What are the Documents Required for a Divorce in Singapore?

In Singapore, divorce is a legal procedure that allows a married couple to legally terminate their marriage by Court Judgment. It also involves handling issues regarding child custody, maintenance, and division of the matrimonial assets. The assistance of a competent and compassionate divorce lawyer who can provide legal advice and support is invaluable.

Under Singapore’s divorce law, there is a two-stage process for both contested and uncontested divorces. The first stage involves the dissolution of marriage, in which the Court declares that a marriage has irretrievably broken down. The second stage, involves resolving the ancillary matters, that is, the children and financial issues.

There are several documents required during a divorce process in Singapore required to determine the matrimonial assets, parties’ contributions to the marriage and child custody and access rights.

Legal Documents Required for Divorce

The following documents are generally required prior to filing for divorce in Singapore:

• Marriage Certificate - This is evidence of solemnisation and registration of the marriage between the parties and includes key information such as the date of marriage and both parties’ names. A clear copy of the marriage certificate with an English translation (if not in English) needs to be submitted. If you have misplaced your marriage certificate, you will have to apply for a new copy from the relevant Marriage Registry.
• Identification Documents including Children’s Birth Certificates – These are required to verify your identity and to provide particulars of the children of the marriage. A copy of Deed Polls would also be required if any party has changed their name.
• Deed of Separation, Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreement (if applicable) – These documents would typically specifies how certain assets and liabilities will be protected and divided in the event of a divorce.

Financial Documents Required for Divorce

Divorce proceedings require financial documentation to provide the Court with information on both parties' financial resources for the purpose of division of matrimonial assets and more. These documents include:

• Income tax returns
• Bank statements
• Credit card statements
• Investment account statements
• Pension/Retirement account statements
• CPF Statements
• Documents pertaining to real estate including outstanding loans and market values
• Documents pertaining to valuable personal property (motor vehicles, watches, luxury bags, boats, club memberships, wine collection etc) including outstanding loans if applicable and market values.

Child Custody and Maintenance Documents

When children are involved, the issue of child custody will come into the picture. Here are some child custody and maintenance documents required for divorce:

• Parenting Plan - This outlines the agreements between spouses regarding the upbringing and welfare of the children, including parental responsibilities, living arrangements, and financial support. This is often forms a part of the Deed of Separation of post-nuptial agreement.
• List of Child’s Expenses – This is a table setting out the child’s monthly expenses which should include the child’s share of household expenses (utilities, internet, service & conservancy fees etc) as well as pro-rated annual expenses like school year-end expenses and an average of ad-hoc expenses like medical/dental/optical costs.
• Documents in Support of Child’s Expenses – This should be primarily receipts/invoices as well as transactions from bank statements or credit card statements.
• Parties’ Pay Slips or other Evidence of Income – as both parents are required to provide support for the child, the amount paid by each parent is generally decided based on a ratio of parents’ income. For example, if the child’s expenses is S$1,500 per month and if one parent earns what the other parent earns, the parent earning more will contribute S$1,000 towards the child’s expenses whilst the other parent contribute S$500.

Evidence to Support Divorce Claims

Gathering evidence is crucial to help divorce lawyers in Singapore establish the facts of the case and support or counter claims made by either party. The following are some common types of evidence that may be used to support a divorce claim:

• Photographs - These provide visual evidence of certain events related to the case, such as adultery, child abuse, domestic violence or other unreasonable conduct.
• Videos - Similar to photographs, video recordings provide detailed evidence with their audio and visual components.
• Audio Recordings - Audio recordings capture relevant conversations or behaviour from one or both parties that can be used to support allegations of marital misconduct, such as infidelity, abuse and financial impropriety.
• Emails and Text Messages - Emails and text messages can be used to provide proof of communication between both parties, which can reveal crucial information about the marriage and its associated incidents.
• Witness Statements - This document contains a detailed summary of all the evidence provided, which will be reviewed by the Court in determining their judgement.

The admissibility of the evidence depends on specific circumstances of the case. It is recommended to seek the advice of a reputable Singapore divorce lawyer to ensure all gathered evidence is relevant and persuasive.

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