Singapore has a National Digital Identity (NDI) system which is part of its legal identity framework, commonly known as Singpass, developed as part of the country’s Smart Nation initiative.[11] The minimum age requirement to enrol for Singpass is 15 years.[12] To be eligible for Singpass, citizens and permanent citizens must use their NRIC, while foreigners must use their FIN.[13] As a result, only individuals with an NRIC or FIN can register for Singpass, excluding those without formal citizenship or residency status. There is no official source confirming that stateless persons can apply for Singpass.
The Singpass is a functional ID that allows access to a wide range of government and private sector services.[14] Approximately 97% of the population use the Singpass to access more than 2,000 public and private sector services online, such as financial services, healthcare, education, business services, and transportation.[15] Although Singpass is not legally mandatory, it is required to access many government e-services as part of the Smart Nation initiative.[16]
As of December 2023, there are approximately 853 stateless persons residing in Singapore.[17] Stateless persons are eligible for a Special Pass card, which legalises their stay in the country.[18] Approximately 204 stateless persons in Singapore hold the Special Pass, and the Ministry for Manpower, in October 2024, stated that stateless persons who are issued the Special Pass do not have Singpass accounts.[19] Approximately 76% of the stateless population in Singapore have PR status and therefore, in theory, have access to Singpass.[20] However, there is no information available to verify the extent to which stateless individuals with permanent residence have registered for Singpass or have access to register for the digital ID.
The framework for Singapore’s digital ID system has been primarily formulated and implemented by government agencies, with significant technical input from private sector partners. The Singapore Government Technology Agency (GovTech) led the design, development, and roll-out of the NDI, including Singpass and associated platforms such as MyInfo.[21] The implementation of the digital ID system involved partnerships with private technology companies for developing technical components.[22] While there was outreach and education initiatives, the primary mode of public involvement was through feedback and user-testing phases.[23] There is no evidence of large-scale formal public consultations prior to the launch of the digital ID system or during major architectural decision-making.
Government programmes focused on on-boarding seniors and those less digitally literate, providing in-person service points and digital literacy training to facilitate adoption, but there is limited evidence of targeted engagement with other marginalized or isolated communities (such as stateless persons or minorities) in the initial design phase. There is no public evidence that the digital ID programme’s formulation involved panels or direct consultation with experts in racial discrimination, social exclusion, or similar human rights or civil society organisations. Most academic and NGO analyses point to a government focus on technical excellence, economic impact, and convenience, rather than on political or social dimensions of exclusion at the design stage.[24] The legal framework governing Singpass and the NDI system is not established through a single statute but operates under broader data governance and ICT laws.
