Man fined $1,800 for failing to present Singapore passport at immigration checkpoints

On Nov. 12, Teo Teck Yong Jerome Leonard, 69, was convicted on three counts of failing to present his Singapore passport for examination upon arrival at immigration checkpoints in Singapore, The Straits Times reported.

Court documents show that Teo left Singapore in 2000 to work in Australia and became an Australian citizen in August 2003.

He was issued an Australian passport on Nov. 11, 2005, which he subsequently used to clear immigration at Changi Airport on Aug. 6, 2008 and May 6, 2009, as well as at the Singapore Cruise Centre on Sept. 4, 2008.

He was arrested on Oct. 17, 2025, by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority officers but court documents did not state where he was arrested.

Teo, who appeared in court without legal representation, cited medical reasons, including regular optometrist visits, and asked for leniency.

Singapore does not allow its adult citizens to hold dual citizenship, Business Insider reported.

Singapore citizens who are found to have obtained foreign citizenship or exercised the rights of a foreign citizen may be deprived of their Singapore citizenship, or be required to give up their foreign citizenship if they wish to retain their Singapore citizenship.

For failing to produce a valid passport when entering or leaving Singapore, an offender can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for six months, or both.

According to the latest Henley Passport Index by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, Singapore holds the title of the world's most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 193 destinations.