National Registration Act 1965 |
2020 REVISED EDITION |
This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 |
An Act for the registration of persons in Singapore, for the issue of identity cards and for purposes connected therewith. |
[5 May 1966] |
Short title |
1. This Act is the National Registration Act 1965. |
Interpretation |
Appointment of officers |
3.—(1) The Minister may, from among public officers, appoint a Commissioner of National Registration, a Deputy Commissioner of National Registration and such number of Assistant Commissioners of National Registration as the Minister considers necessary for the purposes of this Act. [32/2016]
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Public servants and public officers, etc. |
4. Every registration officer —
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Establishment of register |
5.—(1) The Commissioner must cause to be kept and maintained a register of all persons in Singapore who are registered or required to be registered under this Act. [32/2016]
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Registration |
6. Subject to section 7 and any exemptions which may be granted by regulations made under section 33, every person lawfully resident within Singapore must be registered under and in accordance with this Act. [5 [32/2016] |
Re-registration of persons in possession of identity cards |
7.—(1) Every person who, on 3 June 1990, is in possession of a valid identity card issued under this Act must re‑register under this Act within the period that the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, specify.
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Entry or alteration of names in register |
8.—(1) The name of a person to be entered in the register and, where the person’s name in the register is to be altered, the person’s altered name to be entered in the register —
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Issue of identity cards |
9. Subject to this Act, every person registered under this Act must be issued with an identity card. [7 [32/2016] |
Change of residence |
10.—(1) Any person registered under this Act who changes his or her place of residence must, within 28 days thereof, report the change to a registration officer. [19/2001; 32/2016]
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Transmission of information of change of person’s place of residence to Government departments, public authorities and public officers |
11.—(1) Where —
[28/94; 32/2016]
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Returns by householders |
12.—(1) Every householder must, when so required in writing by a registration officer, submit in respect of his or her household the returns, at the times during the year, that may be prescribed for the carrying out of the provisions of this Act.
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Cancellation of registration |
13.—(1) Where a person has been registered under this Act and the Minister is satisfied that the registration —
[32/2016]
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Onus of proof of contents of written applications and of identity cards, etc. |
14. The onus of proving the truth of the contents of any written application for registration made under this Act or the contents of an identity card is on the applicant or on the person to whom the identity card was issued or on any other person alleging the truth of the contents. [11 [32/2016] |
Proof of citizenship by birth |
15.—(1) No claim by a person seeking to be registered under this Act that he or she is a citizen of Singapore by birth may, subject to subsection (3), be accepted by a registration officer if the person making the claim does not produce a birth certificate or other evidence to the registration officer’s satisfaction.
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Offences and penalties |
16.—(1) Any person who —
[19/2001]
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Provision of information by Housing and Development Board |
17.—(1) Any registration officer duly authorised by the Commissioner may, if the registration officer considers it necessary for administering or enforcing any requirement under this Act relating to the registration of any person or to the reporting of any change of residence, by written notice require the Board to disclose any secret or confidential document or information which is in the possession or control of the Board. [5/2010; 32/2016]
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Registration of persons arrested or convicted |
18.—(1) The provisions of the Registration of Criminals Act 1949 relating to the taking of fingerprint impressions and photographs of persons under arrest and accused of any crime apply to persons arrested under this Act as if they were persons arrested for any crime within the meaning of that Act.
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Attempt to commit offences and assisting offenders |
19.—(1) Without affecting the operation of Chapters 5 and 23 of the Penal Code 1871, any person who attempts to commit or does any act preparatory to the commission of an offence under this Act shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence under this Act.
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False or invalid documents in connection with registration, etc. |
20. A registration officer may take possession of any document produced to the registration officer in connection with the registration of a person, or the alteration of any particulars of the person entered in the register, under this Act if the registration officer reasonably suspects that the document is false or invalid. [15A [32/2016] |
Demand for surrender of suspicious identity cards |
21.—(1) A registration officer or a police officer may demand that a person having possession or control of an identity card (including a document purporting to be an identity card) to surrender the identity card to the registration officer or police officer if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that —
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Arrest and search |
22.—(1) Where any person —
[32/2016]
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How arrested person is to be dealt with |
23.—(1) A registration officer or a police officer who makes an arrest under section 22(1) must comply with sections 67 and 68 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010. [32/2016]
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Investigation powers |
24.—(1) A registration officer may investigate an offence under this Act. [32/2016]
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Notice to attend court |
25.—(1) Where a registration officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed an offence under this Act (called in this section the alleged offender), the registration officer may, instead of applying to a court for a summons under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, immediately serve upon the alleged offender a prescribed notice, requiring the alleged offender to attend at the court and on the date and time specified in the notice. [32/2016]
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Registration officers and police officers to produce identification |
26.—(1) When exercising any power under this Act, every registration officer and police officer must —
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Report of certain persons admissible as evidence |
27.—(1) Any document purporting to be a report under the hand of any of the persons mentioned in subsection (2) upon any matter or thing duly submitted to that person for examination, analysis or report, may be used as evidence in any trial or other proceedings under this Act, unless the court requires that person to be called as a witness:
[32/2016]
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Composition of offences |
28.—(1) The Commissioner or a registration officer may compound any offence under this Act that is prescribed as a compoundable offence by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding $500. [32/2016]
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Police officers’ functions and powers under Criminal Procedure Code 2010 |
29. To avoid doubt, nothing in this Act affects a police officer’s functions or powers under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 or any other written law. [17B [32/2016] |
Obligation to be in possession of travel document |
30. Nothing in this Act relieves any person of any obligation under any other written law to be in possession of a passport or any other travel document whatsoever. [18 [32/2016] |
Payments into Consolidated Fund |
31. All fees, charges and composition sums collected under this Act are to be paid into the Consolidated Fund. [18A [32/2016] |
Service of documents |
32.—(1) A document permitted or required by this Act to be served on an individual may be served —
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Regulations |
33.—(1) The Minister may make regulations for or in respect of any purpose which is considered by the Minister necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act and for the prescribing of any matter which is authorised or required under this Act to be prescribed.
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