Today, Monday • March 31, 2008
Address change: Aren't these rules contradictory?
Letter from GOH KIAN HUAT
I REFER to the report "Changed your address? Prove it" (March 26).
With effect from tomorrow, Singapore identity card (1C) holders who want to report a change in address will have to produce proof such as a bill, statement or letter sent to their new address.
This new procedure aims to prevent false reporting of address changes - some parents, for example, may make use of a third party address to secure a choice primary school for their children.
Bills within the last three months, including those from Internet service providers, insurance and telecommunications companies or Singapore Power, or statements within the last six to 12 months from the Housing and Development Board, Land Transport Authority (LTA) or the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board can be accepted as documentary evidence.
But being able to provide these documents may also mean that the person has failed to report his change of residential address within 28 days as required under the National Registration Act.
Will the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) take the offenders to task? If not, then how will the 28-day rule be enforced? Is it still relevant?
If anyone is unable to provide an acceptable document, he may submit an application to the ICA to enable a letter to be mailed to him, which he can then use as proof. Even then, it is still possible for anyone to make arrangements with third parties to use their address.
In addition, under the current one-stop reporting procedure, 1C holders who report a change of address to the ICA or police are not required to make separate reports to other government agencies such as the CPF Board or the LTA.
Now, it appears that the new address has to be reported to these agencies first in order to get a statement billed to the new address — which would then be used as documentary proof for the ICA. Isn't this taking a step backwards?
What if the LTA or the CPF Board require an identity card to be produced first to effect the change of address at their end? << This is the Catch 22 situation.