Divorce

You can obtain a divorce if you have been married for 3 years and can prove that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and the Court is satisfied that it is just and reasonable to do so, the Court will only find that the marriage has irretrievably broken down if either of the following facts is proven: adultery, unreasonable behavior, desertion for two years, separation for three years with consent and separation for four years.

No, you may not get divorced. However, you may take out an Annulment application provided you can satisfy certain legal requirements.

In Singapore, the fastest divorce you can go through will likely take a minimum of 4 months. This is known as the simplified divorce proceedings or commonly known as an Uncontested Divorce.

If your divorce is contested, the process will take a much longer time and it depends on how contested the divorce is. There are cases in which the divorce process has taken over a year to finalise.

If the case is uncontested, you will not be required to attend Court. You will only need to attend Court if your case is contested and it goes to a Hearing or if one or more issues cannot be agreed upon.

With our wealth of experience, we can help you to navigate through the divorce process smoothly and preserve your interests as best as possible.

With a Lawyer, you will be able to get advice on whether a proposal is reasonable and whether it is worth fighting an issue till trial. This allows you to evaluate the situation and potentially save money in the long run. Also, by having a lawyer, you will not fall foul of any procedural requirements which will undoubtedly delay the entire process.

There is only one ground for divorce in Singapore. You must be able to show the Singapore Family Court that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

Any of the following reasons may be relied upon to support your claim that the marriage has irretrievably broken down:

1. Adultery (may only be relied upon by the innocent party)
2. Unreasonable behaviour
3. Desertion for at least 2 years.
4. Separation for 3 years with the other spouse’s consent to the divorce
5. Separation for 4 years without consent.

The Singapore Family Court will handle issues regarding the Children of your marriage. You may find out more about Children related matters here.

The Singapore Family Court will handle issues on the division of matrimonial assets. You may find out more about the division of assets related matters here.

Generally, the Court will derive a percentage for the division of assets, taking into account parties’ direct and indirect contributions during the marriage. The factors which the Court considers when deriving parties’ respective contributions are listed in section 112(2) of the Women’s Charter. It is best to contact us so that we can provide you with a more accurate analysis.

It is best to take out a PPO application at the family court. This may have implications on the divorce, especially when arguing under unreasonable behaviour (for divorces at the Family Court) or Fasakh at the Syariah Divorce and children for care & control and access (both in the Family Courts and Syariah Court).