Listings of covers resembling Singapore passport removed from e-commerce platform Taobao: MCCY
Singapore ministry stressed that sale of any object bearing the state crest is prohibited without proper authorisation
SINGAPORE — Passport covers resembling Singaporean passports have been removed from Taobao, after the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) reached out to the Chinese e-commerce platform to take down the listings.
According to The Straits Times, the imitation passport covers were sold for RMB138 (S$26) on Taobao until early December. Similar to government-issued Singapore passports, the covers showcased the state crest on a red background, and were offered in alternative colours, like black and purple. Merchants had also claimed that the passport covers were waterproof and made of real leather.
An MCCY spokesperson had told The Straits Times on Wednesday (13 December) that the sale of any object bearing the state crest is prohibited without proper authorisation. According to the National Symbols Regulations 2023, the use of the state crest is limited to government departments only.
A check by Yahoo Southeast Asia on Thursday found no faux Singapore passport covers sold on e-commerce sites Lazada and Shopee.
Reddit thread brought matter to light, netizens concerned over reappearance
A screenshot of the passport cover Taobao listing first surfaced on a reddit thread on 5 December by user "twistycatlyman". It has since garnered over 160 comments and over 800 upvotes.
Netizens were puzzled over the product listing on Taobao. A user commented, "In the end, you still need to remove your (passport) cover at manual immigration. Whatever the cover is doesn't really matter. Some automated gates, you could stuff your passport in with the cover on. What's the point?"
A follow up reddit post after the issue was reported on The Straits Times gathered a mix of celebratory comments, and concerns over new imitation Singapore passport covers resurfacing on Taobao.
"Like many things in Taobao, the seller will just re-upload an image with mosaic over the Singapore crest and called it passport cover in the listing," wrote a user.
Most powerful passport in the world
In July, Singapore overtook Japan to be named the most powerful passport in the world by the Henley Passport Index. Japan had adopted the mantle since 2018, although both countries shared the top spot in 2019 and 2021.
The index ranks the world’s passports based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa. Currently, citizens with a Singaporean passport can visit 192 out of 227 destinations without requiring a visa.
Yahoo Southeast Asia has reached out to MCCY and Taobao for further details.
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