Singapore man fined S$2,400 for using Australian passport without renouncing citizenship

A Singaporean man who failed to renounce his citizenship after acquiring Australian nationality has been fined S$2,400 for entering the country multiple times using a foreign passport.

According to a report by The Straits Times, Teo Teck Yong Jerome Leonard, 69, was convicted on 12 November 2025 of three counts of failing to present his Singapore passport at immigration checkpoints, an offence under the Immigration Act.

According to court records, Teo left Singapore in 2000 in search of employment opportunities and became an Australian citizen in August 2003. He was issued an Australian passport on 11 November 2005.

Despite remaining a Singapore citizen, Teo used the Australian passport when arriving in Singapore on 6 August 2008 and 6 May 2009 through Changi Airport, and again on 4 September 2008 at the Singapore Cruise Centre.

Teo was arrested on 17 October 2025 by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers. The location of his arrest was not disclosed in court documents.

Teo, who was unrepresented during court proceedings, requested leniency on medical grounds, stating that he required bimonthly visits to an optometrist.

The ICA prosecutor opposed the plea, stating that Teo had acted out of convenience and had exploited his access to both countries by holding and using dual passports.

Responding to media queries, an ICA spokesperson affirmed Singapore’s prohibition of dual citizenship.

“Singapore does not allow its adult citizens to hold dual citizenship,” the spokesperson stated. “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.”

The case comes shortly after the revocation of citizenship from Monisha Catherine Iswaran, as published in the Government Gazette on 20 August 2025.

Her citizenship was deprived under Article 135(1)(b) of the Constitution, which applies to citizens who have, while aged 18 or over, applied for or used a foreign passport.

The notice took effect on 19 August 2025. While specific reasons were not disclosed, the constitutional clause cited suggests the action was related to the use of a foreign travel document.

No further information has been officially released about whether Monisha Iswaran, whose name resembles that of the daughter of former minister S. Iswaran, has contested the decision. 

Such citizenship deprivations are rare. The last known case before this was recorded in October 2024, also under Article 135(1)(b). Notices typically appear in the Government Gazette with minimal elaboration.

Singapore's constitutional stance against dual citizenship remains strict. Article 135 enables the government to revoke citizenship when individuals knowingly adopt or use foreign national privileges, such as holding a passport, while retaining Singapore citizenship.

Teo has since paid the fine in full. Under Singaporean law, failure to produce a valid passport when entering or exiting the country can result in a fine of up to S$1,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.