Dual Citizenship

[ct221933]

I am a Singaporean and also hold a US passport. I don't want to renounce my Singapore citizenship. Should I use my US passport for entry into Singapore ? Is there a way, the Singapore govt will find out I am a US citizen too while in Singapore?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Sorry, not enough data from you to go by to be able to give a semi-relevant answer. How old are you? When did you leave, how old were you when you renewed your Singapore passport the last time. Are you a male or female. We here are not clones of "Carnac the Magnificent".

[ct221933]

Sorry, not enough data from you to go by to be able to give a semi-relevant answer. How old are you? When did you leave, how old were you when you renewed your Singapore passport the last time. Are you a male or female. We here are not clones of "Carnac the Magnificent".

Sorry...I am 39 years old, completed my 2.5 yrs NS. Left Singapore 15 years ago. Renew my exit permit every year. Just got my US citizenship. Renewed my passport in 2002. Do not want to renouce my Singapore citizenship. If I am to visit Singapore in December and use my US passport for entry, any issues?

Thanks

[888max]

Sorry, not enough data from you to go by to be able to give a semi-relevant answer. How old are you? When did you leave, how old were you when you renewed your Singapore passport the last time. Are you a male or female. We here are not clones of "Carnac the Magnificent".

Sorry...I am 39 years old, completed my 2.5 yrs NS. Left Singapore 15 years ago. Renew my exit permit every year. Just got my US citizenship. Renewed my passport in 2002. Do not want to renouce my Singapore citizenship. If I am to visit Singapore in December and use my US passport for entry, any issues?

Thanks

I don't think there is any issue at all using US passport but......why not use your vaild sg passport to enter sg. Afterall, this is sg we're talking about.

I don't see any benefits at all by using US passport entering sg ????

[888max]

I am wondering why you want to use your US passport when you could enter on your Singaporean one? Possibly they wouldn't be interested in any other passport you may hold since Singapore doesn't recognize dual nationality.

Precisely what I'm trying to say too ???

Unless he wants to show off that he has US passport and walk through the foreign passport lane instead of the usual and less crowded sg lane.

[Plavt]

888max,
Sorry to have removed my original post but I wasn't happy about something I wrote. However part of Strong Eagle's and jpatokal's post may hold the answer;

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic50072.html

Seems as I was suggesting, he should use his Singaporean passport and simply keep quiet about his US citizenship.

Wikipedia under the heading 'Dual Citizenship makes interesting reading though; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporean_nationality_law

[ct221933]

888max,
Sorry to have removed my original post but I wasn't happy about something I wrote. However part of Strong Eagle's and jpatokal's post may hold the answer;

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic50072.html

Seems as I was suggesting, he should use his Singaporean passport and simply keep quiet about his US citizenship.

Wikipedia under the heading 'Dual Citizenship makes interesting reading though; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporean_nationality_law

Thanks for all the responses.

I am new to this. I am thinking of using the US passport for entry into Singapore because I assume I will need to use the US passport to re-enter the US later. The "green card" was returned to US authorities upon granting US citizenship, so can't use "green card" along with Singapore passport to gain entry back to US.

The US immigration will be thumbing through the US passport looking for a valid Singapore entry and exit stamp, won't they?

Will use valid Singapore passport if that works.

Thanks

[ksl]

I am a Singaporean and also hold a US passport. I don't want to renounce my Singapore citizenship. Should I use my US passport for entry into Singapore ? Is there a way, the Singapore govt will find out I am a US citizen too while in Singapore?

This reminds me of a question i asked in the pet shop here in Singapore, the law I believe states one should have a licence to have a cat. the pet shop told me, Singapore makes many laws, that we break every day, if you think it is worth the risk.

In the new paper yesterday i read that 25% of Companies in Singapore have defrauded, that is 1 in 4....out of those surveyed.It doesn't surprise me, because this is Asia, and we know how many Asian's operate and how harder it is in Europe, but basically corruption is everywhere. It;s just that they hide it better in Europe.

Why should we care on the expat forum, what you do? If i told you to stick your head in the gas oven would you do it? You are an adult with dual nationality, what's the worst that can happen if you are caught? I would also suspect, that there is a time limit too, to notify the authorities you have gained status in another Country. Myself I would take the risk, only if there was no jail term involved. I hate cages and love my freedom!


Your real intention is to test the waters if the punishment isn't too hard, so go for it, don't be chicken

[Strong Eagle]

888max,
Sorry to have removed my original post but I wasn't happy about something I wrote. However part of Strong Eagle's and jpatokal's post may hold the answer;

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic50072.html

Seems as I was suggesting, he should use his Singaporean passport and simply keep quiet about his US citizenship.

Wikipedia under the heading 'Dual Citizenship makes interesting reading though; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporean_nationality_law

Thanks for all the responses.

I am new to this. I am thinking of using the US passport for entry into Singapore because I assume I will need to use the US passport to re-enter the US later. The "green card" was returned to US authorities upon granting US citizenship, so can't use "green card" along with Singapore passport to gain entry back to US.

The US immigration will be thumbing through the US passport looking for a valid Singapore entry and exit stamp, won't they?

Will use valid Singapore passport if that works.

Thanks

Not necessarily. I am a Singapore PR with an American passport. Thus, I have no stamps at all when I travel between Singapore and the US. You hold an American passport; if someone asked about a stamp I'd just say I used my Sing passport to enter the country.

[Petales Soufflez!]

I hold a Singapore passport and my children only European ones. For the last few years, I've walked in and out of Europe and nobody wanted to stamp my passport - because I've been travelling with children with European passports. Often times if I weren't usually running off to catch another plane, I would have been tempted to linger and beg them for a stamp. But in any case, on the Singapore side, nobody has yet to ask me why I didn't have stamps going in and out of Europe.

In the Tangs at Vivo City, I've also met a salesman who declared that he has dual citizenship : Japanese and Singaporean. He was born in Japan but did his NS in Singapore and then continued living here. Claimed he didn't have problems from any authority (Japan doesn't allow for dual citizenship either if I'm not wrong) so far.

I wouldn't enter Singapore with a US passport especially if you have Singapore under Place of Birth. A Singaporean with Italian citizenship was found out this way when she entered Singapore with her Italian passport (because the Singapore one had expired). She had to make a choice and decided to renounce her Italian citizenship at the Italian embassy in Singapore. Was told that if ever they should catch her out the next time, they would cancel her Singapore citzenship automatically.

But when she returned to Italy she just re-applied for Italian citizenship and is now back to before with 2 citizenships. But it must be quite horrible living with the fear of being found out because from what I know for many Singaporeans, the new citizenship is really just to make life easier when you live and work overseas.

[888max]

Just to add:

Whenever anyone renew their SG passport, they will have to declare in the form whether they did enter SG using another foreign passport.

If you put yes, then you are liable for a fine/jail since SG govt doesn't allow dual citizenship.

If you put no, then you are giving false declaration under the oath. You will be fine/jail if they ever find out about your dual citizenship.

[xerces]

On the passport renewal form, you are asked to declare that you have not acquired the citizenship of another country, not that you had not entered Singapore with a foreign passport. You can be holding a foreign passport, yet never used it to enter Singapore. That's a world of difference. There is no fine/jail for holding dual citizenship. They will either force you to renounce one of them or take away your Singaporean one. But you are right that if you make a false declaration about not holding another citizenship, when in fact you do, and you are found out, that indeed constitutes a criminal offence. They have very long memories, and do not look take very kindly to such Singaporeans. Remember a certain former PM labelling overseas Singaporeans quitters.

[888max]

On the passport renewal form, you are asked to declare that you have not acquired the citizenship of another country, not that you had not entered Singapore with a foreign passport. You can be holding a foreign passport, yet never used it to enter Singapore. That's a world of difference. There is no fine/jail for holding dual citizenship. They will either force you to renounce one of them or take away your Singaporean one. But you are right that if you make a false declaration about not holding another citizenship, when in fact you do, and you are found out, that indeed constitutes a criminal offence. They have very long memories, and do not look take very kindly to such Singaporeans. Remember a certain former PM labelling overseas Singaporeans quitters.

Thanks for the correction.

[bruinbear]

ct221911,

I hear that it is a criminal offence to be a citizen of Singapore AND to be a citizen of another country simultaneously. It appears that you are one.

So be careful. I don't know enough to give you proper advice on this.

[AmbrosiaJ]

well. my singapore passport's up for renewal very very soon and i intend to lie on that bloody application about having no other citizenships.

hopefully i won't be hauled off by men in blue when i return to visit singapore later this year... i honestly don't think anything will happen. oh well...

*twiddle thumbs*

Hey Taxico, did u renew yr SIN passport and have you gotten any flack since then? Have you visited Singapore with this renewed passport ?Please share your experiences as I too am about to renew my passport online with a similar situation to yours. Appreciate any input from you or anyone in the same boat/plane:-))