Unpaid Credit Card for 7 Years

Matthew1720 New member

Member since 30 March 2023

Matthew1720New member30 March 2023 12:50:06

I need your opinion if you have had experience or if you know the answer lawfully.

I was working in Singapore for 5 years and retrenched from my work. I had no savings and decided to exit in KL for 7 days and go back to SG to find a new work.

Upon entering the ICA hold me and asked me to go back to my country. They asked me to buy a new ticket and I used my CC work Sgd500+. After that I did not managed to comeback and pay my CC.

Do you think I can still go back to SG for leisure and find a new job? Are they going to hold me at the ICA because of unpaid credit card?

Hope to read comments based from experience or if you know this legally. Thank you in advance.

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

Member since 08 August 2010

Germany & Singapore Expert

beppiGermany/Singapore Expert30 March 2023 17:34:59

15456

Unpaid credit card debt is of course a serious matter. You should have (and probably could still try now) contacted the bank and ask for a mutually agreeable solution, instead of just disappearing!

The issue will certainly still haunt you if you come back to Singapore (and find that the debt, incl. interest and penalties, is now many thousand dollars!).

Whether it will affect your chances of coming back depends on what the bank did: If they sued you in court (and you lost in absentia), you might never again have a chance (or go to jail if you travel here). For this relativelly small amount, I doubt they did - but only the bank can tell you for sure.

Maya1114 Member

Member since 12 March 2024

Maya1114Member12 March 2024 13:23:15

@Matthew1720 hi, did you get the chance to go back?

FarangCode Member

Member since 24 September 2024

FarangCodeMember24 September 2024 06:25:21

@beppi this is not true at all.

For starters it is an unsecured debt.

Statute of limitations is 6 years. After that they can no longer recoup the cost it if there is no contact for 6 years.

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

Member since 08 August 2010

Germany & Singapore Expert

beppiGermany/Singapore Expert24 September 2024 06:53:08

15456

@FarangCode What you wrote is true for the pure debt.

But as far as I know (without being a legal expert), the bank has possibilities to extend this period, e.g. by starting legal action (whic they will certainly do).

But I was talking above about the implications on visa matters: A black mark in MoM's (or ICA's) system potentially stays forever - and breaking the law undoubtedly creates such a black mark!