, ICA encourages members of the public to take digital photos and submit their applications online.

ICA also suggests those in need of printed photos get them ready at nearby HDB blocks which are of walking distance from the building.

Passport photo guidelines

For those who are taking passport photos on their own, do note that the photo must comply with the following requirements:

• Taken within the last 3 months
• Clear and in focus, 35mm wide by 45mm high, without any borders
• Coloured and should be taken against a plain white background without shadows
• Avoid white headgear and plain white clothing (headgear worn in accordance with religious or racial customs is acceptable but must not hide any facial features)
• Full face with the upper shoulders visible, facing forward with eyes open
• Hair must not cover the eyebrows or the eyes
• Even exposure (must not be taken under direct lighting)
• Spectacle frames must not cover part of the eyes
• Spectacle lenses must not reflect or glare
• You must look at the camera with a neutral expression and with mouth closed

You can read more here.

Going digital

All 15 services will stop using paper forms from 2020 in a bid for Singapore to become a smart nation.

These services are available and can be done via MyICA portal.

Some examples of what you can do on the portal are passport and NRIC applications, change of address, requests for birth and death extracts.

By 2023, members of the public can also help themselves by collecting documents at self-service kiosks using biometric technology.

The waiting time will be shortened to around 15 minutes.

Top photo edited from ICA website and Google Maps screengrabs

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