Singaporeans can look forward to the self-collection of passports and Identity Cards (ICs) without booking prior appointments, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on May 17.
This will be made possible at the upcoming ICA Services Centre (ISC) via a new system, called the Integrated Smart Document Management System (iSMART).
The announcement was made at ICA's annual Workplan Seminar.
Self-collection with iSMART at the ISC
The ISC will be located next to the existing ICA Building in Lavender and is expected to commence operations in 2025.
It will house various ICA services centres under one roof.
"Customers will be served at a single touchpoint even if they require multiple services," ICA said.
Speaking at the Workplan Seminar, Minister of State for Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said:
"The new ISC will take a more customer-centric approach. The aim is for the same counter to attend to all of the person’s needs, whether it is about his NRIC, passport, or immigration passes."
Self-collection of ICs and passports will be made available using iSMART, without needing to make appointments.
iSMART is an end-to-end solution that sorts, tracks, stores and conveys documents.
It will facilitate automated and on-demand issuance of documents using biometrics and robotics.
Photo courtesy of ICA.
Providing "fuss-free experience"
The move is part of ICA's aim to provide a "fuss-free experience" for customers by re-designing processes and leveraging technology.
ICA first announced its New Clearance Concept (NCC) and the Services Centre Next Generation (SCNG) to transform border clearance and the delivery of immigration and registration services at its 2019 Workplan Seminar.
"Today, close to 95 per cent of ICA’s services have gone digital and 95 per cent of our customers submit their applications through our website or via the MyICA mobile application," ICA said.
ICA had previously digitised birth and death certificates in May 2022, and long-term passes for non-citizens in February 2023.
It said it will progressively reduce issuing physical documents.
Digital documents can be accessed through three different sources, namely, the MyICA mobile app, MyICA e-service on the ICA website, or FileSG by GovTech.
Top photos by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority/Facebook