Divorce Lawyers in Singapore

A handful of short questions tell us whether you can file in Singapore and which route is likely to suit you, so it helps to have the answers to hand:

• How many years have you been married?
• Where was the marriage registered?
• What nationality are you, and what nationality is your spouse?
• How many children are there to this marriage?
• Is any property held in joint names?
• Have you been living in Singapore for at least the past three years?

Answering them commits you to nothing. It simply means we can give you a useful answer in the first conversation rather than in a second appointment.

Four issues decide whether a divorce is uncontested, so they are the other thing we ask about early:

• The reason for the divorce, for example three years’ separation by agreement, or unreasonable behaviour
• Care and control, custody, and access for any children
• Maintenance for your spouse and for the children
• How matrimonial property is to be divided

You do not need to have settled all of this before you speak to us, and many people have not. Knowing where you stand simply tells us which route fits and what it is likely to cost. Where matters are still open, that does not make a contested divorce inevitable: a great deal is settled through negotiation or mediation without anything being argued in court.

Civil divorce in Singapore generally requires that you are domiciled here (you treat Singapore as your permanent home), or that you have been habitually resident in Singapore for at least three years before proceedings. Most marriages must also have lasted at least three years before a divorce can be filed, though exceptions exist for unbearable hardship or exceptional cruelty.

Where the divorce is uncontested, expect roughly four months from filing. Filing to Interim Judgment usually takes about a month, and the law then requires a further three months before the Interim Judgment can be made final. Preparing and signing the papers happens before that, and how long it takes depends mostly on how quickly documents and instructions come together.

A contested divorce has no useful average. The time it takes depends on what is genuinely in dispute, how much disclosure is needed, and whether matters can be narrowed by negotiation or mediation before a judge has to decide them. Many contested matters settle along the way, which shortens them considerably. We will give you a realistic view of your own timeline once we know the facts.

Civil divorce in Singapore has two stages. The first stage deals with the dissolution of the marriage itself. The second stage deals with ancillary matters, custody and care of children, division of matrimonial assets, and spousal maintenance. If the first stage is successful, the court grants an Interim Judgment. After three months, this can be converted into a Final Judgment.

Yes, subject to conditions. At least one party must be domiciled in Singapore, or at least one party must have been habitually resident in Singapore for at least three years before the application. We can help assess your eligibility in a short consultation.

There is only one ground: that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. You establish it by proving one of six facts.

• Adultery, where you also find it intolerable to continue living with your spouse
• Unreasonable behaviour
• Desertion for at least two years
• Separation for three years, where your spouse consents to the divorce
• Separation for four years, where your spouse does not consent
• Mutual agreement that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, available since 1 July 2024

The last of these is the newest route and it removes the need to blame anyone. Both of you set out in writing why you consider the marriage to have broken down, what attempts at reconciliation were made, and how you propose to deal with your finances and any children. The court can still decline it where it considers there is a reasonable prospect of reconciliation.