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Frequently asked questions

The address you register with: what MOE checks, and what happens when it fails

The address used for P1 registration should be the parents' official residential address as on their NRICs, and a child who gains priority admission through home-school distance must stay at that address for at least 30 months from the start of the exercise. MOE states that it takes a serious view of addresses used solely for registration, that it conducts checks, that it will transfer a child - to a school of its own choosing - where it establishes intent to abuse the system or where parents cannot evidence their declaration, and that giving false information to a public officer is an offence referred to the police.

Context

Because home-school distance decides priority when a school oversubscribes, the address used for P1 registration is one of the most rumour-prone parts of the exercise - and one where MOE's published position is unusually direct.

What this means for your family

The useful reading of this page is not fear but precision. Using a new or resale property address, or a caregiver's address, is not forbidden - each has stated conditions on MOE's page, and families who meet them can rely on them. What the rules rule out is the address of convenience: one used for registration that the family does not genuinely live at, or a stay abandoned before 30 months. Two technical details matter more than most rumours: home-school distance is measured from the school boundary to your building's outline, not door to door, and the category can change between years as building plans and school boundaries update - so a distance band borrowed from last year's forum thread may simply be wrong for your year.

Steps you can take now

  1. Register with the address your family actually lives at, as reflected on a parent's NRIC.
  2. If you are moving, read the specific conditions for new and resale property addresses on MOE's page before deciding which address to rely on, and plan the 30-month stay before committing.
  3. If a caregiver arrangement is genuinely part of your child's daily life, read the caregiver-address conditions and prepare the declaration honestly.
  4. Check your distance category on OneMap School Query in June of your registration year rather than reusing last year's category.

How to know you’re done

The address on your registration is one you can evidence and stay at for 30 months, and you have verified this year's distance category on OneMap rather than assuming it.

Sources and check dates

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