Matrimonial law of Singapore


The matrimonial law of Singapore categorizes marriages contracted in Singapore into two categories: civil marriages and Muslim marriages. The Registry of Marriage administers civil marriages in accordance to the Women's Charter, while the Registry of Muslim Marriages administers Muslim marriages in accordance to the Administration of Muslim Law Act. All marriages performed in Singapore must be registered with the relevant registry in order to be legally valid.

Civil marriages

Civil marriages are for couples where one or both partners are non-Muslim. Polygamy is prohibited.

Legal process

The two parties have to register a date either at the Registry of Marriage or on the ROM website. The chosen date will be at least 21 days after the date of registration and within three months of the date of registration. A marriage licence can only be issued on proof of a number of conditions by statutory declaration. Both parties must appear in person at the registrar to declare that their intended marriage adheres to the following:
They must then bring their approval to a Licensed Solemniser, which can be religious leaders, judge, Justice of Peace, and grassroots leaders. Marriage counselling are also offered by family service centres endorsed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Inter-faith marriages

Inter-faith marriage is allowed as civil marriages. A Muslim may marry a non-Muslim partner civilly.

Muslim marriages

Muslim marriages are for couples where both partners are Muslim. A man may take up to four wives provided that he meets financial requirements and obtains the consent of existing wives.
Under the law, a Muslim can marry at the age of puberty and whereupon the bride is a single unmarried woman, the wali must grant consent to the marriage. The wali in this case will be the natural father, natural blood brother, paternal grandfather, uncle and whereupon a woman is a child out of wedlock, the solemn declaration of the natural mother must be made in the name of Allah, and the like if the father is no longer known to exist, or have gone away and the next of kin is not known.
In this case, a Wali Hakim or Wali Raja is called upon and the wali or next of kin will be the administrator of the region, state or the like, thus the naming of Hakim or Raja. The Kadi can also cite for which whereupon the parties concerned are away by 2 marhalah, the terms are being met by using Allah as the Wali Mukminin. This strict conditions must be met for the solemnisation of the marriage called the Nikah.
If the father is still alive but unknown whereabouts in Singapore, the Registry will take out a petition notice in the local papers for him to be summoned to the Muslim Court for the marriage to be approved. This takes within 30 days.
No wali is needed if the bride is a Muslim convert and is the only convert in the family.
Rules of the Nikah are the existence of the bride, groom, two male Muslim witnesses or four female Muslim witnesses, The existence of the Wali, Kadi and Mahar or Mas Kawin in the region. The dowry is not mandatory as it is a gift to the bride's family to cater for the wedding expenses.
The mahar is the equivalent of the wife's expenses to be given for the upbringing as it is part of the Taklik or terms of the agreement. Think of it as the alimony.
During the registration, the parties must be in attendance to sign the affidavit for the application at the ROMM. The bridegroom will sign the agreement for petition and application to wed and book the solemnisation date. If the interviewing Kadi is not satisfied of the needs of Islamic knowledge, he can require them to take additional classes prior to allowing them to marry.
Couples should be of the age of 21 but the age of 16 is allowed with consent of the parents present. Marriage of bride under 16 require special licensing.
The couple must by then attend the marriage counselling course by an approved provider. The certificate issued is only valid for three years.
A Decree Nisi Absolute or divorce certificate is required for the woman if she has existing marriage and must lapse for 90 days before the wedding. If the groom has existing living wife, the husband is required to show evidence of the financial means to support the wives, as well as obtain permission all his existing wives before a polygamous marriage is approved. A man is allowed to have a maximum of four living wives at any point in time.
Upon satisfying all conditions, the Muslim marriage will take place which consists of the khutbah or sermon of Nikah, the akad or agreement of both parties and the thanksgiving.
The khutbah is basically the sunnah of Muhammad stating that his sunnah is of three, of Brushing the teeth to ensure good hygiene, to wear attar and of Nikah for he wants to see many his followers upon the day of Judgement.
During the akad, the Kadi will ask the bride of the consent to the marriage and ask for the signature to be on the certificate and carry on with the agreement in the presence of the witnesses. He will require the wali to ask him to marry his daughter off on his behalf as by law, he is required to solemnise the marriage. The Kadi will do a handshake saying that "I be wed thee, Of to with the Mahr or Mas kahwin of and in the handshake, he must say he agrees to take the bride in wed with the said mahar.
After that, the groom will then say aloud the taqlik or defaulting terms of the marriage for which it can be dissolved by the wife complaining to the Syariah court, which are of hurting her, not giving her nafkah by him or the next of kin for 6 months and leaving her for more than six months and in which the court finds true will decree that the marriage is dissolved by one talak. The divorce will be finalised after 90 days of the talak nikah.

Singaporean Citizens, Permanent Residents (PR's) to Non Singaporeans

Singaporean Citizens or Permanent Residents seeking to solemnise their marriage in Singapore or outside of Singapore to a non Singaporean are required to seek prior approval from Ministry of Manpower if the intended spouse / groom was holding a Work Permit or used to work in Singapore on a Work Permit which has since been cancelled.
If prior approval is needed from the Ministry of Manpower but the couple failed to do so, the privilege to work in Singapore for the Non Citizen could be withdrawn by the Ministry Of Manpower. The non citizen may also be prevented from entering Singapore by the Immigration Department for a period of time.
The prior approval is believed to screen for amongst other criteria applicants who previously worked in Singapore without a Work Permit and has illegal employment records with the Work Pass Division, Ministry of Manpower; or for applicants who have not been issued with a MOM Notification on “Waiver of Marriage Restriction Policy” at the point of Work Permit application/renewal/cancellation.
The prior approval application lead time is about 4 weeks where by the applicants are notified of the outcome by post by the Ministry Of Manpower.
For couples who are not Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, at least one of the parties to the intended marriage must be physically present in Singapore for at least 15 days preceding the date of the notice.

Same-sex marriages

Same-sex marriages are not allowed in Singapore. Under the category of civil marriages, the gender of a person is the one stated in his/her National Registration Identity Card. Therefore, a recognized transgender person may marry a person who is of the opposite sex from his/her sex as stated in the NRIC. On the other hand, in the context of Muslim marriages, a transgender person is not allowed to marry regardless of sex change done. This is waived if the person is born with both genital organs and makes a change.

Marriage among Armed Forces members

Ministry of Defence rules state that any marriages among MINDEF or Singapore Armed Forces members must be approved by the personnel's Commanding Officer or G3 branch army. Personnel are encouraged to consult their Chief Clerks for the latest ruling regarding this.
Marriage outside the MINDEF/SAF to civilians is allowed and the SAF awards benefits such as time off and gratuity payments to personnel for getting married.
The Official Secrets Act discourages marriages to foreign nationals, and excludes marriages to foreign government employees, whether employed in the civilian, diplomatic or military service.
Staffs from the Defence Science and Technology Agency and other military agencies have different sets of rules, in accordance to relevant orders and directives concerning Defence Executive Officers. These civilian staffs are partially under Singapore Armed Forces Act, mostly concerning secrecy, informations, professionalism, and conflict of interest while excluding military discipline that are normally applied to military uniformed staffs.
DXO have more terms imposed compared to DSTA staffs.
Information regarding marriage of military and MINDEF staff is classified as restricted and is not released to the public.

Divorce

Divorce procedures are different for civil marriages and Muslim marriages. Divorce proceedings of civil marriages are carried out in the Family Court, while divorce proceedings of Muslim marriages are carried out in the Syariah Court.
One can obtain a divorce in Singapore's Family Court if one or both spouses is a Singapore Citizen, has lived in Singapore for at least three years, or is domiciled in Singapore. It is suggested that those hoping to divorce first seek legal advice as there are a number of regulations that must be followed. For example, you cannot apply for a divorce if you have been married less than three years unless you have the Court’s permission to do so. Likewise, those salvaging marriages can too seek counselling.
To prove that the marriage has ended, the spouse seeking divorce must show the Court that one or more of the following facts is true:
Typically to start the divorce proceedings, a 3-step process is required. First, one needs to file a write for divorce, then a statement of particulars and finally a statement of claim.

Singaporeans marrying overseas

The law does not require Singaporean or Permanent Resident couples who married overseas to re-register with the Singapore ROM. The marriage certificate issued by the competent authority of the foreign country may be accepted as prima facie evidence of a marriage between the parties named in the certificate.
All marriages contracted or solemnised outside Singapore ─
which have been registered in accordance with and are valid under the law of the place in which the marriages were contracted or celebrated; and
to which both parties possess the capacity to marry under the law of their respective countries of domicile, are valid in Singapore.
The final arbiter of any dispute as to the validity of such marriages in Singapore is the Court of Law.