Statute Details
- Title: Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013
- Act Code: IPA2017-S307-2013
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (Cap. 256)
- Enacting Authority: Minister for Home Affairs (made under section 5(1) of the Act)
- Citation: Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013
- Commencement: 20 May 2013
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (citation and commencement); Section 2 (declaration of protected places and entry restrictions); Schedule (premises list and issuing authority)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026 (with multiple amendments in 2023–2024)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013 is a Singapore subsidiary instrument made under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (Cap. 256). Its practical function is straightforward: it identifies specific premises and declares them to be “protected places” for the purposes of the Act. Once premises are designated as protected places, strict controls apply to who may enter and under what conditions.
In plain language, the Order creates a controlled-access regime for the premises listed in its Schedule. It does not, by itself, describe the security rationale or operational details of those premises. Instead, it relies on the overarching framework in Cap. 256, which empowers the Minister to designate protected places and to regulate entry to them to safeguard public security and sensitive facilities.
For lawyers and compliance practitioners, the key point is that the Order is not merely declaratory. It is enforceable and directly affects day-to-day conduct: if a person enters the listed premises without the required authorisation, they may fall foul of the Act’s offence provisions and enforcement mechanisms. The Order therefore operates as a “trigger” document—once a location is listed, the legal consequences follow.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1: Citation and commencement. Section 1 provides the formal name of the instrument and states that it came into operation on 20 May 2013. This matters for determining whether the designation applied at a particular time (for example, when assessing conduct in a given incident date range, or when evaluating whether a person had notice of the designation).
Section 2: Premises declared to be protected places. Section 2 is the operative provision. It declares that the premises described in the second column of the Schedule are “protected places” for the purposes of Cap. 256. The legal effect is immediate upon commencement and continues unless and until the Order is amended or revoked.
Section 2 also sets out the entry restriction. It provides that no person shall be in those premises unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:
- the person is in possession of a pass-card or permit issued by the authority specified in the first column of the Schedule; or
- the person has received permission of an authorised officer on duty at the premises to enter the premises.
This structure is important for legal analysis. The Schedule is effectively a matrix: it pairs (i) the issuing authority (first column) with (ii) the premises (second column). The “authority specified” language means that not every pass or permit will suffice—only those issued by the relevant authority named for that premises category. Similarly, “authorised officer on duty” implies a real-time condition: permission must be granted by the officer who is actually on duty at the premises at the relevant time.
The Schedule: the list of premises and the relevant issuing authority. Although the extract provided does not reproduce the Schedule’s contents, the Schedule is central to the Order’s operation. In practice, practitioners must consult the Schedule to determine: (a) whether the premises involved in a case are indeed listed; (b) which authority is specified for that premises; and (c) what type of pass-card or permit would be recognised under the Order.
Made date and signatory. The Order indicates it was made on 26 April 2013 by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. While this is not usually contested in litigation, it can be relevant for administrative history and for understanding the legislative timeline.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013 is concise and follows a typical subsidiary-legislation format under Cap. 256. It contains:
- Enacting Formula (identifying the enabling power under section 5(1) of Cap. 256);
- Section 1 (citation and commencement);
- Section 2 (declaration of protected places and the conditions for lawful presence);
- THE SCHEDULE (the premises list and the corresponding authority specified for pass-card/permit issuance).
There are no additional Parts or complex procedural provisions in the extract. The Order’s legal work is done through the combination of Section 2 and the Schedule. Consequently, legal practitioners should treat the Schedule as the “fact-determining” component in most disputes: it is where the designation is mapped to real-world locations and issuing authorities.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to “no person”—that is, it is not limited to employees, contractors, or particular categories of individuals. Any person who is in the designated premises must comply with the entry conditions in Section 2. This broad wording is consistent with the security rationale of Cap. 256: protected places are controlled-access environments, and the law does not assume that only insiders will be present.
In practical terms, the Order affects:
- Visitors (who must obtain permission from an authorised officer on duty or hold the correct permit/pass);
- Contractors and service providers (who must have the relevant pass-card/permit issued by the specified authority);
- Employees (who may still need the correct authorisation depending on the pass-card/permit regime for the premises); and
- Unauthorised persons (who are prohibited from being in the premises).
Because the Order is tied to the Schedule’s “authority specified” and the “authorised officer on duty” mechanism, the legality of a person’s presence may depend on the specific authorisation documents they hold and the circumstances at the time of entry.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Order is important because it operationalises Cap. 256’s protected-place regime for specific premises. For practitioners, the significance lies in the direct legal consequences of being present in a designated location without the required authorisation. In enforcement contexts, the Order provides the evidential anchor for establishing that a particular premises is a “protected place” and that the statutory entry restriction applies.
From a compliance perspective, the Order also affects how organisations manage access control. If a premises is designated as a protected place under this Order, internal policies, visitor management procedures, and contractor onboarding must align with the legal requirements—particularly the need for the correct pass-card/permit issued by the specified authority, or documented permission by an authorised officer on duty.
Finally, the Order’s amendment history (as reflected in the “current version as at 27 Mar 2026” and amendments in 2023–2024) underscores a practical risk: the list of premises and/or the specified issuing authorities may change over time. For legal matters involving incidents across dates, practitioners should verify the version of the Order in force at the relevant time. A premises might have been designated (or de-designated) after the incident, which can materially affect liability analysis and defences.
Related Legislation
- Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (Cap. 256) — the enabling statute and the primary source of offences, enforcement powers, and the overall protected areas/places framework.
- Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013 — including its amendments (e.g., amendments indicated as S 48/2023, S 97/2023, and S 49/2024 to S 53/2024 in the legislation timeline).
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Protected Places (No. 6) Order 2013 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.