Accessing govt websites in 2017? You will need 2FA for your SingPass account

SINGAPORE - The grace period for users who have not registered for the 2-Step Verification (2FA) process for their SingPass accounts will end on Jan 16, 2017.

Previously, there was a one-time 30-day grace period, which will cease on Jan 15, 2017.

This means that from Jan 16, 2017, users without 2FA will not be able to access online government services using their SingPass account for up to seven working days - while they wait for the PIN mailer to activate their 2FA. Any logins on and before Jan 15, 2017, will still be available despite having no 2FA.

The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) announced this deadline on Friday (Dec 9), adding that over 2.3 million SingPass users have registered for 2FA so far.

"For users who have not set up their SingPass 2FA, we strongly encourage them to do so to better protect their personal data," said Mr Chan Cheow Hoe, Government Chief Information Officer, GovTech.

The SingPass 2FA was made mandatory in July 2016, with registration taking up to seven and 10 working days for local and overseas users respectively.

The one-time grace period of 30 days was to minimise disruption to regular users who access their SingPass accounts regularly.

Access to over 100 government digital services involving sensitive data, including the IRAS website to file taxes, will require 2FA from 2017 onwards.

grongloh@sph.com.sg