Replacement of Stolen NRICs at Nominal Fee

Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked if residents whose NRICs were stolen in third-party data breaches could replace them at a nominal or discounted fee.
K Shanmugam explained that NRIC numbers are permanent identifiers and cannot be changed even after theft, but additional verification measures like OTPs and biometrics are used to prevent identity fraud.
ICA considers the reason for loss when deciding whether to waive replacement fees for stolen NRICs.

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Chua Kheng Wee Louis

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider allowing residents whose NRICs have been stolen as a result of third party data breaches to replace their NRIC at a nominal or discounted replacement fee.

K Shanmugam

An individual’s NRIC number is a unique and permanent identifier used in many transactions and documents throughout the individual’s life. Therefore, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) does not allow an individual to change his or her NRIC number, even if the number had been stolen during a data breach incident.

There are measures in place to prevent and mitigate the risk of subsequent identity theft, especially for financial transactions and sensitive transactions with public agencies. These include the use of additional information for identity verification, such as one-time passwords, personal identification numbers and biometrics.

Residents who have lost their physical NRIC have to apply to ICA for a replacement NRIC. ICA takes into consideration the reason for the loss of the NRIC in considering waivers of the replacement fee.

Full Transcript

Replacement of Stolen NRICs at Nominal Fee

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Chua Kheng Wee Louis

K Shanmugam

Summary

Questions Identified

Replacement of Stolen NRICs at Nominal Fee

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Chua Kheng Wee Louis

K Shanmugam

Summary

Questions Identified