Man gets S$2,000 fine for not reporting change of residential address to ICA within 28 days

SINGAPORE — A 62-year-old man was fined S$2,000 on Tuesday (May 23) for failing to report a change in his residential address within 28 days, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said.

ICA said that it was told by Lee Kah Hin’s previous landlord on Dec 9, 2022 that she had kept getting letters — including letters of demand from credit companies — at his previous place of residence along Jalan Bukit Merah after he left in April 2020.

Lee, a Singaporean, did not report a change of residence to ICA within 28 days of moving to his new place of residence on Tampines Street, the authority said in a press release.

He did so knowing that moneylenders would send him reminder letters to his former address whenever he could not keep up with his repayments.

Lee also took out new loans from various moneylenders while giving his old address to them.

As a result, the demand letters were sent to the Jalan Bukit Merah address after Lee had defaulted on debt repayments, ICA said.

Under the National Registration Act, all identity card holders who change his or her place of residence must report the change to ICA within 28 days.

Those who fail to report a change of residential address may be jailed for up to five years or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

“ICA takes a firm stance against any person who fails to comply with the National Registration Act and its regulations and would like to remind all Singapore citizens and permanent residents that it is their responsibility to update their residential addresses with ICA,” the authority said.

Singapore citizens and permanent residents who need to report a change of residential address can do so online through ICA’s e-Service at http://go.gov.sg/ic-address.