- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (
Abbreviation : ICA; Chinese: 移民与关卡局, Malay; "Penguasa Imigresen dan Pintu Masuk") is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs inSingapore . The organisation is in charge ofimmigration ,Singapore passport s, identity cards,permanent resident s services,custom s, issuing permits to foreigners such associal visit pass , professional visit pass, visas and student passes. The ICA is in charge of the security of the territory of the nation and goods entering the country as well as foreigners entering the country. It is in charge ofbirth anddeath registrations The organisation was formed onApril 1 2003 after the merger of Singapore Immigration and Registration and the enforcement work of Customs and Excise Department.History
ingapore Immigration and Registration
Before SIR, there were two departments, namely the
Singapore Immigration and theNational Registration Department . Both organizations merged onApril 1 ,1998 , to form Singapore Immigration and Registration. The National Registration Office existed during colonial times, with birth registration starting in 1872 which was used forhealth and statistical purposes. However in 1938, registration of births became compulsory by law. After theSecond World War , the British colonial government issuedpaper identity cards in 1948. The purpose of those cards was to identify those born in the colony. The independence of Singapore in 1965 brought with it theNational Registration Act . The NRO and theRegistry of Births and Deaths came under the former Ministry of Labour. TheRegistry of Societies ,Martial Arts Control Unit came under the Ministry of Home Affairs.On
16 October 1981 , the NRO, RBD, ROC, MACU and ROS merged to form the National Registration Department. The Martial Arts Control Unit was transferred to theCriminal Investigation Department in April 1992. TheNational Registration Department was located at theEmpress Place Building until 1986 when the building was transformed into the now defunctEmpress Place Museum .Entering Singapore in the past was considered very free and not much control at the immigration checkpoint. It was only in 1919 when the colonial government enforced immigration control. The Passengers Restriction Ordinance was introduced to newcomers other than those born in Singapore or Malaya. It was only in 1933 when the Immigration Department was established to control the number of alien immigrants. The headquarters of the Immigration Department was moved to the Chinese Protectorate Building at
Havelock Road . It moved to a government building atPalmer Road in 1953. More immigration acts came in the 1950s withthe Immigration Ordinance introduced in 1959 when Singapore had full internal self-government. The act granted Singaporeans the right of abode and, thus, the right to enter the colony. A new Immigration Depot was moved toTelok Ayer Basin (East Wharf ) with the head office was moved to Empress Place Building. There was round-the-clock immigration clearance for vessels sinceJune 1 ,1961 . When Singapore was united with Malaya,Sabah andSarawak to form theFederation of Malaysia in 1963, immigration came under the jurisdiction of the federal government and the Immigration Department became a federal agency inKuala Lumpur .After Singapore separated from Malaysia on
August 9 ,1965 , freedom of movement existed between the two sovereign countries for a short period of time. Twocheckpoint s were gazetted for travel between the two countries. They were theTanjong Pagar Railway Station and theWoodlands Checkpoint . Malaysians had to produceidentity card s to be able to enter Singapore, untilpassport s were required on both sides in July 1967. To travel toPeninsular Malaysia , the Singapore restricted passport and the Singapore Certificate of Identity was needed. The Restricted passport Centre was atSouth Quay and was moved toOutram Road in 1976, but closed on31 December 1994. Immigration control became stricter in the 1970s, withexit control implemented from 1978. Data on foreigners' movements within Singapore were processed by the Immigration Data Processing Centre with a task force set up in 1974 to deal with overstayers andillegal immigrant s. TheLast Port Clearance was introduced in 1980 to attract more passenger liners to Singapore.Computer s to screen travellers were first used at immigration checkpoints in 1981. A passport office was opened atJoo Chiat Complex in 1984. This office issued both international and restricted passports and was closed in 1999.The Immigration Department moved its head office to the
Pidemco Centre in June 1986. Immigration officers were deployed to places such asIndia andHong Kong to openconsulate s andhigh commission s. All passports issued by Singapore immigration after 1990 were computerized and machine-readable. The Entry and Exit Control Integrated System implemented in the early 1990s was a computerized immigration system that was used at checkpoints to speed up the processing of travellers. A hotline for information was set up in 1992, with restricted access to countries such asPeople's Republic of China ,North Korea ,Vietnam ,Laos andCambodia lifted. Theaccess card system was introduced onDecember 15 ,1996 , which uses thesmart card technology, with the use offingerprint data when passing through the checkpoint with an access card.The groundbreaking ceremony of the current ICA Building took place in February 1993. An immigration checkpoint was established at the
Changi Ferry Terminal in May that year. There was a change in the passport application and collection in the 1990s, reducing the need for applicants to appear at the office in person. Several processes were introduced, including sending it bymail or applying it through theinternet . Rebates were given if one applied passport through this method. A newlogo was launched by Minister for Home AffairsWong Kan Seng at thefoundation stone ceremony at the ICA Building. The West Coast Barter Trade Centre closed in June 1995. Singaporeans were sent renewal forms for passports nine months before their passports expired. The SI became an autonomous agency in 1996 as well as launching its firstwebsite . All the immigration facilities moved from thePidemco Centre to the new ICA Building at Kallang Road in 1997.Customs and Excise Department
The Customs and Excise Department was established in 1910 and was where it collected
tax from travellers who bring in restricted goods such ashard liquor s andopium initially.Tobacco ,liquor ,motor vehicle s andpetroleum became restricted goods as well.Cigarette smuggling is often reported in the local press. [ [http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/28/apworld/20060828163638&sec=apworld Singapore crackdown on cigarette smuggling ] ] In 2006, 1,186 arrests were made. [ [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/273822/1/.html Channelnewsasia.com ] ]
The CED also assisted several other government departments such as the
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority and theCentral Narcotics Bureau . When the GST was introduced in 1994, the work of the CED was increased. The red and green channel customs system was implemented in 1991 atSingapore Changi Airport initially and was used at all custom checkpoints later on. The Customs and Excise Department was located first atCecil Street from 1910 till 1932 and later the White House atMaxwell Road from 1932 until 1989 when it moved to World Trade Centre (nowHarbourFront Centre ). It moved again in 1996 to its current headquarters atRevenue House .Checkpoints
*Land checkpoints
**Tuas Checkpoint
**Woodlands Checkpoint
**Woodlands Train Checkpoint
*Air checkpoints
**Singapore Changi Airport
**Seletar Airport
**Air Cargo Checkpoints of Singapore Changi Airport
*Costal checkpoints
**Singapore Cruise Centre
**Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
**Changi Ferry Terminal
**Changi Point Ferry Terminal
**Jurong Fishing Port
**Marina South Pier
**West Coast Pier
*Port checkpoints
**Port of Singapore
**Sembawang Port
**Jurong Port External links
* [http://www.ica.gov.sg Official Website]
References
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