Getting a new passport before issuance of Employment Pass

[Crusty crumbs]

I'm moving to Singapore for work at the end of September, and have recently arranged an Employment Pass through my employer.

I've just noticed that my passport only has 3 empty pages left, and thinking ahead to regional travel I'm likely to do whilst there, I don't think it will last the duration of my Singapore stint (especially with full-page Vietnam visas, 1/3rd page Indonesian visas etc).

If I apply for a new passport now in my home country, will there be any complications with entering Singapore and obtaining my Employment Pass on a different passport (having already specified my current passport details in the Employment Pass application)?

Many thanks

[BBCWatcher]

I suppose there's a slight risk your employer could say, "Get to Singapore, now!" If renewing your passport now would effectively ground you, then maybe it's best to hold off, especially if your country has an embassy or consulate in Singapore where you can get your passport renewed.

A few countries -- Italy comes to mind as an example -- stamp their passports with your consular jurisdiction if you're living overseas. If you move then you can visit your new consulate/embassy to get that stamp updated (and to register), but if you have to visit the consulate anyway then you might as well renew your passport then and there.

Some employers will pay for your passport renewal if international travel is part of your job responsibilities. If your employer isn't going to pay that expense before your arrive then that'd be a reason to wait and to renew your passport in Singapore.

Passports have finite lives, so the longer you wait the farther into the future the expiration is of your next passport. There's some money savings in that unless you always rapidly consume pages, and so your passports don't last until near expiration.

Otherwise I cannot think of any potential or actual problems. People renew and replace passports all the time, and Singapore seems to handle that routine event with reasonable efficiency. Just keep the Ministry of Manpower informed of your passport number and other details as/when they change. (Your employer might have to do that for you via EP Online.) Fortunately you don't have to get your Employment Pass card reissued when you renew or replace a passport unless there's a change in one of the fields that's on the card, such as a change in (foreign) nationality.

I'm assuming your country is reasonably speedy renewing your passport where you are now and also in Singapore. If that assumption is incorrect, you might as well renew your passport where it's quickest and easiest to do so.

[ecureilx]

If I apply for a new passport now in my home country, will there be any complications with entering Singapore and obtaining my Employment Pass on a different passport (having already specified my current passport details in the Employment Pass application)?

Many thanks

Ok, my worthless 2 cents or In other words, no problem with your current passport.

Once you get your new passport, you can update MOM accordingly.

PS, I never know of any country that holds you while you have a new passport being prepared. I would love to know if any did so .... Even those poor Asian countries or their embassies that take 3 months for getting a new passport don't curtail movement ...

[singaporeflyer]

@bbcwatcher,
why is your post detailing so much information rather than just what the OP wants.

I am not asking this just based on reading one post of yours.

You are free to still continue lengthy postings, but this was just a small request for you to address the queries directly in the first few lines.

Please don't take this request personally.

SF

[BBCWatcher]

PS, I never know of any country that holds you while you have a new passport being prepared.

The United States is one such country. It's not the only one.

[BBCWatcher]

why is your post detailing so much information rather than just what the OP wants.

How about letting the original poster decide whether he feels my answer was too comprehensive? That's easy for him to do!

In the meantime, let's please not have another tedious digression. If the information I post is inaccurate and merits factual correction, then by all means offer a follow-up. Otherwise, no further comment is necessary or helpful.

[rajagainstthemachine]

i had a similar predicament, i provided my passport with around 6 pages left to Mom, an EP was issued, a month later i went to the embassy and applied for a new passport, it took 3 days to arrive.. ( now that is dependent on your home country and the efficiency at which they issue you a new passport), i was able to update my new passport details to Mom and ICA ( at the airport ) when i used it for the first time.
Singapore doesn't stamp your passports anymore as you enter in and out of the country anyway, thus saving you some pages, the real question is how often would you have to travel once you get to Singapore ?

[Crusty crumbs]

Many thanks to everyone for the advice.

I have investigated the passport renewal process through my country's Singapore embassy and it seems to be efficient and pain free, so I think I'll wait until the passport fills a little more, then get it renewed while I'm in country and alert MoM at that point. And this way, I don't need to potentially irk my employer before I even get there.

Thanks again everyone (including BBCWatcher, I found all of your post to be helpful).

[ecureilx]

And this way, I don't need to potentially irk my employer before I even get there.

+1

[sundaymorningstaple]

In the meantime, let's please not have another tedious digression. If the information I post is inaccurate and merits factual correction, then by all means offer a follow-up. Otherwise, no further comment is necessary or helpful.

Who died and made you boss?

[ecureilx]

Who died and made you boss?

In "His" defence, seems some folks like a 1000 worded response covering all possibilities - than a simple - yes/no/maybe/dunno.

See above ^ there's detailed information about how passports work, information like how some employers pay for renewing passports (except for maids and those in high pay bracket - never seen that happening to me or any of me close and distant friends. ... )

And on the positive note, now I know how US is so outdated- curtailing / restricting movement while a passport is being renewed !

[BBCWatcher]

And on the positive note, now I know how US is so outdated- curtailing / restricting movement while a passport is being renewed !

Ah, but there's an official workaround. The U.S. State Department will issue two concurrently valid U.S. passports to U.S. citizens if there's a reasonable justification. One of the reasonable justifications is a heavy business travel schedule.

There used to be another official workaround (except at passport expiration): adding pages to your U.S. passport. That used to be free of charge, and it was something an embassy or consulate could do on its own in minutes, without Washington's involvement. Unfortunately that quick service is no longer available at any price.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yeah, you should see SE's old passport with all the additional folios added in looked to be around 2 inches thick. Or mine for that matter, which predated SE's and had the old foldout pages (each equivalent to around 20 or 22 regular pages - can't remember exactly as that one expired in 1987) attached to every stampable page in my first passport over here in the 80's. Used the free service here in Singapore many, many times until I quit working offshore.

[Strong Eagle]

American Embassy in Singapore refused to put any more pages into the passport below. I said, "I have to fly to Hong Kong tomorrow." They said, "No problem, get your pictures taken in the machine over there, we'll have your new passport ready in an hour." And it was.

And as BBCW has pointed out, no more addition of pages. You can order up a 48 page "large size" but that's about it.

[BBCWatcher]

No more on-site passport production either (except for ETDs). They produce them all back in the U.S. and ferry them overseas in the diplomatic pouches.