No appointments needed to collect IC, passport when new ICA Services Centre opens in 2025
Photo of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority building. (File photo: ICA)
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SINGAPORE: You will soon be able to collect your passport and identity card at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) without making an appointment.
This self-collection system will be rolled out at the new ICA Services Centre (ISC), which is expected to begin operations in 2025.
The update on the Integrated Smart Document Management System (iSMART)Â was given at ICA's annual Workplan Seminar on Friday (May 17).
"iSMART is an end-to-end solution that sorts, tracks, stores and conveys documents. It also automates on-demand issuance of documents to customers by leveraging biometrics and robotics," said ICA in a news release.
It comes as the agency moves towards providing a "fuss-free experience" for customers by re-designing its processes and leveraging various technologies.
The ISC, next to the existing ICA building on Kallang Road, will see its various services centres reorganised into one integrated centre.
ICA said: "The aim is to provide a seamless, one-stop service. Customers will be served at a single touchpoint even if they require multiple services."
The ISC building, a 10-storey structure, was first announced in 2019.
At last year's Workplan Seminar, ICA had said that the ISC was expected to be operationalised this year. CNA has asked ICA why the expected start date of operations was moved from 2024 to 2025.
In Friday's news release, ICA noted that it has "made significant strides in digitalising our services and making them easy to use", with almost 95 per cent of its services having gone digital.
It added that 95 per cent of its customers submit their applications via the ICA website or mobile application.
"We have also digitised ICA-issued documents, such as birth and death certificates in May 2022, and long-term passes for non-citizens in February 2023, and will progressively reduce the issuance of physical documents."
The public can retrieve digital documents from three sources: MyICA mobile app, MyICA e-service on the ICA website, or FileSG by GovTech.
