Three Taiwanese have been denied entry to Singapore because they placed stickers advocating Taiwanese independence on their passports, which made it difficult to verify the documents’ authenticity, a Bureau of Consular Affairs official said yesterday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received notification that three Taiwanese were rejected entry by Singaporean immigration officers last month after arriving at Changi Airport, Passport Administration Division director Chen Shang-yu (陳尚友) said at a news briefing.
The reason given was “Taiwan passport stickers” on the documents.
The travelers called Taiwan’s representative office in Singapore for help, but Singaporean immigration officers can decide independently whether to allow entry and there was little Taiwanese officials in Singapore could do to help, Chen said.
Even though two of the travelers expressed willingness to remove the stickers, Singaporean immigration officers still denied them entry, Chen added.
The ministry said it has sent the formal format, content and design of the Republic of China passport to overseas authorities to help them verify the authenticity of the nation’s passport.
Making unauthorized changes, adding additional stamps or any other items to a passport can make it difficult for immigration officers to verify the document’s authenticity, increasing the risk of being denied entry, the ministry said.
Chen said that a passport is an official document that shows one’s identity when abroad and he urged travelers to abide by regulations on the use of passports, which forbid any unauthorized changes.
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