New changes in immigration process: Foreigners leaving Singapore don't need to get passports stamped

Passengers line-up at automated immigration control gates at Changi airport's Terminal 4 in Singapore April 30, 2018. Picture taken April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White
Passengers line-up at automated immigration control gates at Changi airport's Terminal 4 in Singapore April 30, 2018. Picture taken April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas White

From next Monday, April 22 all the foreigners, who will be leaving Singapore, need not bother to have their passports stamped as Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has announced some changes.

On Wednesday, the ICA announced that it would "cease the issuance of departure immigration endorsements" which means stamps of departure dates on travel documents will be waived off from next Monday.

In addition, the authorities mentioned that it is the part of ongoing efforts to smoothen the checkpoint procedures and to make the departure immigration more efficient.

Earlier the foreigners have to get their passports stamped with the date of their departure by the immigration officer at the manned counters while departing from the Republic.

Since September 2016, those visitors "whose fingerprints have been enrolled via the BioScreen system upon their arrival into Singapore are eligible to use automated lanes when they leave Singapore." It should be noted that those foreign travellers do not get stamps on their passports.

"ICA will also inform foreign authorities on the cessation of the departure immigration endorsement," said the news release.

Recently the ICA also announced that they have started a six-month trial from April 8 for a new contactless immigration clearance system at one of the checkpoints and it includes one of the automated arrival lanes in the bus hall at the Tuas Checkpoint.

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