Family Law

You must usually have been married for at least 3 years, and one of you must be domiciled in Singapore or have lived here habitually for the 3 years before filing. The court must find that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, shown by one of six facts, including divorce by mutual agreement since 1 July 2024. The case then runs in two stages: ending the marriage, then deciding the children, assets and maintenance.

It is the quicker route for spouses who agree both on the divorce and on every ancillary matter: the children, maintenance and the division of assets. The court usually decides the case on the papers without either spouse attending, and an agreed divorce commonly takes around four to six months from filing to final judgment.

If you have a child under 21, you must complete the Co-Parenting Programme before filing for divorce, whatever route you take. In contested divorces with a child under 21, the court will usually also direct the parents to court mediation and counselling. The court can direct other couples to mediation too, and many couples choose private mediation.

Often, yes. What matters is your connection to Singapore, not your nationality. A Singapore court can hear the divorce if either spouse is domiciled in Singapore when the case starts, or has been habitually resident here for the 3 years immediately before filing. The usual rules, including the 3-year minimum marriage, still apply.

The court divides matrimonial assets in a way it considers just and equitable. It looks at both direct financial contributions and indirect contributions, such as homemaking and caring for the children, as well as factors like the children's needs and any agreement between the spouses. The split is not automatically 50:50.

Both parents must maintain their children, usually until 21 and sometimes longer. A wife or former wife, or an incapacitated husband, can ask for spousal maintenance, but it is not automatic. If a maintenance order isn't paid, the court can enforce it, for example by deducting from the payer's salary or imposing fines or imprisonment, and the arrears still remain payable.

Custody is about making the major long-term decisions for a child, such as education, religion and major medical treatment, and is usually shared by both parents. Care and control decides who the child mainly lives with day to day. Access is the time the child spends with the other parent. In every decision, the child's welfare is the court's paramount consideration.

A PPO is a Family Court order that stops a family member from committing family violence against you. The court must be satisfied that family violence has been or is likely to be committed, and that the order is needed for your protection. In urgent cases it can make an expedited order, and it can also exclude the other person from the home. Since 2 January 2025, family violence expressly includes emotional and psychological abuse.