This is one of the most common name changes in Singapore and one of the easiest to get wrong, because a Singapore identity card can carry your name in two forms at once, and they are not governed by the same rules.
Your name exists in two forms
On a Singapore identity card there is your principal name, written in the roman alphabet, and there may also be your name in ethnic characters, such as Chinese characters.
The principal name is the one that matters legally. It is what agencies identify you by, and it is what a deed poll changes. The ethnic characters sit alongside it.
Getting this distinction straight answers most questions on this page before you ask them.
Which changes need a deed poll
| What you want to do | Deed poll? |
|---|---|
| Add an English name to your existing name | Yes |
| Change your romanised name in any way | Yes |
| Switch your romanisation from dialect to pinyin | Yes |
| Change only your name in ethnic characters | Generally no |
The pattern is simple. If the roman-alphabet version of your name comes out different at the end, that is a change of principal name and a deed poll is what effects it. If only the characters change and the romanised name is untouched, a deed poll is generally not required.
Adding an English name
This is the classic case. Someone registered at birth as, say, Tan Hui Ming wants to become Rachel Tan Hui Ming, because the English name is what everyone has called them for twenty years and none of their documents reflect it.
That is a change of principal name. Your name is longer and different afterwards, so it needs a deed poll, and then a replacement identity card from ICA at S$60.
Adding a Chinese name where your records currently carry none is less clear cut, because it depends on whether the addition lands in your principal name or only in the ethnic-character field. Ask us or ask ICA before you assume, rather than paying for a document that turns out to be the wrong instrument.
The consistency rule that gets deed polls rejected
This is the part worth reading twice, because it costs people money.
If your records carry both a hanyu pinyin name and the corresponding Chinese characters, the two have to agree. You cannot change one and leave the other pointing somewhere else.
So if you amend your pinyin name and the existing characters no longer correspond to it, ICA will expect the characters to be amended too. A deed poll that changes only one half, leaving an inconsistency, can be rejected, and by that point you have already paid for it.
When you apply, give us the full picture: your current romanised name, your current characters, and exactly what you want each to be afterwards. We would far rather sort out an inconsistency while we are drafting than have ICA send you back weeks later.
If your surname was romanised from a dialect
Plenty of names in Singapore were romanised from Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, or another dialect rather than from Mandarin. The same character 陈 appears as Tan in Hokkien and Teochew, Chan in Cantonese, and Chen in pinyin.
Two things follow from that. First, your romanised surname not matching pinyin is completely normal and is not an error to be corrected. Second, if you do want to move from a dialect romanisation to pinyin, that changes your principal name, so it is a deed poll.
Characters have to fit your race
ICA requires ethnic characters to be consistent with your race as registered. That constrains which script can appear on your card, so it is worth knowing before you settle on something.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Step | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Deed poll, in-person signing | S$50 | Signing takes about 10 minutes |
| Deed poll, virtual signing | S$100 | By video call |
| Replacement identity card | S$60 | About seven working days |
| New passport, if you need one | S$70 online | Up to four weeks for a name change |
Once the new card is in hand, the rest of your records follow a set order, and some update themselves.
One thing worth thinking about first
Adding an English name means every record you hold in your current name will eventually need to catch up: bank accounts, professional registrations, school and university records, insurance. None of that is difficult, but it is real work, and it is worth doing deliberately rather than discovering it piece by piece.
The flip side is that people who have gone by an English name for years and never made it official tend to describe finally doing so as overdue rather than burdensome.
Adding a name from S$50
Tell us your current name and what you want it to become, in both forms if you have both. We will check the two agree before drafting, and a practising lawyer at JCP Law LLC witnesses the signing.
Fees and processing times quoted above are ICA's published figures at the date of last update. The treatment of ethnic characters reflects ICA's practice as we understand it, and ICA retains discretion over what it will accept, so confirm your specific case before you rely on it. This guide is general information, not legal advice on your circumstances.