Singapore Expats

The purpose of this post is to give new PRs an easy reference of things to look out for, documents etc. In all the excitement of getting that IPA letter, it's easy to lose track of details so hopefully this is of use to some of you out there.

1. First thing to do: celebrate! You've beaten the odds, getting PR status in today's climate is pretty tough. Don't spend too long on this because there's a few dozen things to do after.

2. Book your appointment to complete your PR formalities.

You do this via eappointment.ica.gov.sg

It's critical to do this ASAP because appointment slots go fast, so if you want to get the ball rolling just book this first. Usually, the earliest you will be able to book is about 10 working days away. Could be more depending on seasonality.

3. Collate all the documents you'll need:
[*] The actual IPA letter
[*] Medishield health declaration: see post here for how to do this (thanks Dynoto!)
viewtopic.php?t=114784&start=15
[*] two photos according to the guidelines provided. Note that you can smile in this photo, just don't grin like a maniac
[*] Form 6 to apply for your Entry permit: you don't need to enter the UIN/NRIC since you don't have it yet; you'll get this at ICA when completing formalities
[*] Input form for your brand spanking new NRIC
[*] Completed health check: HIV test and chest X-ray. You need not provide the X-ray film, just the form completed by your doc of choice.
[*] Form EP152 (to be filled by employer) - you only need this if you applied via the PTS scheme
[*] Your passport
[*] If you have an existing immigration pass in Singapore (DP, EP, PEP), bring that along; you'll surrender it at ICA

4. SO once all that's done, head down to your appointment. Make sure you're there on time because this will cut your waiting by a lot. There's no point going early; yes you will get an earlier queue number but this number doesn't enter the rotation for the ICA officers until 5m before your actual appointment time (which will be printed on your queue ticket).

The actual process is fuss-free; you'll be asked to provide two thumb prints and an iris scan. Quick stuff. You'll pay $200 (REP, NRIC, Entry permit) or more, if you need a visa too. The officer will stamp your passport and write your IC number in there. You'll get a print out confirming your first Entry permit and REP have been processed and approved.

You can only get your actual IC some days later. You go back to eappointment the next working day after formalities are done, and book a collection date. The instructions ICA provide are straightforward; iCollect is probably your fastest bet.

5. Collect your IC; yay!

6. Make a list of parties you need to update on your new PR status. YMMV, but here's a starter list:
[*] Employer
[*] Bank(s)
[*] Telco
[*] Utilities
[*] Insurance providers
[*] Singpass (you have to apply for a new one)

Adding more info:

- if you have an SG driver's license, this will need to be updated to reflect your IC no.
- The ICA now have an self-collection option (iCollect) at the ICA building lobby; it authenticates the collection by using your fingerprints and iris scan. This is (as of now) the fastest way to get your hands on your IC (e.g. 6 working days for me)

beard1 wrote: If you've had any correspondence with ICA and have a rough idea of when it was approved, you have a ref number already, and can try a few dates until you get the right one.

I would not advise you to do this and offer this as a suggestion to fellow forum members.

singaporeflyer wrote:

beard1 wrote: If you've had any correspondence with ICA and have a rough idea of when it was approved, you have a ref number already, and can try a few dates until you get the right one.

I would not advise you to do this and offer this as a suggestion to fellow forum members.

Why not? Assuming someone has already been approved (which they can check on ienquiry), there seems to be nothing wrong with doing so.

But I defer to your better judgement so I'll strike that out.

singaporeflyer wrote:

beard1 wrote: If you've had any correspondence with ICA and have a rough idea of when it was approved, you have a ref number already, and can try a few dates until you get the right one.

I would not advise you to do this and offer this as a suggestion to fellow forum members.

I'm curious as well, SF. Why not? This is an application but an approved case. I'd agree on the application phase, but I see no reason for an approved case.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:

singaporeflyer wrote:

beard1 wrote: If you've had any correspondence with ICA and have a rough idea of when it was approved, you have a ref number already, and can try a few dates until you get the right one.

I would not advise you to do this and offer this as a suggestion to fellow forum members.

I'm curious as well, SF. Why not? This is an application but an approved case. I'd agree on the application phase, but I see no reason for an approved case.

maybe to prevent extra load/traffic to an already overwhelmed public services website, therefore causing a crash or unavailability of service

I don't think the servers are near as overloaded as they were just after the last election. Remember, PR's have been cut WAY back. Therefore there should be ample ram to handle things today.

It will be like guessing the date and trying various combinations which if many people do at the same can increase the load on the Server.

Why not wait for a few more days for the letter to arrive?

beard1 wrote:The purpose of this post is to give new PRs an easy reference of things to look out for, documents etc. In all the excitement of getting that IPA letter, it's easy to lose track of details so hopefully this is of use to some of you out there.

1. First thing to do: celebrate! You've beaten the odds, getting PR status in today's climate is pretty tough. Don't spend too long on this because there's a few dozen things to do after.

2. Book your appointment to complete your PR formalities.

You do this via eappointment.ica.gov.sg

It's critical to do this ASAP because appointment slots go fast, so if you want to get the ball rolling just book this first. Usually, the earliest you will be able to book is about 10 working days away. Could be more depending on seasonality.

3. Collate all the documents you'll need:
[*] The actual IPA letter
[*] Medishield health declaration: see post here for how to do this (thanks Dynoto!)
viewtopic.php?t=114784&start=15
[*] two photos according to the guidelines provided. Note that you can smile in this photo, just don't grin like a maniac
[*] Form 6 to apply for your Entry permit: you don't need to enter the UIN/NRIC since you don't have it yet; you'll get this at ICA when completing formalities
[*] Input form for your brand spanking new NRIC
[*] Completed health check: HIV test and chest X-ray. You need not provide the X-ray film, just the form completed by your doc of choice.
[*] Form EP152 (to be filled by employer) - you only need this if you applied via the PTS scheme
[*] Your passport
[*] If you have an existing immigration pass in Singapore (DP, EP, PEP), bring that along; you'll surrender it at ICA

4. SO once all that's done, head down to your appointment. Make sure you're there on time because this will cut your waiting by a lot. There's no point going early; yes you will get an earlier queue number but this number doesn't enter the rotation for the ICA officers until 5m before your actual appointment time (which will be printed on your queue ticket).

The actual process is fuss-free; you'll be asked to provide two thumb prints and an iris scan. Quick stuff. You'll pay $200 (REP, NRIC, Entry permit) or more, if you need a visa too. The officer will stamp your passport and write your IC number in there. You'll get a print out confirming your first Entry permit and REP have been processed and approved.

You can only get your actual IC some days later. You go back to eappointment the next working day after formalities are done, and book a collection date. The instructions ICA provide are straightforward; iCollect is probably your fastest bet.

5. Collect your IC; yay!

6. Make a list of parties you need to update on your new PR status. YMMV, but here's a starter list:
[*] Employer
[*] Bank(s)
[*] Telco
[*] Utilities
[*] Insurance providers
[*] Singpass (you have to apply for a new one)

Hi,
How about the CPF and Medishield ? We don't need to bother this part right ? I know that we need to create a new Singpass and how about the old one ?

xyue826 wrote: Hi,
How about the CPF and Medishield ? We don't need to bother this part right ? I know that we need to create a new Singpass and how about the old one ?

Perfect timing, because I've just been going through the various steps for this so I have an update.

1. No need to worry about CPF/Medishield for now. When you do your Medishield declaration as part of completing the formalities, this triggers CPF so they know you're about to get your PR card. Once ICA confirms that you have now become a PR, CPF will send you a welcome pack (this is according to the CPF Medishield Declaration letter; I haven't received mine yet).

2. Singpass is a little messy, but not particularly difficult. If you have no existing Singpass, just register for a new one once you get your NRIC.

If you do have a Singpass, you have to do a little legwork.

First, you need to call the Singpass hotline and tell them you've recently become a PR, and you need to remove the phone/email number associated with your old Singpass (assuming you plan to use the same phone and email). They will quote 3-5 days for this to happen, but for me it took about 5 hours. They will call you back once this is done, and then you can proceed to register for a Singpass account.

After your Singpass is registered (just follow the instructions, there is a mini-maze of pins, passwords and mailers as usual), you will need to set up 2FA and also call Assurity's 24h hotline (2FA service provider) and let them know you've converted from an immigration pass/FIN-based Singpass to being a PR. They will know what to do. In theory they may not even need to do much but this is a due-diligence step.

Hi,

Thank you very much for the comprehensive info provided.
Does anyone know when you are at pr formalities, do they take your passport with them or they will have a look and give it back to you? And if they take it, roughly how long would you expect to get it back?
I have a flight to catch 2 weeks after the appointment, so will need my passport back by then.

Many thanks in advance!

juejue wrote:Hi,

Thank you very much for the comprehensive info provided.
Does anyone know when you are at pr formalities, do they take your passport with them or they will have a look and give it back to you? And if they take it, roughly how long would you expect to get it back?
I have a flight to catch 2 weeks after the appointment, so will need my passport back by then.

Many thanks in advance!

They will see the passport, stamp and give it back to you on the spot. They won't keep it with them

@singaporeflyer

Great! thanks for the answer. That solves my problem.

Thank you for the help, I need to start doing this things ASAP especially the singpass.

Hi, we just received my IPA letter that my PR is approved. The only problem is im not in Singapore now, is there a chance or possibility that i can send them online my documents for Formalities? Or can extend that 2 months? Because i cant really make it to come back in that 2months notice. Hope someone here can advice me. Appreciate it much. Thank you.