The National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), colloquially known as "IC" (Malay: Kad Pengenalan Pendaftaran Negara; Chinese: 身份证; pinyin: Shēnfèn Zhèng; Tamil: அடையாள அட்டை, romanized: Aṭaiyāḷa Aṭṭai), is a compulsory identity document issued to citizens and permanent residents of Singapore.
[3] The government agency responsible for the national registry and issuance of NRICs is the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The NRIC comes in two main colour schemes: pink for Singaporean citizens and blue for permanent residents (PR).
Biometric data collected during card registration includes the person's left and right thumbprints, and since 2017, iris images.
This information was subsequently removed due to the widespread availability of quick blood group tests that are conducted during medical emergencies.
The FIN is transferable between pass types and remains valid for life, until the foreigner attains Singapore citizenship or permanent residency and obtains an NRIC number.
The structure of the NRIC number/FIN is @xxxxxxx#, where: Singapore citizens and permanent residents born before 1 January 2000 are assigned the letter "S".
For Singapore citizens and permanent residents born on or before 31 December 1967, the NRIC numbers commonly begin with 0 or 1, which do not relate to year of birth but are assigned in order of issuance.
[11] The first seven NRIC numbers were issued to the following notable people of the country: There are a variety of offences listed in the National Registration Act and its implementing legislation.
The Act also provides for a second category of offences which carry more significant penalties of a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to 10 years or both.
[16] From 1 November 2021, the Digital IC is accepted for transactions at all government agencies, with some exceptions such as when the law requires the presentation of a physical identity document.
Tighter privacy advice to stop indiscriminate collection and storage of NRIC numbers was issued in September 2018 by the Personal Data Protection Commission.
[23] This change was prompted by concerns that the current practice of masking NRIC numbers creates a "false sense of security" and leaves citizens vulnerable to potential misuse.
The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) emphasised that NRIC numbers should be used strictly for identification purposes and not for authentication.
[24] The policy shift was initially highlighted when the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) launched its new Bizfile portal that displayed full unmasked NRIC numbers in search results.
Following public concern, ACRA temporarily suspended the search function and later reinstated it with modifications, requiring users to pay a fee to view full NRIC numbers.
[26] The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has indicated that it will update its guidelines following consultations with industry stakeholders and the public regarding the new policy direction on NRIC numbers.