This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
The Immigration Department suspended passport issuance on December 24, 2019, due to unscheduled system maintenance.
According to a statement, normal services were expected to resume on Friday, December 27, 2019.
Passport applicants had been required to book appointments through the e-citizen portal since August, as part of efforts to address congestion in passport processing centres.
However, exemptions were made for public officials with agent assignments abroad, as well as sick persons, students, and business executives with urgent engagements abroad.
The statement, issued on December 24, 2019, read: 'We regret to announce to the general public that our passport services will be suspended from Tuesday 24 December 2019, 8am due to unavoidable circumstances. During the period, system will need to undergo unscheduled maintenance. Normal services expected to resume on Friday 27 December 2019.'
