46A. Definitions of this Part

46B. Enforcement of access orders by the Family Courts

46C. Scope of access enforcement application

46D. Commencement documents for access enforcement application

46E. Compliance bond

46F. Application to discharge compliance bond

46G. Application to forfeit compliance bond

46H. Hearings in Court and in chambers

46A. Definitions of this Part

Where the words and phrases defined in Part 3A, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in this Part, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 3A, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

46B. Enforcement of access orders by the Family Courts

(1) An access enforcement application shall be commenced in the Family Courts.

(2) To avoid doubt, an access enforcement application in respect of an access order made by the General Division of the High Court (whether before, on or after 1 October 2014) shall be commenced in the Family Courts.

46C. Scope of access enforcement application

(1) An access enforcement application must only be made in respect of alleged breaches of access orders occurring on or after 2 January 2025.

(2) To avoid doubt, sub-paragraph (1) applies to all access orders, whether made before, on or after 2 January 2025.

46D. Commencement documents for access enforcement application

Originating application

(1) Without limiting Part 3A, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the originating application must:

(a) specify the access order sought to be enforced, stating the order number and the date on which the access order was made;

(b) specify the paragraphs of the access order alleged to have been breached; and

(c) state the specific orders or reliefs sought.

(2) Any other specific orders or reliefs that are required on the particular facts of each case are to be included.

Supporting affidavit by the applicant

(3) The following must be included in the supporting affidavit referred to in Part 3A, Rule 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024:

(a) the name, description and address of the respondent against whom the application is being sought;

(b) the specific paragraphs of the access order alleged to have been breached, with a copy of the access order exhibited;

(c) the specific date, time, and location of each instance of the alleged breach, with sufficient details to allow the respondent to respond to the allegations, with supporting materials (if any) exhibited;

(d) whether the respondent has been served with a copy of the relevant access order and / or is aware of the contents of the access order, and if so, the details of such service and / or how the respondent became aware of the contents of the access order, with supporting materials (if any) exhibited;

(e) whether the applicant has made any attempts to resolve the respondent’s alleged breach of the access order, and if so, the details of such attempts;

(f) whether there have been previous committal proceedings brought against the respondent for breach of access orders, and if so, the case number and the orders that were made in those proceedings, with copies of the previous orders (if any) exhibited;

(g) whether there have been previous access enforcement applications brought against the respondent for breach of access orders, and if so, the case number and the orders that were made in those proceedings, with copies of the previous orders (if any) exhibited; and

(h) all necessary evidence in support of the application, which may contain statements of information or belief with the sources and grounds clearly stated.

(4) The particulars of the respondent’s alleged breach of the access order must only include breaches alleged to have occurred on or after 2 January 2025.

Respondent’s affidavit

(5) The respondent’s affidavit must contain all necessary evidence in response to the application and may contain statements of information or belief with the sources and grounds clearly stated.

46E. Compliance bond

(1) Where the Court has determined that there has been a breach of the relevant access order, the Court may order the respondent to execute a compliance bond in Form 49-A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and require that the respondent pay the amount of the bond in cash.

(2) The cash deposited as security for the compliance bond must be paid into Court in the manner and within the time period as directed by the Court.

(3) The respondent must comply with the conditions stated in the compliance bond until such time when the compliance bond is discharged or has expired. If the condition(s) of the compliance bond is / are not complied with, the Court may make further orders as it thinks fit.

(4) When the compliance bond has expired and no applications have been made to forfeit the bond before its expiry, the respondent may make a request for the release of the security by filing an “Other Hearing Related Request”. The respondent is to state the reasons for the release of the security in the request and exhibit a copy of the compliance bond.

46F. Application to discharge compliance bond

(1) The summons for an application to discharge a compliance bond must be made in Form 67A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and specify the compliance bond sought to be discharged, with a copy of the compliance bond exhibited.

(2) The relief sought in the summons should be phrased as follows:

Discharge of the compliance bond executed by the respondent on [date] for a period of [duration of the bond] for having complied with the access order [order number] and condition(s) of the bond.

(3) The affidavit in support of the application must state the following:

(a) particulars of the access enforcement order, with a copy of the access enforcement order exhibited;

(b) particulars of the compliance bond, including the duration and conditions of the compliance bond (where applicable), and details of the security paid by the respondent in respect of the compliance bond, with a copy of the compliance bond exhibited;

(c) the reasons why the compliance bond should be discharged; and

(d) where applicable, a declaration that the respondent has fully complied with the access order and all condition(s) of the compliance bond as of the date of the affidavit.

46G. Application to forfeit compliance bond

(1) The summons for an application to forfeit a compliance bond must be made in Form 67A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and specify the compliance bond sought to be forfeited. The application must be filed before the expiry of the bond, and no application shall be filed after the expiry of the bond.

(2) The relief sought in the summons should be phrased as follows:

Forfeiture of the compliance bond executed by the respondent on [date] for a period of [duration of the bond] for having failed to comply with the access order [order number] and condition(s) of the bond.

(3) The affidavit in support of the application must state the following:

(a) particulars of the access enforcement order, with a copy of the access enforcement order exhibited;

(b) particulars of the compliance bond, including the duration and conditions of the compliance bond (where applicable), with a copy of the compliance bond exhibited; and

(c) particulars of the respondent’s alleged failure to comply with the access order or any condition(s) of the compliance bond, and specifying the paragraph(s) of the access order and / or specific condition(s) of the compliance bond alleged to have been breached, the period in which the breach(es) is / are alleged to have occurred, and where possible, the specific dates / time of each instance of alleged breach.

46H. Hearings in Court and in chambers

(1) An access enforcement application shall be heard in Court unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

(2) The following matters shall be heard in chambers unless otherwise ordered by the Court:

(a) an application to discharge a compliance bond; and

(b) an application to forfeit a compliance bond.

1. Citation and commencement

2. Application

3. Definitions

4. References to written laws

5. Updating

6. Calculation of time

7. Forms

8. Registrar’s Circulars

8A. Compliance with Practice Directions and Registrar’s Circulars

1. Citation and commencement

These Practice Directions may be cited as the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 and come into operation on 15 October 2024.

2. Application

Unless otherwise provided in these Practice Directions,

(a) Parts 1 to 22 and 27 of these Practice Directions (collectively referred to as “Practice Directions (General)”) apply to all proceedings that are governed by the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(b) Parts 1, 23, 24, 25 and 27 of these Practice Directions (collectively referred to as “Practice Directions (Probate)”) apply to all of the following proceedings in the Family Justice Courts which are commenced on or after 15 October 2024, including appeals arising from those proceedings:

(i) any civil proceedings under the Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1966;

(ii) any civil proceedings for the distribution of an intestate estate in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act 1967;

(iii) any civil proceedings under the Legitimacy Act 1934;

(iv) any civil proceedings under the Probate and Administration Act 1934; and

(v) any civil proceedings under the Wills Act 1838.

(c) Parts 1, 26 and 27 of these Practice Directions (collectively referred to as “Practice Directions (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts)”) apply to all proceedings that are governed by the Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024.

(d) The following parts / paragraphs of these Practice Directions (collectively referred to as “Practice Directions (Protection from Harassment)”) apply to all proceedings that are governed by the Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024:

Part 1

Part 4A, except paragraph 53

Part 5

Part 6A

Part 7, except Part 7B

Part 8

Part 9

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15, except paragraph 145

Part 16

Part 18

Part 19

Part 20

Part 21

Part 22

Part 27

(e) The Family Justice Courts Practice Directions as in force immediately before 15 October 2024 continue to apply, on and after 15 October 2024, to all proceedings that are governed by the Family Justice Rules 2014.

(f) To avoid doubt,

(i) the applications in Column 1 filed on and after 15 October 2024 relating to proceedings in Column 2 commenced before 15 October 2024 are to be filed in the manner set out in Column 3:

(ii) the applications in Column 1 filed on and after 2 January 2025 relating to proceedings in Column 2 commenced before 2 January 2025 are to be filed in the manner set out in Column 3:

3. Definitions

In these Practice Directions, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Court” means:

(i) the Family Division or a judge of the Family Division, whether sitting in court or in chambers;

(ii) a Family Court or a judge of a Family Court, whether sitting in court or in chambers;

(iii) a Youth Court or a judge of a Youth Court, whether sitting in court or in chambers; or

(iv) in cases where he or she is empowered to act — the Registrar.

(b) “Electronic Filing Service” means an electronic filing service established under Part 28, Rule 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(c) “Family Division” means the Family Division of the High Court;

(d) “IELS” means the electronic filing service called the Integrated Electronic Litigation System established under Part 28, Rule 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(e) “iFAMS” means the electronic filing service called the Integrated Family Application Management System established under Part 28, Rule 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(f) “Judge” means a judge of the Family Division, a judge of a Family Court or a judge of a Youth Court and includes, in cases where he or she is empowered to act, a Registrar, as the case may require;

(g) “P” means a person who lacks or is alleged to lack capacity (within the meaning given by the Mental Capacity Act 2008) and to whom any proceedings under that Act relate;

(h) “Registrar” means the Registrar of the Family Justice Courts; and

(i) “Registry” means the Registry of the Family Justice Courts.

4. References to written laws

In these Practice Directions, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) any reference to a repealed provision of any written law is a reference to that provision as in force immediately before the date the provision is repealed;

(b) Any reference to “Rules of Court 2021” or “ROC 2021” is a reference to the Rules of Court 2021 (G.N. No. S 914/2021) as in force on or after 1 April 2022.

(c) any reference to “Family Justice Rules 2014” is a reference to the Family Justice Rules 2014 (G.N. No. S 813/2014) as in force immediately before 15 October 2024;

(d) any reference to “Family Justice (General) Rules 2024” or “FJ(G)R” is a reference to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 (G.N. No. S 720/2024) as in force on or after 15 October 2024;

(e) any reference to “Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024” or “FJ(P)R” is a reference to the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024 (G.N. No. S 723/2024) as in force on or after 15 October 2024;

(f) any reference to “Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024” or “FJ(CP)R” is a reference to the Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024 (G.N. No. S 725/2024) as in force on or after 15 October 2024;

(g) any reference to “Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024” or “FJ(PH)R” is a reference to the Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024 (G.N. No. S 721/2024) as in force on or after 15 October 2024;

(h) where any legislation is cited in these Practice Directions, the citation is to be read as referring to the version of that legislation currently in force.

5. Updating

(1) Any addition or amendment to these Practice Directions will be notified on the Singapore Courts website at https://www.judiciary.gov.sg. The Practice Directions will be updated on the date the addition or amendment takes effect.

(2) The complete and updated Practice Directions can be downloaded from the Singapore Courts website at https://www.judiciary.gov.sg.

6. Calculation of time

(1) Unless otherwise stated, the provisions in the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 relating to the calculation of time apply to the calculation of time in the Practice Directions (General).

(2) Unless otherwise stated, the provisions in the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024 relating to the calculation of time apply to the calculation of time in the Practice Directions (Probate).

(3) Unless otherwise stated, the provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 relating to the calculation of time apply to the calculation of time in the Practice Directions (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts).

(4) Unless otherwise stated, the provisions in the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 relating to the calculation of time apply to the calculation of time in the Practice Directions (Protection from Harassment).

7. Forms

(1) The forms in Appendices A, B, C, D, E and F to these Practice Directions are to be used where applicable, with such variations as the circumstances of the case may require. For guidance on the applicability of the forms, please refer to Part 27 of these Practice Directions.

(2) The cover notes and help notes in the individual forms are designed to assist the court user in the use of the forms, and do not form part of these Practice Directions. The cover notes and help notes may be revised or updated at any time. Please refer to the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 on the electronic Practice Directions (e-PD) platform for the latest version of the cover notes and help notes.

8. Registrar’s Circulars

Registrar’s Circulars can be found at the Singapore Courts website at https://www.judiciary.gov.sg.

8A. Compliance with Practice Directions and Registrar’s Circulars

Practice Directions and Registrar’s Circulars are issued by the Registrar to supplement the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024, the Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024 and the Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024 by regulating court practice and procedure. Court users are expected to comply with all Practice Directions and Registrar’s Circulars issued by the Registrar.

9. Definitions of this Part

10. Arrangements for the welfare of children

11. Seeking the Court’s approval under section 94A(4) of the Act

12. Cross-application

13. Named person

14. Consent to divorce on the ground of 3-year separation

15. Simplified hearing track for divorce / judicial separation proceedings

16. Case conferences

17. Uncontested matrimonial proceedings

18. Documents for use in trials of contested matrimonial proceedings under Part 10 of the Act

19. Claims for ancillary relief

20. Binding summaries

21. Agreement on claim(s) for ancillary relief

22. Evidence in proceedings for avoidance of disposition

9. Definitions of this Part

Where the words and phrases defined in Part 2, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in this Part, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 2, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

10. Arrangements for the welfare of children

To enable the Court to discharge its duty under section 123 of the Act, solicitors shall, at the hearing of the proceedings, inform the Court:

(a) whether there are relevant children to whom the section applies;

(b) whether arrangements have or have not been made for the welfare of the children and that if arrangements have been made, whether they are satisfactory or are the best that can be devised in the circumstances;

(c) whether or not it is impracticable for the party or parties appearing before the Court to make such agreements; and

(d) whether or not the circumstances make it desirable for the interim judgment to be made final or as the case may be, for the judgment of judicial separation to be granted without delay.

11. Seeking the Court’s approval under section 94A(4) of the Act

Originating applications filed with a prayer for Court’s approval under section 94A(4) of the Act

(1) Pursuant to Part 2, Rule 2(3)(c) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a party may concurrently seek the Court’s approval to proceed without satisfying the parenting programme requirements (“s 94A(4) WC approval”) within the originating application for divorce.

(2) In the case of sub-paragraph (1), the Court will first hear and decide on the issue of s 94A(4) WC approval. The applicant shall not serve the originating application on the respondent until the Court has granted the approval.

(3) Where the Court refuses to grant the approval, the prayer for approval will be dismissed and the rest of the originating application will be struck off.

Affidavit requirements for approval under section 94A(4)

(4) The affidavit in support of an application under section 94A(4) of the Act must:

(a) state the particulars of the parties to the proceedings if the application for approval is filed as a separate originating application;

(b) state the applicant’s reasons for not completing a parenting programme; and

(c) exhibit a copy of each document relied on in support of the application.

12. Cross-application

(1) Except as stated in paragraph 15, a party who has been served with an originating application and wishes to seek relief in relation to the same marriage, whether divorce, judicial separation or nullity, shall file a cross-application (and not an originating application).

(2) A cross-application can seek different reliefs from the reliefs sought in the originating application (e.g. a cross-application for judicial separation in response to an originating application for divorce).

(3) Failure to file the subsequent application as a cross-application may result in both applications being heard without reference to the other.

13. Named person

A named person in Part 2, Rule 3(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 indicates his or her intention to be heard in the proceedings by filing a notice to contest to disagree with the matrimonial application.

14. Consent to divorce on the ground of 3-year separation

To consent to divorce on the ground of 3-year separation, a party should either:

(a) consent to the simplified divorce / judicial separation if the agreement is reached before the matrimonial application is filed; or

(b) sign his or her consent by using Form 108A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions if the agreement is reached after the matrimonial application is filed.

15. Simplified hearing track for divorce / judicial separation proceedings

(1) The simplified hearing track provided for in Part 2, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 is available where the parties have reached an agreement on:

(a) the divorce / judicial separation only;

(b) the divorce / judicial separation and at least one of the claims for ancillary relief before the filing of the matrimonial application; or

(c) the divorce / judicial separation and all the claims for ancillary relief before the filing of the matrimonial application.

(2) The agreement may be reached through (a) private negotiations, whether with or without the assistance of solicitors, or (b) a Collaborative Family Practice (“CFP”) process, whether conducted by the Singapore Mediation Centre or through private mediators.

(3) For the purpose of sub-paragraph (2), the CFP process is a process in which a trained counsel, i.e. the collaborative counsel, represents a party only in negotiations aimed exclusively at settlement. The CFP process aims to achieve a consensual solution for family law related disputes without resort to litigation. Where the negotiations fail, the collaborative counsel will then withdraw from acting for the party concerned in order that that party may engage a new solicitor to pursue the case through litigation.

Matters to note for the simplified hearing track

(4) When filing the proceedings, the applicant must select the relevant simplified applications:

(a) Originating Application for Simplified Divorce; or

(b) Originating Application for Simplified Judicial Separation.

(5) A hearing date will be scheduled when the originating application is issued.

(6) If there are missing documents or information, the Court may reschedule the hearing date or convene a case conference as appropriate.

(7) In appropriate cases, the Court may also remove the case from the simplified hearing track. An example is where a party withdraws his or her consent. If a case is removed from the simplified hearing track, the Court may give directions for the parties to comply with all or part of the process in the regular hearing track (whether uncontested or contested).

Matters to note if the agreement is to proceed on both originating application and cross-application in the simplified hearing track

(8) If the agreement is to proceed on both the originating application (“1st OA”) and the cross-application (“Cross OA”), the applicant of the 1st OA should inform the respondent once the 1st OA is filed in order that the respondent may proceed to file the Cross OA within 3 working days.

(9) In the simplified track, a party cannot file a Cross OA which seeks different reliefs from the 1st OA. For example: A party cannot file a cross application for judicial separation in response to an originating application for divorce. Instead, that party must file an originating application for judicial separation as the 1st OA is for divorce.

(10) In the case of sub-paragraph (9), in the event that a second originating application is filed seeking different reliefs (“2nd OA”), the party filing the 2nd OA should immediately inform the Family Court via email that there are 2 originating applications in relation to the same marriage, stating both case numbers and the scheduled hearing date(s).

(11) Failure to comply with sub-paragraph (10) may result in the Court hearing and determining the 1st OA without reference to the 2nd OA.

(12) Where the 1st OA in the simplified hearing track includes a prayer for approval under section 94A(4) of the Act, the applicant of the 1st OA shall inform the other party when the Court grants the approval.

16. Case conferences

Case conferences prior to the grant of interim judgment / judgment of judicial separation

(1) To facilitate a more effective and expedient processing of cases and to reduce the number of court attendances, a Registrar’s Notice (“the First Case Conference Notice to Applicant”) will be sent to the applicant within 6 weeks directing the applicant either:

(a) to file the Request for Trial or Hearing Date in Form 6 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions by a stipulated date; or

(b) to inform the Court of the status of the matter if the Request for Trial or Hearing Date cannot be filed for whatever reasons, for which purpose:

(i) the requisite information shall be given in Form 19 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and shall be sent to the Court within 7 days of the First Case Conference Notice to Applicant; and

(ii) upon receipt of Form 19, the Court will consider the reasons stated in the form and may make the appropriate directions for the matter.

(2) If the applicant fails to file the Request for Trial or Hearing Date and fails to reply to the First Case Conference Notice to Applicant in accordance with sub-paragraph (1), a Second Case Conference Notice to Applicant shall be sent directing the applicant to file the Request for Trial or Hearing Date by a stipulated date, failing which the applicant is to attend a case conference to explain his or her inaction.

(3) Where the Request for Trial or Hearing Date is filed and accepted before a case conference, the case conference will be vacated.

(4) Where interim judgment or judgment of judicial separation has not been granted, in addition to the matters set out in Part 8, Rule 5 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and paragraph 80(1) of these Practice Directions, the matters to be considered at the case conference may include the following:

(a) service of the originating application and the affidavit of service;

(b) filing of all necessary documents;

(c) the likelihood of settlement;

(d) ages of the child(ren) of the marriage;

(e) directions for parties to exchange a list of relevant information on the ancillary matters;

(f) directions for parties to attend mandatory counselling and mediation at the Family Justice Courts; and

(g) the time frame for filing the Request for Trial or Hearing Date.

Case conferences for ancillary relief

(5) Before seeking a date for the hearing of the claim(s) for ancillary relief, the parties or their solicitors attending the case conference shall ensure that all affidavits, reports, summary of positions (if directed to be filed before scheduling of the hearing date) and any other necessary documents have been filed and all interlocutory applications and appeals therefrom have been dealt with.

17. Uncontested matrimonial proceedings

(1) In uncontested matrimonial proceedings under sections 95, 101, 105 and 106 of the Act, the party filing the Request for Trial or Hearing Date on an uncontested basis shall, at the same time, file the following:

(a) where the applicant is proceeding on the originating application, the Affidavit for Uncontested Dissolution Hearing in Form 7 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions to attest to the veracity of the contents found in the originating application;

(b) where the respondent is proceeding on the cross-application, the Affidavit for Uncontested Dissolution Hearing in Form 7 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions to attest to the veracity of the contents of the cross-application;

(c) where there is a private investigator’s (“PI”) report to be adduced as evidence, the affidavit of evidence-in-chief of the PI exhibiting the PI report; and

(d) where parties have reached an agreement on any claim for ancillary relief, the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order in Form 8 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(2) The party filing the Request for Trial or Hearing Date shall serve the same on the other party / parties.

(3) If the parties reach an agreement on any claim for ancillary relief after the filing of the Request for Trial or Hearing Date or after the filing of a matrimonial application on the simplified hearing track and wish to seek an order in terms of the agreement at the uncontested dissolution hearing, the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order shall be filed at least 7 working days before the hearing.

Uncontested matrimonial proceedings in chambers

(4) Where the documents are in order, the Court may proceed to grant the relevant orders in chambers without requiring the attendance of the parties / solicitors.

(5) Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (4), the Court has the discretion to fix the matter for a hearing in Court and require the attendance of parties / solicitors.

Uncontested matrimonial proceedings in Court

(6) For the hearings in Court of uncontested matrimonial proceedings pursuant to sub-paragraph (5), there is no need for the applicant to be made to confirm every paragraph of the originating application. The solicitor will only need to put to the applicant in the witness box the questions which will prove the following matters:

(a) the marriage;

(b) the particulars of the children (if any);

(c) the ground on which the application is founded; and

(d) the reliefs claimed.

(7) For this purpose and to facilitate the proceedings, solicitors should supply a copy of the originating application to each of their respective clients.

(8) Notwithstanding the adoption of this simplified procedure, solicitors will still be expected to bring to the attention of the Court any specific matters in connection with or arising from the proceedings of which the Court should be aware. In particular, if section 123 of the Act is applicable, the directions set out in paragraph 10 of these Practice Directions shall be complied with.

18. Documents for use in trials of contested matrimonial proceedings under Part 10 of the Act

(1) This paragraph shall apply to trials of contested matrimonial proceedings.

(2) To improve the conduct of contested matrimonial proceedings and to reduce the time taken in the presentation of cases, the following documents shall be prepared by the solicitors of the respective parties:

(a) a bundle of documents (an agreed bundle where possible);

(b) a bundle of authorities; and

(c) an opening statement.

(3) Documents for use in trial must be filed in Court using the Electronic Filing Service. Hard copies of the same should only be tendered to the Registry if required. The hard copy must tally in all respects with the soft copy, and the page numbers of the hard copy must correspond to the page numbers in the soft copy.

(4) At the trial, an adjournment may be ordered if:

(a) the above documents or any of them were not filed and served within the prescribed time or at all; or

(b) one party seeks to tender any of the above documents or supplements to such documents (except for supplements to the opening statement) at the trial.

(5) If an adjournment is ordered for any of the reasons set out in sub-paragraph (4), the party in default may be ordered to bear the costs of the adjournment.

Bundle of documents

(6) Documents to be used at trial should be consolidated into bundles. Only documents which are relevant or necessary for the trial may be included in the bundles. In cases where the Court is of the opinion that costs have been wasted by the inclusion of unnecessary documents, the Court will have no hesitation in making a special order for costs against the relevant party. No bundle of documents is necessary in cases where parties are not relying on any document at the trial.

(7) An index of contents of each bundle in the manner and form set out in Form 21 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions must also be prepared.

(8) It is the responsibility of the solicitors for all parties to agree and prepare a bundle of agreed documents. The scope to which the agreement extends must be stated in the index sheet of the bundle of agreed documents.

(9) In cases where certain documents cannot be agreed upon, these should be separately bundled as the applicant’s bundle, the respondent’s bundle or such other party’s bundle as the case may be.

(10) Where the bundle of documents consists of more than 1 volume:

(a) the index of contents of all volumes of the bundle of documents must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(b) each volume must have an index of contents indicating the documents that are contained in that volume.

(11) The bundles of documents should be paginated consecutively throughout at the top right hand corner. Each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively.

(12) The following directions apply to hard copies tendered to the Registry or the Court:

(a) The bundles of documents should be printed on both sides of each page where possible.

(b) The documents in the bundles should:

(i) be firmly secured together with plastic ring binding or plastic spine thermal binding. The rings or spines should be red for applicants and blue for respondents with a transparent plastic cover in front and at the back;

(ii) have flags to mark out documents to which repeated references will be made in the course of the hearing. Such flags must bear the appropriate indicium by which the document is indicated in the index of contents. Flags must be spaced out evenly along the right side of the bundle so that as far as possible they do not overlap one another; and

(iii) be legible. Clear and legible photocopies of original documents may be exhibited instead of the originals. The originals must be made available for inspection by the other parties or the Judge upon request.

(c) Where originals and copies of documents are included in one bundle, it should be stated in the index which documents are originals and which are copies.

(13) A core bundle of documents for trial should (unless clearly unnecessary) also be provided. This core bundle should comprise only the most important documents that are relevant to the hearing in question, or which will be repeatedly referred to in the course of the hearing.

(14) The documents in the core bundle of documents should not only be paginated but should also be cross-referenced to copies of the documents included in the main bundles. The core bundle of documents must be filed in Court using the Electronic Filing Service and also tendered to the Court in a loose-leaf file which can easily have further documents added to it if required. Where the core bundle of documents consists of more than 1 volume:

(a) the table of contents of all volumes of the core bundle of documents must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(b) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the documents that are contained in that volume.

(15) Unless otherwise directed, the bundles of documents including the agreed bundle and core bundle, if applicable, shall be filed and served on all relevant parties at least 3 working days before trial.

Bundle of authorities

(16) The requirements in paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions must be complied with.

(17) Unless otherwise directed, the bundle of authorities shall be filed and served on all relevant parties at least 3 working days before trial.

Opening statements

(18) A proper opening statement is of great assistance to the Court as it sets out the case in a nutshell, both as to facts and law. It is intended to identify both for the parties and the Judge the issues that are, and are not, in dispute. It enables the Judge to appreciate what the case is about, and what he or she is to look out for when reading and listening to the evidence that will follow. The need for brevity is emphasised as opening statements that contain long and elaborate arguments, and citations from and references to numerous authorities, do not serve this purpose:

(a) Unless otherwise directed, opening statements will be required from all parties.

(b) All opening statements must include the following:

(i) the nature of the case generally and the background facts insofar as they are relevant to the matter before the Court and indicating which facts, if any, are agreed;

(ii) the precise legal and factual issues involved are to be identified with cross-references as appropriate to the originating application, cross-application, reply and affidavits. These issues should be numbered and listed, and each point should be stated in no more than one or two sentences. The object here is to identify the issues in dispute and state each party’s position clearly, not to argue or elaborate on them;

(iii) the principal authorities in support of each legal proposition should be listed, while the key documents and witnesses supporting each factual proposition should be identified;

(iv) where there is a cross-application, the opening statement must similarly address all issues raised therein; and

(v) an explanation of the reliefs claimed (if these are unusual or complicated).

(c) In cases where the Court is of the opinion that costs or hearing days have been wasted by a poorly drafted opening statement, the Court will have no hesitation in making a special order for costs against the relevant party.

(d) The following format must be adhered to when preparing opening statements:

(i) all pages must be paginated, with the first page numbered as “Page 1” so that the page numbers of the hard copy correspond to the page numbers in the Portable Document Format (PDF) version;

(ii) the minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent;

(iii) the print of every page must be double spaced;

(iv) the hard copy should be printed on both sides of each page where possible; and

(v) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35 mm in width.

(e) Opening statements should not exceed 25 pages (including the cover page, table of contents and all annexes and appendices). All opening statements must include a cover page and a table of contents.

(f) Opening statements may be amended at trial, but solicitors will be expected to explain the reasons for the amendments.

(g) Unless otherwise directed, the opening statements shall be filed and served on all relevant parties at least 5 working days before trial.

19. Claims for ancillary relief

(1) If the party is claiming maintenance as an incapacitated husband, he must produce a medical report stating the following matters:

(a) the nature of the physical or mental disability or illness causing the husband to be incapacitated from earning a livelihood;

(b) the date on which the husband began to suffer from that physical or mental disability or illness;

(c) the extent to which the husband is incapacitated, by that physical or mental disability or illness, from earning a livelihood; and

(d) the period during which the husband is incapacitated, by that physical or mental disability or illness, from earning a livelihood.

(2) The medical report in sub-paragraph (1) must be given by:

(a) a Singapore registered medical practitioner; or

(b) with the Court’s approval and subject to the party submitting evidence of registration as required by the Court, a foreign registered medical practitioner.

20. Binding summaries

(1) This paragraph applies to proceedings where any claim for ancillary relief is contested.

(2) The binding summary shall be in either of the following prescribed forms:

(a) Binding Summary of Positions in Form 17A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions; or

(b) Binding Summary of Positions (Simplified) in Form 17B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(3) Form 17A is to be used in all cases unless the Court directs otherwise. As a guide, the Court may allow the use of Form 17B if the disputed financial matters involve only:

(a) 1 immovable asset in Singapore; and

(b) assets which do not require valuation.

Completing the binding summary

(4) As a general principle, the Court will likely direct the binding summary to be prepared after the exchange of written submissions. Unless otherwise directed, the parties or their solicitors shall file the binding summary at least 7 working days before the date of the hearing of the contested ancillary matters.

(5) The following process guides how parties are to complete the binding summary:

(a) The applicant shall complete his or her part of Form 17A / Form 17B. At this stage, the applicant may elect not to give his or her response to the respondent’s position (e.g. applicant’s views on respondent’s position) since the respondent has not stated his or her position.

(b) The applicant shall send the soft copy of the document in (a) to the respondent via any agreed manner of communication, e.g. email.

(c) The respondent shall complete his or her part of the document in (b) and include his or her signature.

(d) The respondent shall return the soft copy of the document in (c) to the applicant via the agreed manner of communication.

(e) The applicant shall include his or her response to the respondent’s position (e.g. applicant’s views on respondent’s position) (if not yet included) and affix his or her signature to the completed document. The applicant then files and serves the completed document.

(6) The parties may mutually agree to adjust the process in sub-paragraph (5) to suit the needs of the specific case. Where any party is self-represented, the represented party (whether applicant or respondent) shall initiate the process in sub-paragraph (5).

(7) In addition to Part 2, Rule 18 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the parties are to bear in mind the following pointers when completing the binding summary:

(a) A party must not edit the other party’s input unless it is done at the other party’s request or by agreement.

(b) To assist the hearing judge, the parties should clearly identify each and every issue which the parties agree on.

(c) Except as mentioned in sub-paragraph (5)(e), the party who is the last to sign off on the binding summary (i.e. the applicant if the process in sub-paragraph (5) is followed) must avoid revising his or her previously completed part of the binding summary unless:

(i) it is a clear typographical error and is unlikely to affect the other party’s input; or

(ii) it is first notified to the other party and the other party is given the opportunity to revise his or her input accordingly.

Use of Core Document Bundle with the binding summary

(8) Parties shall prepare a Core Document Bundle in Form 18 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, containing key documents which he or she intends to rely on for the hearing.

(9) The Core Document Bundle must only contain documents which are included in the filed affidavits. The content page of the Core Document Bundle should identify the source of each document in the Core Document Bundle by providing the corresponding reference in the filed affidavits.

(10) Where the Core Document Bundle is prepared, the reference to the supporting evidence in the binding summary can point to the reference in the Core Document Bundle.

(11) As a guide, the Court may dispense with the Core Document Bundle where the Court allows the use of Form 17B.

21. Agreement on claim(s) for ancillary relief

(1) When an agreement has been reached between the parties on any claim for ancillary relief, a Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order in Form 8 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions may be prepared for submission to the Court for an order in terms of the agreement.

(2) If the agreed ancillary orders in sub-paragraph (1) include an order for split care and control of the children of the marriage, the parties shall file an Affidavit of Split Care and Control in Form 10 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

22. Evidence in proceedings for avoidance of disposition

(1) The affidavit filed in support of proceedings for an avoidance of disposition must contain, so far as is known to the deponent:

(a) the assets to which the disposition relates; and

(b) the persons in whose favour the disposition is alleged to have been made, and in the case of a disposition alleged to have been made by way of settlement, the trustees and the beneficiaries of the settlement.

(2) Where the proceedings for an avoidance of disposition relates to land, the affidavit in support must, in addition to containing any particulars required by sub-paragraph (1):

(a) state whether the title to the land is registered or unregistered and, if registered, the Land Registry title number;

(b) give particulars, so far as is known to the applicant, of any mortgage of the land or any interest in the land; and

(c) give particulars of the registered owner or owners of the land and, if there is more than one owner, the manner in which the land is held, whether as joint tenants or tenants‑in‑common.

(3) The affidavit or affidavits filed in respect of proceedings for an avoidance of disposition, and any application filed to commence such proceedings, must be served on the following persons and on the party defending the proceedings:

(a) the person in whose favour the disposition is alleged to have been made, and any mortgagee of whom particulars are given pursuant to sub-paragraph (2); and

(b) such other persons, if any, as the Court may direct.

7I: Therapeutic Justice Model

90A. Introduction

90B. Definition and objectives of Therapeutic Justice

90C. Purpose and application

90D. The tracks and the triage process

90E. Standard Track

90F. Teams Track

90G. Role of parties and solicitors under the TJ Model

90H. Exercise of judge-led powers and the Court’s discretion as to costs

7I: Therapeutic Justice Model

90A. Introduction

(1) Parties to Court proceedings in the Family Justice Courts (“FJC”) and their solicitors are required to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the FJC Therapeutic Justice Model (“TJ Model”).

(2) The TJ Model is issued under “Registrar’s Circular No. 2 of 2024 – Family Justice Courts Therapeutic Justice Model” and is also accessible online at the SG Courts website at www.judiciary.gov.sg.

90B. Definition and objectives of Therapeutic Justice

(1) Therapeutic Justice (“TJ”) at the FJC is about helping families accept the past and move towards their best possible future. It involves a judge-led process where parties and their solicitors, along with other professionals, work together to find timely and enduring solutions to the family’s disagreements, within the framework of the law.

(2) To meet the aims of TJ (as defined in paragraph 90B(1) above), the TJ Model sets out TJ Objectives, which include the following:

(a) Parties are to resolve their family disputes amicably, as far as possible. Where feasible, parties are to resolve disputes out of Court.

(b) If a case requires the Court’s intervention, everyone involved should endeavour to reduce acrimony and de-escalate conflict, wherever possible.

(c) Parties are to focus on resolving their underlying issues in the long-term interests of the family and children, and not just on short-term legal goals.

(d) Where children are involved, their welfare should be prioritised.

(e) Parties are to be accorded, and to accord others, respect, attention, empathy and support. Parties should feel that they have been given a voice and have been heard.

(f) For outcomes to be timely and enduring, so that parties may move forward; and are enabled and equipped (e.g. with enhanced co-parenting skills) to resolve any future disagreements and issues amicably by themselves, without having to resort to further litigation in Court.

90C. Purpose and application

(1) The purpose of this Part is to set out:

(a) the key elements of TJ in Court proceedings under the TJ Model; and

(b) the details of the participation required of parties and their solicitors in order to achieve the aims of TJ.

(2) While the TJ Model applies to all matrimonial applications, this Part applies only to matrimonial applications commenced under Part 10 of the Women’s Charter 1961 that are filed under the “Partial Simplified / Non-Simplified Track”. This Part does not apply to matrimonial applications filed under the “Full Simplified Track” (i.e. cases where all matrimonial issues, including ancillary matters, have been resolved prior to the filing of the matrimonial application in Court). The categories of cases to which this Part applies may be extended when appropriate.

90D. The tracks and the triage process

(1) Under the TJ Model, cases filed under the Partial Simplified / Non-Simplified Track may be allocated to the “Standard Track” or the “Teams Track”.

(2) Within 6 weeks after the commencement of proceedings, parties and / or their solicitors (if parties are legally represented) will be directed, by way of a Registrar’s Notice, to submit a Joint Triage Checklist (“JTC”). Parties are to submit the JTC within 2 weeks after the date of the said Registrar’s Notice.

(3) After the JTC is submitted, parties may receive a Registrar’s Notice directing them to attend a Therapeutic Justice Cooperative Conference (“TJCC”). Directions for the exchange of documents and proposals will also be issued in this Registrar’s Notice, to prepare parties for the TJCC.

(4) The TJCC is presided over by a mediation judge. A Court Family Specialist (“CFS”) (i.e. Court counsellor) will also be present, if the case involves minor children below the age of 14 years. For cases where a TJCC is directed, it serves as the first substantive Court event that parties are required to attend in person, together with their solicitors, if they are legally represented. At the TJCC, the Court seeks to (a) set the tone for the problem-solving approach and the conduct expected of the parties; (b) distil key issues; (c) discuss parties’ proposals with them; (d) consider referring parties to external agencies / professionals for therapeutic or other related support services / programmes; and (e) schedule the next court event.

(5) Cases will be allocated to the Standard Track or Teams Track in the Court’s sole discretion. In determining which track a case will be allocated to following the TJCC, the Court will consider parties’ indications in the JTC submissions and / or at the TJCC.

90E. Standard Track

Under the Standard Track, cases are managed by case management Assistant Registrars until they are ready for mediation or hearing. Thereafter, they may be fixed before a mediation judge or a hearing judge as appropriate. Cases may be docketed at a later stage to a single judge to manage until the conclusion of the case.

90F. Teams Track

(1) Under the Teams Track, cases will be managed by a multi-disciplinary team comprising TJCC / mediation judge, hearing judge and CFS (collectively, the “Team”). Generally, the same members of the Team will manage the case, including linked cases (if any) involving the same family, from an early stage until the conclusion of the case. “Linked cases” include applications for orders relating to children under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934, applications for personal protection orders under Part 7 of the Women’s Charter 1961 and maintenance summons applications under Part 8 of the Women’s Charter 1961.

(2) In a Team, the Court’s mediation and counselling processes continue to be carried out on a confidential and without prejudice basis. Only the following limited types of information may be shared with the hearing judge, to facilitate the management of the case:

(a) any safety and / or other imminent risks;

(b) the underlying issues of the case; and

(c) recommendations to refer parties / children for therapeutic support services.

(3) Under the Teams Track, the Team may consider applying the approaches set out in sub-paragraphs (4) to (10) below in customising the management of a case, depending on the specific needs of the family and circumstances of the case.

More flexible use of mediation and counselling

(4) The Court may, in its discretion, employ mediation at different points of the proceedings and / or to resolve specific or interim issues. In exercising its discretion, the Court may consider whether parties are receptive and ready for such mediation by hearing from the parties directly. To avoid doubt, mediation and counselling remain mandatory for cases involving minor children.

(5) Depending on the needs of the case, the Team’s CFS may provide more integrated support to the parties throughout the Court proceedings, from the time the case is allocated to the Team. Early referrals to external agencies / professionals for therapeutic support services may also be recommended.

Calling for child evaluative assessments at an early stage

(6) In cases involving urgent and / or pressing child issues, the Court may direct that the child be assessed, including calling for a child report containing the advice of a relevant professional, at an earlier stage of proceedings. This is in the Court’s sole discretion, to assist the Court in deciding issues concerning the child’s welfare.

Bifurcation of child issues

(7) The Court may also bifurcate child issues that are urgent and / or pressing if there are good reasons to do so, having regard to all the circumstances of the case. This means that the child issues are heard first, and final orders are made, before the other ancillary matters in the case are heard and determined.

(8) The Court may bifurcate child issues on its own motion, or upon the application of one party or both parties.

(9) If child orders are made following bifurcation, the time for appealing under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 is reckoned from the date the orders are made.

Directing that parties personally attend Court sessions and the delivery of child decisions

(10) Regardless of whether parties are legally represented, the Court may, in its sole discretion, direct that parties personally attend (either through remote means or physically in person) case conferences and / or the delivery of decisions, especially when they relate to child issues, where appropriate.

90G. Role of parties and solicitors under the TJ Model

(1) Parties are to cooperate with each other, and assist the Court, in achieving the aims of TJ. In particular, parties are to have regard to, and be guided by, the “role of parties” as set out in paragraphs 9(a), 12 and 13 of the TJ Model.

(2) Solicitors are to explain the aims of TJ to the client, and to bring to the attention of, and explain to, the client paragraphs 9(a), 12 and 13 of the TJ Model. Solicitors are to have regard to, and be guided by, the “role of lawyers” as set out in paragraphs 9(b) and 14 of the TJ Model.

(3) To encourage conduct by solicitors that is aligned with the TJ Model, the judge (whether a mediation judge or a hearing judge) may commend solicitors who have displayed such conduct at the conclusion of the proceedings and / or in written grounds of decision. Examples of such conduct include:

(a) taking active steps to de-escalate acrimony and conflict;

(b) collaborating with the Court and the other party (including his or her solicitors) to generate practical options and suitable solutions to address the family’s needs; and

(c) making sensible proposals and submissions that facilitate reasonable and amicable outcomes.

90H. Exercise of judge-led powers and the Court’s discretion as to costs

(1) In exercising its judge-led powers under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Court will have regard to the aims of TJ and the TJ Model.

(2) In exercising its discretion to make costs orders in respect of a party’s conduct, the Court is to have regard to the following considerations:

(a) the applicable provisions of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(b) all the circumstances of the case, including the conduct of the parties before and after the commencement of Court proceedings; and

(c) whether the party has conducted himself / herself in line with the aims of TJ.

(3) Where the Court considers it appropriate to make costs orders in favour of a self-represented party (“SRP”), the Court is to have regard to the amount of costs that would reasonably compensate the SRP for the time expended to prepare for the case, as well as all expenses reasonably incurred.

(4) Illustrations of situations where costs may be ordered in respect of a party’s conduct are set out below. These illustrations are not meant to be prescriptive or exhaustive.

Illustrations

(a) Party A engages in adversarial conduct by unreasonably filing numerous interlocutory applications, particularly where the reliefs sought in one or more of the applications duplicate or are substantially similar to the reliefs sought at the final hearing.

(b) Party A does not make any reasonable attempt to amicably resolve matters, fails to adhere to directions given for the purposes of facilitating resolution, and pursues conduct and communications that frustrate the other party’s efforts at settlement.

(c) Party A displays polarising conduct and non-conciliatory behaviour contrary to the spirit of co-parenting, and engages in disproportionate litigation, insisting that the Court addresses each and every point in dispute, regardless of significance or merit, resulting in a waste of the other party’s and the Court’s time and resources.

(d) Party A conducts litigation in a manner that generates unnecessary paperwork, files voluminous affidavits that consist of irrelevant information and / or indiscriminately compiles and exhibits documents such as unnecessary photographs and video recordings.

(e) Party A uses the Court processes and / or documents as a platform for personal attacks or insulting and annoying remarks; and/or to gain a perceived advantage in parallel proceedings.

7A: Case Management, Mediation and Counselling

78. Judicial case management

79. Case assignment

80. Case conferences

81. Powers of the Court to direct mediation and / or counselling

82. Mandatory counselling and mediation

83. Mediation conducted by the Court

84. Court-ordered private mediation

85. Counselling

7B: Family Neutral Evaluation

86. Family Neutral Evaluation process

87. Confidentiality

7C: Guidance on Direct Judicial Communications

88. Guidance on direct judicial communications in international family proceedings affecting children

7D: Amendment of Documents

89. Amendment of originating application for adoption of child

90. Amendment of documents

7A: Case Management, Mediation and Counselling

78. Judicial case management

(1) The overarching purpose of case management is to facilitate the resolution of disputes in accordance with the objectives set out in Part 1, Rule 4(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 (“Objectives”).

(2) Parties to a proceeding and their solicitors are required to conduct all proceedings in a way that is consistent with the overarching purpose.

79. Case assignment

(1) To achieve the overarching purpose set out in paragraph 78(1), each case commenced in the Family Justice Courts may be allocated to a Judge (“the assigned Judge”) who will be responsible for managing the case until final disposition.

(2) In deciding whether to allocate a case pursuant to sub-paragraph (1), the matters to be considered may include the following:

(a) whether the main issues relate to custody, care and control and access of child(ren);

(b) whether the main issues involve abduction of a child, relocation issues and issues of appropriate jurisdiction;

(c) whether the main issues are financial in nature (for e.g. ascertainment of the value and extent of the matrimonial assets amenable for division);

(d) whether the main issues relate to allegations of violence; and

(e) whether there are multiple pending court proceedings commenced in the Family Justice Courts by the parties.

(3) The assigned Judge will make orders about the way in which the case is to be managed or prepared for hearing including referrals to mediation or other modes of alternative dispute resolution.

(4) The parties and their solicitors may expect the assigned Judge to have regard to:

(a) identifying and narrowing the issues in dispute as early as possible;

(b) ascertaining the degree of difficulty or complexity of the issues determined to be in dispute;

(c) setting a hearing date early;

(d) minimising unnecessary interlocutory steps by permitting only interlocutory steps that are directed to identifying, narrowing or resolving the issues really in dispute between the parties; and

(e) exploring options for alternative dispute resolution as early as practicable.

(5) The parties and their solicitors are obliged to cooperate with and assist the Court in achieving the overarching purpose and, in particular, in identifying the real issues in dispute as early as possible and in dealing with those issues efficiently.

Interlocutory applications

(6) Where parties have included a claim for an interlocutory relief, that claim may be heard on the return date fixed by the assigned Judge or a date for its later hearing may be set on the return date and directions for preparations made.

(7) If a claim for interlocutory relief is to be contested, parties or their solicitors shall inform the assigned Judge as soon as possible and give an estimate of the likely hearing time.

(8) Parties wishing to make urgent applications shall contact the Court and inform of the urgency to be placed before the assigned Judge. If parties are requesting the Court to summarily deal with any urgent or time-sensitive issues which affect the welfare of the minor child / children in the proceedings pursuant to Part 8, Rule 5(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, paragraph 80(4) of these Practice Directions applies.

(9) Where there is an application for disclosure, parties and solicitors may expect that, with a view to eliminating or reducing the burden of disclosure, the assigned Judge:

(a) will fashion any order for disclosure to suit the issues in a particular case; and

(b) will expect the following questions to be answered:

(i) Does disclosure facilitate the resolution of the proceedings in accordance with the Objectives?

(ii) Can the purpose(s) of seeking disclosure be achieved by:

(A) a means less expensive than disclosure?

(B) disclosure only in relation to particular issues?

(iii) Where there are many documents, should disclosure be given in a non-standard form, e.g. initially on a limited basis, with liberty to apply later for particular disclosure or disclosure on a broader basis?

(iv) Whether disclosure should be given by the use of categories or by electronic format or in accordance with a disclosure plan?

(v) Should disclosure be given by categories and by a general description rather than by identification of individual documents?

(10) In determining whether to make any order for disclosure, the Court will have regard to the issues in the case and the order in which they are likely to be resolved, the resources and circumstances of the parties, the likely benefit of disclosure, the likely cost of disclosure and whether that cost is proportionate to the nature and complexity of the proceedings.

Communications with Court

(11) It is never appropriate to contact the assigned Judge directly. The assigned Judge will inform parties and their solicitors of preferred modes of communication but in all cases, the general approach is through emails to the generic email address of the Family Justice Courts.

(12) All communications with the Court shall be confined to routine procedural, administrative or procedural matters. Communications must never, unless this is invited, contain information or allegations which are material to the substantive issues in the litigation or which are intended to influence any decision of substance to be made by the assigned Judge.

80. Case conferences

(1) At the case conference, in addition to the matters set out in Part 8, Rule 5 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the matters to be considered may include the following, where applicable:

(a) the service of documents;

(b) any urgent or time-sensitive issues which affect the welfare of the minor child / children in the proceedings;

(c) the dates of the mediation and counselling sessions;

(d) directions on the conduct of mediation and counselling;

(e) the witnesses who will be called and whether they need interpretation;

(f) the filing of affidavits, reports, summonses and any other necessary documents;

(g) the necessity (if any) for an order for the Central Provident Fund (“CPF”) Board to furnish information relating to the utilisation of CPF monies or CPF account balances where there is a claim for the division of a matrimonial property or CPF-related assets;

(h) the necessity (if any) to transfer the proceedings to the Family Division of the High Court for hearing and determination. In determining whether to transfer the case to the Family Division of the High Court, the Family Court will take into account whether:

(i) there is an important question of law;

(ii) the matter is a test case; and / or

(iii) there is any other sufficient reason to transfer the proceedings;

(i) the value of the property in question or matrimonial assets. Generally, in a non-probate case where the property in question or matrimonial assets are asserted by any party to the proceedings to be worth a gross value of S$5 million or more, the matter will be transferred to the Family Division of the High Court for hearing and determination;

(j) the number of days required for the hearing and the fixing of hearing dates; and

(k) the administrative arrangements for the next hearing (e.g. whether interpreters are required, etc.).

(2) The principal solicitors having conduct of the case are to personally attend the case conference. They are expected to be thoroughly prepared to discuss all relevant matters as the Registrar conducting the case conference will take a holistic approach to the case and consider all relevant matters relating to the case.

(3) Solicitors must ensure that their clients are fully informed of the option of using alternative dispute resolution before attending the case conference. They are expected to advise their clients and to take instructions on the desirability of referring the dispute for mediation and / or counselling.

(4) Except in cases of extreme urgency or with the permission of the Court, a party who intends to request the Court to summarily deal with any urgent or time-sensitive issues which affect the welfare of the minor child / children in the proceedings pursuant to Part 8, Rule 5(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, shall give a minimum of 48 hours’ notice to the Court and all other concerned parties (“the other parties”) before the case conference. The notice should inform the Court and the other parties of the request, the order(s) sought and the supporting reasons. The notice to the other parties may be given by way of email or in cases of extreme urgency, orally by telephone. The notice to the Court shall be given by way of letter filed through the Electronic Filing Service.

81. Powers of the Court to direct mediation and / or counselling

(1) In any proceedings before the Court, it may direct that parties attend mediation and / or counselling (pursuant to section 139H, 139I or 139J of the Women’s Charter 1961 or section 26(9) of the Family Justice Act 2014) to encourage parties to resolve the matter amicably and assist parties in reaching an agreement or to narrow the issues in contention.

(2) It is the professional duty of solicitors to advise their clients about mediation. Mediation shall be considered at the earliest possible stage in order to facilitate an amicable resolution of the dispute.

(3) The types of mediation and / or counselling which the Court may direct are as follows:

82. Mandatory counselling and mediation

(1) This paragraph applies to mandatory counselling and mediation for divorcing parents with at least one child below the age of 21 years.

(2) Notice(s) of attendance for mandatory counselling and / or mediation with location details will be sent to the applicant and respondent in the divorce proceedings. Attendance by the parties is compulsory. Attendance by the parties’ respective solicitors, if any, is required only when specifically stated in the notice.

(3) All parties together with their solicitors (if any) are required to attend a Family Dispute Resolution Conference (“FDR Conference”) for a preliminary discussion of the issues relating to the child or children of the marriage. The purpose is to crystallise the issues relating to the child or children and to agree on mutually convenient dates for the parties to attend counselling / mediation. Solicitors and parties are expected to come prepared to discuss all issues relating to or impacting the child or children. Any unresolved issue relating to the divorce (including any ancillary issues such as the question of maintenance or the division of matrimonial assets) may also be discussed.

(4) At the FDR Conference, directions may be given in relation to the filing and exchange of relevant documents and / or proposals and a mediation date will be given if appropriate for the case. It is important that parties attend on the dates given and use the opportunity to discuss and resolve the issues with the help of a Judge-Mediator and / or Court Family Specialist (i.e. court counsellor).

(5) After the FDR Conference, the parties alone will attend an Intake and Assessment Session with their assigned Court Family Specialist.

(6) Subsequent counselling sessions, involving only the parties, may be fixed by the assigned Court Family Specialist and the parties.

(7) Under section 139I(3) of the Women’s Charter 1961, the Court may dispense with the attendance of the parties at mediation / counselling if it deems that it is not in the interest of the parties concerned to do so (e.g. where family violence has been committed or where Child Protection Services is involved in the case).

(8) Solicitors must advise their client of the consequences of non-attendance under section 139I(5) of the Women’s Charter 1961.

83. Mediation conducted by the Court

(1) This paragraph applies to mediations conducted by the Court, whether child-related or otherwise.

(2) Parties and their solicitors (if any) must personally attend all mediation sessions.

(3) The parties and their solicitors (if any) are to prepare a Summary for Mediation in the prescribed format in Form 83 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions prior to the mediation for submission and discussion during the mediation, together with all relevant documents as may be directed by the Court.

(4) Where interim judgment or judgment of judicial separation has not been granted, any agreement reached will be formally recorded by the Judge-Mediator and parties will be directed to request for an uncontested hearing date.

(5) For all other proceedings not covered by sub-paragraph (4), any agreement reached will be recorded as a consent order by the Judge-Mediator at a mediation session or any other Judge upon the confirmation of the terms by the parties and / or solicitors

(6) Mediation will be conducted on a without prejudice basis. All communications made in the course of mediation will be treated in strict confidence and will not be admissible in any court unless otherwise stipulated by law. If the dispute is not resolved at the mediation session, the Judge-Mediator or any other Judge will give the necessary directions to enable the case to proceed to trial, and the case will be heard by a Judge other than the Judge-Mediator conducting the mediation.

(7) Where there is a disagreement between the parties on the terms of the agreement which were recorded at mediation, either party may write in for a clarification before the Judge-Mediator.

84. Court-ordered private mediation

(1) This paragraph applies to private mediations ordered by the Court.

(2) The Registrar or the Judge may order that parties in proceedings which meet the criteria in paragraph 81(3)(2) attend private mediation conducted, at parties’ election, by the Singapore Mediation Centre or the Law Society Mediation Scheme (collectively referred to as “Assigned Private Mediator(s)”), unless parties have agreed upon a mediator (“Agreed Private Mediator”). The Registrar or the Judge may also make any orders necessary, including any orders relating to the choice of mediator (if parties are unable to agree) and pertaining to the payment for the mediation and its related fees.

(3) For mediations conducted by the Assigned Private Mediator(s), the parties and / or solicitors shall provide the Registrar or the Judge with the necessary information for the Assigned Private Mediator(s) to contact them to arrange for the mediation. The Registrar or the Judge will give directions and timelines for parties to agree on a mediation date and to exchange case information, documents and mediation briefs. The Registrar or the Judge will fix a return date for parties and / or solicitors to update the Court on the outcome of the private mediation.

(4) For mediations conducted by the Agreed Private Mediator(s), the parties or their solicitors shall inform the Registrar or the Judge of the identity of their Agreed Private Mediator(s), the management of the mediation and the agreed date for mediation. The Registrar or Judge may make any order necessary for the timely and efficacious disposal of the case, including fixing return dates for the parties or their solicitors to update the Court, and / or re-directing the case to the Assigned Private Mediator(s).

(5) Parties and their solicitors (if any) must personally attend all mediation sessions, unless otherwise stated by the private mediator.

(6) Where interim judgment or judgment of judicial separation has not been granted, if the dispute is resolved at private mediation, the parties and / or solicitors shall inform the Court accordingly on the return date pursuant to sub-paragraph (3) or (4), as the case may be, and the parties will be directed to request for an uncontested hearing date.

(7) For all other proceedings not covered by sub-paragraph (6), if the dispute is resolved at private mediation, the parties and / or solicitors may apply for the grant of a consent order in accordance with paragraph 129 of these Practice Directions.

(8) If the dispute is not resolved at the private mediation, the Registrar or the Judge will give the necessary directions at the return date to enable the case to proceed accordingly.

85. Counselling

(1) This paragraph applies to counselling sessions directed by the Court.

(2) Counselling is conducted to help parties manage difficult emotions related to a divorce or any other familial relationship, and facilitating a parenting agreement that preserves significant relationships and supports children’s psychological adjustment to the separation. Counselling may also be directed after orders are made to assist with the emotional aspects of dealing with the outcome of the orders, particularly in cases involving the relocation of a child.

(3) Solicitors are not expected to attend any counselling sessions directed by the Court. However, solicitors may attend a counselling session if the assigned counsellor considers it appropriate.

(4) The counsellor may request that the child be included in the counselling sessions, either alone or together with the parents, depending on the case, if the counsellor is of the view that it would be in the interest of the child to be involved.

(5) Any request for a change or vacation of the counselling appointment shall be made at least 3 working days before the appointed date.

(6) Counselling sessions will be conducted on a without prejudice basis. Any consensus reached during counselling sessions will be recorded as a draft agreement. A copy of the draft agreement, recorded by the counsellor and signed by the parties, will be given to the parties to seek further advice from their respective solicitors (if any). The draft agreement and all communications made in the course of counselling will be treated in strict confidence and shall not be admissible in any court.

7B: Family Neutral Evaluation

86. Family Neutral Evaluation process

Recommendation for Family Neutral Evaluation (“FNE”)

(1) Pursuant to Part 8, Rule 2(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, if a Judge / mediator having conduct of a divorce case considers the case and its contested financial issues suitable for FNE, the parties will be informed of the same. The parties will usually be given 1 week to consider whether they wish to submit their financial issues for FNE. By default, FNEs are conducted on a non-binding basis. Parties may, by consent, opt for FNE to be conducted on a binding basis.

(2) If both parties agree to submit their financial issues for FNE, the parties are to file the following documents within 1 week or any other period as directed by the Court:

(a) a duly signed Joint Consent Form in Form 83-AA of Appendix A of these Practice Directions; and

(b) an “Other Hearing Related Request” to update the Court and seek directions for FNE.

(3) A Preliminary Conference for the FNE will be convened by the Court around 3 weeks after the filing and acceptance of the documents referred to in sub-paragraph (2). In the interim, if the parties have not filed their First Ancillary Affidavits, they may be directed to:

(a) exchange a list of assets, liabilities, means and expenses (together with all relevant supporting documents) within 2 weeks or any other period as directed by the Court; and

(b) submit to FDR by email their respective Statements for FNE in Form 83-AB of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, together with all relevant supporting documents at least 3 working days before the Preliminary Conference.

Parties will be given a designated email address (“FDR Email Address”) for the submission of their statements and documents.

(4) The information and documents referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(a) are similar to the information and documents relevant to the financial issues referred for FNE that parties are required to provide in their First Ancillary Affidavits.

Preliminary Conference

(5) Unless otherwise directed by the Court, all parties and their solicitors must attend the Preliminary Conference which will be conducted by the Evaluator.

(6) At the Preliminary Conference, the Evaluator will discuss the following matters with the parties and their solicitors:

(a) the financial issues referred for FNE;

(b) the areas of agreement and dispute;

(c) whether the FNE will be undertaken on a binding or non-binding basis;

(d) the date for the FNE session; and

(e) any other matters that will facilitate the efficient conduct of the FNE.

(7) Parties who have filed and exchanged their respective First Ancillary Affidavits prior to the Preliminary Conference and who wish to agree upfront to a binding FNE, will be directed by the Evaluator to file the parties’ Agreement for Binding FNE in Form 83-AD of Appendix A of these Practice Directions before the FNE session is scheduled.

(8) The Evaluator may give all necessary directions to facilitate the resolution of the case in accordance with the Objectives, including directions on submission of the following documents:

(a) each party’s further documents relevant or material to the FNE;

(b) parties’ Joint Statement for FNE in Form 83-AC of Appendix A of these Practice Directions or any other joint summary, at least 3 working days before the FNE session; and

(c) parties’ respective written submissions including case authorities.

All parties’ statements, summaries, documents, and submissions for FNE are to be sent by email to the FDR Email Address and are not to be filed in the Electronic Filing Service.

(9) At any stage of the FNE process, the Evaluator shall have the discretion to decline the conduct of FNE for a case in respect of any or all of its referred financial issues if the Evaluator is of the view that the case and / or the issue(s) are not suitable or have become unsuitable for FNE.

FNE session

(10) Unless otherwise directed, all parties shall attend the FNE session together with their solicitors. The solicitors having primary conduct over the case shall be present throughout the FNE session.

(11) The FNE session will usually be fixed for half a day. Depending on its complexity, the Evaluator may schedule more than one FNE session to complete the evaluation of a case.

(12) At the FNE session(s), the parties and their solicitors shall present their respective positions and supporting evidence to one another and the Evaluator. Rules of evidence do not apply in this process and cross-examination will generally not take place. The Evaluator may, at any time during the FNE session, ask questions to probe or clarify any submission or evidence presented by the parties. After all presentations and clarifications have been made, the Evaluator will give an evaluation of the relative merits of each party’s case and the likely outcome if it goes to trial.

(13) If the parties have entered into an Agreement for Binding FNE, they will be required to prepare a Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order in Form 8 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions to give effect to the Evaluator’s evaluation and to submit the same to the Court for consideration and recording of a consent order. If the FNE was conducted on a non-binding basis, the parties will be expected to use the Evaluator’s evaluation in their negotiations towards a settlement of their dispute.

Post-FNE Case Conference

(14) For the purpose of case management, a case conference (“Post-FNE Case Conference”) will be fixed around 1 week after the delivery of the Evaluator’s evaluation. Unless otherwise directed, all parties shall attend the Post-FNE Case Conference together with their solicitors.

(15) If the parties are able to arrive at a settlement at or before the Post-FNE Case Conference, parties may record a consent order at the conference.

(16) In the event that the parties are unable to resolve their dispute, the Evaluator will give such directions as he or she thinks fit, to facilitate the resolution of the case in accordance with the Objectives.

(17) If the parties have not previously attended mediation for their contested financial issues, the Evaluator may recommend that parties attend mediation at FDR to explore ways to resolve their dispute amicably and / or narrow the issues in contention. The results of the FNE may be made available by the Evaluator to the mediator for this purpose.

87. Confidentiality

(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the following shall be confidential and treated as “without prejudice” and shall not be disclosed to (or used as evidence in proceedings before) the Court dealing with any of the ancillary matters of the parties or in any other proceedings:

(a) all communications made by the parties and the Evaluator during the FNE, including the Evaluator’s evaluation; and

(b) all documents and materials prepared, submitted and / or exchanged in the course of and for the FNE.

(2) To avoid doubt, the following shall not be confidential:

(a) the parties’ Agreement for Binding FNE (if any);

(b) the Evaluator’s written evaluation (only when parties have entered into an Agreement for Binding FNE);

(c) directions given by the Evaluator / Judge after the conclusion of the FNE for the purpose of case management (including directions for the filing and exchange of affidavits); and

(d) documents and materials prepared, submitted and / or exchanged in the course of and for the FNE that would in any event have been subject to disclosure in other proceedings.

7C: Guidance on Direct Judicial Communications

88. Guidance on direct judicial communications in international family proceedings affecting children

Introduction

(1) This Practice Direction is issued to assist judges and solicitors dealing with family proceedings affecting children in which direct judicial communications may be beneficial. It is not intended to change the current rules or procedure or to affect the substantive rights of the parties, but is simply intended to facilitate cooperation in international cases, where appropriate.

(2) The Liaison Judges of Singapore are appointed by the Chief Justice, and it is part of their role to receive and, when necessary, channel incoming judicial communications and initiate or facilitate outgoing communications. The current appointees and further details of the Liaison Judges can be found on the Singapore Courts website at http://www.judiciary.gov.sg.

(3) Matters which may be the subject of direct judicial communications include, for example:

(a) scheduling the case in the foreign jurisdiction:

(i) to make interim orders, e.g. support, measure of protection;

(ii) to ensure the availability of expedited hearings;

(b) establishing whether protective measures are available for the child or other parent in the jurisdiction to which the child would be returned in the case of a child abduction case and, in an appropriate case, ensuring the available protective measures are in place in that jurisdiction before a return is ordered;

(c) ascertaining whether the foreign court can accept and enforce undertakings offered by the parties in the initiating jurisdiction;

(d) ascertaining whether the foreign court can issue a mirror order (i.e. same order in both jurisdictions);

(e) confirming whether orders were made by the foreign court;

(f) verifying whether findings about domestic violence were made by the foreign court;

(g) verifying whether a transfer of jurisdiction is appropriate.

(4) “Central Authority” in this Practice Direction is the Authority appointed under section 5 of the International Child Abduction Act 2010.

(5) To avoid doubt, all references to “parties” or their “representatives” shall, where a child is to be separately represented, include the child representative as appointed by the Court under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

Overarching principles

(6) Every judge engaging in direct judicial communications must respect the law of his or her jurisdiction.

(7) When communicating, each judge seised of the matter should maintain his or her independence in reaching his or her own decision on the matter at issue.

(8) Communications must not compromise the independence of the judge seised in reaching his or her own decision on the matter at issue. Any discussion about the merits of the case should be avoided.

(9) To avoid doubt, parties remain entitled under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 to call upon expert witnesses to prove or disprove the foreign law. The Court will take into account all the available evidence before arriving at a decision.

Procedure and safeguards

(10) Either party to the proceeding may raise with the judge the desirability and need for direct judicial communications.

(11) A judge seised of the matter may, if he or she determines it desirable, initiate direct judicial communication through the Liaison Judges.

(12) Before deciding whether to engage in direct judicial communications, the judge should consider:

(a) whether there is a question of foreign law or procedure to clarify with a judge in the foreign jurisdiction;

(b) whether the question can be answered or dealt with by the Central Authority in Singapore or the Central Authority in the foreign jurisdiction, and if so, the judge may consider having the Central Authority address the issue or obtain the information; and

(c) whether the question can be answered or dealt with by any judge in the foreign jurisdiction (other than the judge hearing the proceeding).

(13) The following are commonly accepted procedural safeguards.

(a) Except in special circumstances, parties are to be notified of the nature of the proposed communication;

(b) A record is to be kept of communications and it is to be made available to the parties;

(c) Any conclusions reached between the judges should be in writing and made available to parties;

(d) Parties or their representatives should have the opportunity to be present in certain cases, for example via conference call facilities.

(14) The commonly accepted procedural safeguards in sub-paragraph (13) should be adopted subject to Singapore’s legislation and rules.

(15) In special or urgent circumstances where parties were not notified in advance of the nature of the proposed communications, the judge should provide written reasons to the parties as to why there was no notification as soon as practicable.

(16) If any party objects to the proposed communications, the judge should direct submissions be lodged from all parties, and if necessary, should direct an oral hearing before ruling on the matter, giving short reasons for such ruling.

Initiating the communication

(17) In considering whether the use of direct judicial communications is appropriate, the judge should have regard to speed, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

(18) Judges should consider the benefit of direct judicial communications and at what stage of the proceeding it should occur. The timing of the communication is for the judge who initiates it to consider.

(19) The initial communication should ordinarily take place between our Liaison Judge and the Liaison Judge of the other jurisdiction, if any, in order to ascertain the identity of the judge seised in that jurisdiction. If no Liaison Judge has been appointed in the other jurisdiction, the Central Authority of Singapore or the party within jurisdiction is to assist in providing the identity of the judge in the other jurisdiction.

(20) When making contact with a judge in another jurisdiction, the initial communication should normally be in writing sent by email from FJC_Family_Registry@judiciary.gov.sg, subject to provisions set out in this Practice Direction in relation to written communications, and should in particular identify:

(a) the name and contact details of the initiating judge;

(b) the nature of the case (with due regard to confidentiality concerns);

(c) the issue(s) on which communication is sought;

(d) whether the parties before the judge initiating the communication have consented to judicial communication;

(e) when the communication may occur (with due regard to time differences);

(f) any specific questions which the judge initiating the communication would like answered;

(g) any other pertinent matters.

(21) The time and place for communications between the courts should be to the satisfaction of both courts.

(22) Personnel other than judges in each court may communicate fully with each other to establish appropriate arrangements for the communication without the necessity for participation of solicitors unless otherwise directed by either of the courts.

The form of communications and language difficulties

(23) Judges should use the most appropriate technological facilities in order to communicate as efficiently and as swiftly as possible.

(24) The initial method and language of communication should, as far as possible, respect the preferences, if any, indicated by the intended recipient in the list of members of the Liaison Judges. Further communications should be carried out using the initial method and language of communication unless otherwise agreed by the judges concerned.

(25) Where two judges do not understand a common language, and translation or interpretation services are required, such services could be provided by the court or the Central Authority in the country from which the communication is initiated.

Written communications

(26) Written communications, particularly in initiating the contact, are valuable as they provide for a record of the communication and help alleviate language and time zone barriers.

(27) Where the written communication is provided through translation, it is good practice also to provide the message in its original language.

(28) Communications should always include the name, title and contact details of the sender.

(29) Communications should be written in simple terms, taking into account the language skills of the recipient.

(30) As far as possible, appropriate measures should be taken for the personal information of the parties to be kept confidential.

(31) Written communications should be transmitted using the most rapid and efficient means of communication and, in those cases where it is necessary for confidential data to be transmitted, secured means of communication should be employed.

(32) Written communications should always be acknowledged as soon as possible with an indication as to when a response will be provided.

(33) All communications should be typewritten.

(34) Ordinarily, communications should be in writing, save where sub-paragraph (35) applies.

Oral communications

(35) Oral communications are encouraged where judges involved come from jurisdictions which share the same language.

(36) Where the judges do not speak the same language, one or both of them, subject to an agreement between the two judges concerned, should have at their disposal a competent and neutral interpreter who can interpret to and from their language.

(37) Where necessary, personal information concerning the parties should be anonymised for the purpose of oral communication.

(38) Oral communications can take place by either telephone or video conference and in those cases where it is necessary that they deal with confidential information, such communications should be carried out using secured means of communication.

(39) If both judges involved in the communication agree, the parties or their representative may be permitted to be present during the oral communication. If one party or representative is to be present, then the other party or representative should be permitted to be present.

(40) Subject to the agreement of both judges involved in the oral communications:

(a) such oral communications may be conducted in the presence of the parties or their representatives by way of video conference or by conference telephone call;

(b) the parties or their representatives may be permitted to speak during the communication, but if one party or representative wishes to speak, then the other party or representative should be permitted a chance to answer.

Post communications

(41) A written record of the communications should be sent to the parties as soon as practicable.

(42) Any correspondence or email or written communications between the judges should be preserved for the record.

Keeping Central Authority informed of judicial communications

(43) Where appropriate, the judge engaged in direct judicial communications may consider informing his or her Central Authority that a judicial communication will take place.

7D: Amendment of Documents

89. Amendment of originating application for adoption of child

Where the Court makes an order granting the applicant(s) permission to amend the originating application, the applicant(s) shall within 7 working days amend the originating application by amending the information in the appropriate electronic template. The applicant(s) shall also file a supporting affidavit averring to the truth of the contents of the amended originating application. The amended originating application and the supporting affidavit shall be served on the Guardian-in-Adoption and, where the application relates to a child in state care, the Director-General of Social Welfare.

90. Amendment of documents

General requirements for amendment of any document

(1) Where any document (inclusive of any originating application and summons) that has been filed in any proceedings is required to be amended and re-filed in Court, a fresh copy of the document with the amendments included must be prepared, regardless of the number and length of the amendments sought to be made.

(2) The procedure for amending a document is as follows:

(a) A fresh amended copy of the document should be produced.

(b) The number of times the document has been amended must be indicated in parentheses after the name of the document. It should therefore be entitled “[document name] (Amendment No. 1)” or “[document name] (Amendment No. 2)”, or as appropriate.

(3) The directions in sub-paragraph (2)(b) do not apply to originating applications and summonses amended from an application or summons to an application or summons without notice or the other way around.

(4) An amended document must be endorsed with a statement that it has been amended, specifying the date on which it was amended and by whom the order (if any) authorising the amendment was made and the date of the order, and if no such order was made, the relevant provision in the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 pursuant to which the amendment was made.

(5) The amendment endorsement shall take either one of the following forms:

(a) “By order of Court made on [date order was made]”; or

(b) “Pursuant to Part 8, Rule [cite specific rule number] of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024”.

(6) The amendment endorsement must be appended to the title of the document, after the amendment number as required under sub-paragraph (2)(b). Where a document is amended more than once, the endorsement need only cite the basis for the most recent amendment. For example:

(a) “Originating Application for Divorce (Amendment No. 3, by order of Court made on 1 April 2024)”;

(b) “Originating Application for Divorce (Amendment No. 1, pursuant to Part 8, Rule 9(1)(a)(ii) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024)”.

Other requirements for amendment of documents (except Court orders which are composed online through the Electronic Filing Service)

(7) The changes made in the document from the latest version of the document filed in Court should be indicated in the following way:

(a) deletions shall be made by drawing a single line across the words to be deleted; and

(b) insertions must be underlined.

Colour scheme for amendments

(8) In addition, the following colours shall be used to indicate the history of the amendments in the specified documents:

(a) black for the first round of amendments;

(b) red for the second round of amendments;

(c) green for the third round of amendments;

(d) blue for the fourth round of amendments; and

(e) brown for subsequent rounds of amendments.

Amendment for third time or more

(9) From the third round of amendments onwards, the amended specified document should comprise two versions of the document, i.e.:

(a) a clean version without the amendments shown; followed in the same document by

(b) a version showing the amendments in colour.

(10) Only one amended document consisting of these two versions is required to be filed.

Other requirements for amendment of Court orders which are composed online through the Electronic Filing Service

(11) Where an order of Court composed online through the Electronic Filing Service is to be amended pursuant to Part 8, Rule 11 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the amended order of Court is to be prepared and filed by entering the relevant amendments in the appropriate electronic template. The amended order of Court need not be filed in Portable Document Format (PDF).

Amendment of case title to add a party

(12) Where the permission of Court has been obtained to add a party to the main case title of a matter, for example, an intervener, or any party that was previously a non-party, the applicant or his or her solicitor is to file a request through the Electronic Filing Service to add that specific party to the main case title.

Contents

PART 1 : INTRODUCTION

1. Citation and commencement

2. Application

3. Definitions

4. References to written laws

5. Updating

6. Calculation of time

7. Forms

8. Registrar’s Circulars

8A. Compliance with Practice Directions and Registrar’s Circulars

PART 2: PROCEEDINGS UNDER PART 10 OF THE WOMEN’S CHARTER 1961

9. Definitions of this Part

10. Arrangements for the welfare of children

11. Seeking the Court’s approval under section 94A(4) of the Act

12. Cross-application

13. Named person

14. Consent to divorce on the ground of 3-year separation

15. Simplified hearing track for divorce / judicial separation proceedings

16. Case conferences

17. Uncontested matrimonial proceedings

18. Documents for use in trials of contested matrimonial proceedings under Part 10 of the Act

19. Claims for ancillary relief

20. Binding summaries

21. Agreement on claim(s) for ancillary relief

22. Evidence in proceedings for avoidance of disposition

Part 3: QUASI-CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

3A: General

23. Definitions

24. Application of this Part 3

25. Application of Practice Directions

26. Bundles of authorities

27. Request for Court records

28. Change of solicitors

29. Other requests

30. Payment in and out of Court

31. Absence of respondent – Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3B proceedings

3B: Category 1 Proceedings

32. Alternative dispute resolution

33. Pre-hearing matters

34. Service of summons under Part 8 or 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961 (except an application made under section 69, 70 or 70A)

35. Documents and affidavits in respect of proceedings under Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961

36. Appointment of maintenance record officer

36A. Referral of maintenance enforcement application to maintenance enforcement officer

37. Referral for assessment

38. Showing proof of payment

39. Interlocutory and other applications

39A. Substitution of applicant for protection order

3C: Category 2 Proceedings

40. Definitions

41. Application for transmission of Singapore maintenance order

42. Application under section 4 or 5 of the Act

43. Pre-hearing matters

3D: Category 3 Proceedings

44. Pre-hearing matters

45. Interlocutory and other applications

46. Title of proceedings

PART 3I: ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD ACCESS ORDERS

3I: Enforcement of child access orders

46A. Definitions of this Part

46B. Enforcement of access orders by the Family Courts

46C. Scope of access enforcement application

46D. Commencement documents for access enforcement application

46E. Compliance bond

46F. Application to discharge compliance bond

46G. Application to forfeit compliance bond

46H. Hearings in Court and in chambers

Part 4: COMMENCEMENT OF PROCEEDINGS

4A: Commencement of Proceedings

47. Documents to be filed at the Registry

48. Information to be provided in cause papers and documents that are filed in the Registry

49. Identification numbers to be stated in cause papers

50. Endorsements on originating processes and other documents

51. Distribution of applications

52. Summonses

53. Notice of Proceedings

4B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

54. Submission of supporting documents

4C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

55. Definitions of this Part

56. Documents to be filed

57. Where permission is not required to make an application

58. Where permission is required to make an application

59. Applications involving the appointment of deputies

60. Application for statutory wills

61. Uncontested applications for certain specified matters

4D: Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

62. Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

4E: Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

63. Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

Part 5: PARTIES TO PROCEEDINGS

64. Litigation representative in mental capacity proceedings

65. Mental capacity proceedings: where P ceases to lack capacity or dies

66. Application to be added as a party

67. Appointment of litigation representative for persons under disability

68. Informing of a party’s death in cases where proceedings are to be abated

Part 6: SERVICE, CONSENT AND RELEVANT PERSONS

6A: Service of Documents

69. Personal service of processes and documents

70. Substituted and dispensation of service

6B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

71. Dispensation of consent and / or service

72. Requirements for substituted and dispensation of service

6C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

73. Service of application on named respondents and relevant persons

74. Relevant persons

75. Consent of relevant persons

76. Notification of P

77. Responding to an application

Part 7: JUDGE-LED APPROACH IN RESOLVING FAMILY DISPUTES

7A: Case Management, Mediation and Counselling

78. Judicial case management

79. Case assignment

80. Case conferences

81. Powers of the Court to direct mediation and / or counselling

82. Mandatory counselling and mediation

83. Mediation conducted by the Court

84. Court-ordered private mediation

85. Counselling

7B: Family Neutral Evaluation

86. Family Neutral Evaluation process

87. Confidentiality

7C: Guidance on Direct Judicial Communications

88. Guidance on direct judicial communications in international family proceedings affecting children

7D: Amendment of Documents

89. Amendment of originating application for adoption of child

90. Amendment of documents

Part 7I: THERAPEUTIC JUSTICE MODEL

90A. Introduction

90B. Definition and objectives of Therapeutic Justice

90C. Purpose and application

90D. The tracks and the triage process

90E. Standard Track

90F. Teams Track

90G. Role of parties and solicitors under the TJ Model

90H. Exercise of judge-led powers and the Court’s discretion as to costs

Part 8: DISCLOSURE

91. Inspection of original of document disclosed

92. Voluntary request and disclosure

93. How to provide disclosure

94. Relying on documents / information disclosed through correspondence

Part 9: EXPERT EVIDENCE

95. Examination of children

96. Expert Witness Template

97. Application for approval to cross-examine an expert witness

Part 10: RELEVANT PROFESSIONALS AND CHILD REPORTS

98. Child representative

Part 11: PARENTING COORDINATION PROGRAMME

99. Parenting coordinator

Part 12: INJUNCTIONS AND OTHER INTERIM RELIEF BEFORE HEARING

100. Applications without notice for injunctions

101. Injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets

102. Documents in support of applications without notice for injunctions (including injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets)

103. Providing the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (“ICA”) with Court orders or injunctions restraining or prohibiting the taking of child out of Singapore

PART 13: COURT HEARINGS AND EVIDENCE

13A: Conduct of Court Proceedings and Hearings-Related Matters

104. Attendance at hearings in the Family Justice Courts

105. Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar and Judge at the Family Courts

106. Duty Registrar and Duty Magistrate

107. Request for urgent hearing before Duty Judge

108. Request for urgent hearing dates or urgent hearings prior to the filing of the application through the Electronic Filing Service

109. Requesting a hearing date through the Electronic Filing Service

110. Adjournment or vacation of hearing dates and part-heard cases

111. Absence of parties

112. Attendance of solicitors

113. Absence from Court on medical grounds

114. The Central Queue Management System and Central Display Management System

115. Precedence and preaudience of Senior Counsel

116. Court dress

117. Submissions and examination by leading and assisting solicitor

118. Applications under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934

119. Use of electronic and other devices

120. Publication of and reports and comments on Court cases

121. Production of record of hearing

122. Application for Court records and certification of transcripts for family matters

123. Access to case file, inspection, taking copies of documents and conducting searches

13B: Documents and Authorities for use in Court

124. Filing of documents and authorities for use in Court generally

125. Hearings in chambers

126. Formatting requirements and page limits for written submissions

127. Written submissions and bundles of authorities for special date hearings in the Family Division

128. Citation of written judgments

13C: Consents

129. Consent orders

13D: Evidence – Witnesses, Affidavits and Exhibits

130. Definitions

131. Witnesses

132. Giving of evidence by person outside Singapore through live video link or live television link in any proceedings (other than proceedings in a criminal matter)

133. Form of affidavits

134. Forms that are deemed to be affidavits

135. Non-documentary exhibits to affidavits

136. Documentary exhibits to affidavits

137. Affirming and signing of affidavits in Singapore before, and completing of attestation by, commissioner for oaths through live video link or live television link

138. Affirming of documents by persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or blind

139. Effect of non-compliance

140. Objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief

PART 14: PAYMENT INTO AND OUT OF COURT

141. Filing directions to the Accountant-General for payment into and out of Court

PART 15: JUDGMENTS AND ORDERS

142. Draft orders of Court

143. Extracting an order granted by consent

144. Unnecessary extraction of orders of Court

145. Order of Court for proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

PART 16: APPEALS

146. Appeals under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

147. Request for further arguments before Judge

148. Use of presentation slides for all proceedings before the Family Division of the High Court

PART 17: APPEALS FROM TRIBUNALS TO FAMILY DIVISION AND CASE STATED

149. Appeals from tribunals and applications for a case to be stated or by way of case stated to the Family Division under Part 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

PART 18: COSTS

150. Definitions

151. Basis of assessment

152. Form of bill of costs

153. Electronic filing of bills of costs for assessment

154. Objections

155. Amount allowed as disbursements on account of use of Electronic Filing Service

156. Assessments involving the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid

157. Fixing costs instead of ordering assessment

PART 19: ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS AND ORDERS

158. Requests for the bailiff’s attendance

159. Seizure or attachment under an enforcement order

160. Claims and objections to seizure or attachment

161. Sale and valuation of seized property

162. Sale of immovable property

163. Bailiff’s Internet website

164. Examination of enforcement respondent

PART 20: COURT FEES

165. Definitions of this Part

166. Request for waiver or deferment of court fees in Family Division

167. Electronic payment of court fees

168. Stamping of documents

PART 21: ELECTRONIC FILING SERVICES

21A: General

169. Application

21B: Electronic Filing under the IELS

170. Proceedings for which the IELS is to be used

171. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

172. Appointment of agent to establish service bureau

173. Registered user and authorised user

174. Certificate of Service

175. Form of documents

176. Pagination of documents

177. Filing documents through service bureau

178. Filing of documents to the Family Justice Courts through another service bureau

179. Limits on the size and number of documents submitted using the IELS

180. Documents which cannot be converted into an electronic format

181. Rejection of documents, back-dating and refund of penalty

182. Hard copies of documents

183. Responsibility for accuracy and completeness of information submitted using the IELS

21C: Electronic Filing under the iFAMS

184. Proceedings for which the iFAMS is to be used

185. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

186. Authorised user and authorised agent

187. Electronic filing of written complaints

188. Documents

189. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

190. Amendment of documents

191. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the iFAMS

21D: Electronic Filing under the ICMS

192. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and proceedings for which the ICMS is to be used

PART 22: ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

193. Personal data

194. Operating hours of the Family Justice Courts

195. Hours for the sittings of the Family Justice Courts

196. Use of video or telephone conferencing for hearings

197. Technology facilities in Supreme Court building

198. Citation of case numbers

199. Requests and other correspondence

200. Request for court interpreters

201. Authorisation for collection of Court documents or mail

202. The Friends of Litigant-in-Person (“FLiP”) Scheme

PART 23: APPLICATION AND CITATION OF CASE NUMBERS (PROBATE AND OTHER MATTERS PROCEEDINGS)

203. Application of provisions of the Rules of Court 2021

204. Application of these Practice Directions

205. Application of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021

206. Citation of case numbers

PART 24: NON-CONTENTIOUS PROBATE PROCEEDINGS

207. Application of this Part

208. Applications for grant of probate or letters of administration or resealing

209. Filing of supporting affidavit

210. Affidavits of due execution and affidavits as to terms, conditions and date of execution of will

211. Affidavits of foreign law or certificate of notary in relation to foreign law

212. Filing of Schedule of Assets for estates where death occurs on or after 15 February 2008

213. Filing of schedules of property for non-dutiable estates where death occurred before 15 February 2008

214. Security for grants of letters of administration

215. Applications for dispensation of sureties for grants of letters of administration

216. Issuance of grant

217. Amendment of originating application and grant

218. Words or expressions where translation is not required

PART 25: CONTENTIOUS PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE FAMILY JUSTICE (PROBATE AND OTHER MATTERS) RULES 2024

219. Definitions

220. Judge led approach in resolving disputes and case management

221. Attendance of solicitors at case conferences

222. Documents to be filed for case conferences

223. Overview of amicable resolution of dispute

224. Amicable resolution offer and response to amicable resolution offer

225. Powers of the Court to direct mediation

226. Mediation conducted by the Court

227. Court-ordered private mediation

228. Transfer of proceedings

229. Appeals

PART 26: YOUTH COURTS

230. Application and Appeals

231. Magistrate’s complaints (private summonses)

232. Application for Court Records for Youth Courts matters

233. Initiation of prosecution

234. Charges

235. Checklists

236. Applications

237. Bundles of authorities for Youth Courts Proceedings

238. Documents

239. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

240. Amendment of charges and documents

241. Noting of appearances of solicitors / prosecutors

242. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the ICMS

243. Giving evidence through live video or television link

244. Documents for use in criminal trials

244A. Application by person-in-charge of juvenile rehabilitation centre

PART 27: APPLICABILITY OF COURT FORMS

245. Applications and documents with no specific court forms

246. General matters to note

247. Table of Forms

• Forms in Appendix A (Forms for use in Family Justice (General) Rules 2024)

• Forms in Appendix B (Common forms for use in Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024)

• Forms in Appendix C (Forms for use in Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024)

• Forms in Appendix D (Forms for use in Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024)

• Appendix E (Sample Bills of Costs)

• Forms in Appendix F (Forms for use in Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024)

APPENDIX A: FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (GENERAL) RULES 2024

APPENDIX B: COMMON FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (GENERAL) RULES 2024 AND FAMILY JUSTICE (PROBATE AND OTHER MATTERS) RULES 2024

APPENDIX C: FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (PROBATE AND OTHER MATTERS) RULES 2024

APPENDIX D: FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (PROTECTION FROM HARASSMENT) RULES 2024)

APPENDIX E: SAMPLE BILLS OF COSTS

APPENDIX F: FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS IN YOUTH COURTS) RULES 2024

91. Inspection of original of document disclosed

92. Voluntary request and disclosure

93. How to provide disclosure

94. Relying on documents / information disclosed through correspondence

91. Inspection of original of document disclosed

A party who wishes to inspect the original of any document disclosed pursuant to Part 9, Rule 15 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 may use the Notice to Inspect in Form 88 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions to make the request. A party who receives a Notice to Inspect shall provide his or her response by completing the part(s) applicable to him or her and sending the duly completed notice to the applying party.

92. Voluntary request and disclosure

(1) Under Part 9, Rule 5 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a party is not required to issue a request for disclosure before filing a summons for disclosure. However, if a party wishes to issue a voluntary request for disclosure (“the requesting party”) prior to such filing, he or she may do so after being served with the affidavit of the disclosing party to which the disclosure sought relates to.

(2) The process for issuing and responding to a voluntary request for disclosure is as follows:

(a) The requesting party must write to the disclosing party to specify:

(i)the documents and / or information sought; and

(ii)the date by which the disclosing party must respond whether such disclosure will be provided.

(b) The request in sub-paragraph (2)(a) must include the following warning:

This is a request for voluntary disclosure issued by the other party (“the requesting party”). If you agree to disclose any or all of the documents / information sought, the requesting party may rely on your agreement to (i) dispense with the filing of a summons for disclosure and (ii) request that the Court records your agreement as an order of Court.

If you are not represented by a solicitor, you may wish to consult an independent lawyer (not the requesting party’s lawyer) to understand the legal effect of this document.

(c) If the disclosing party agrees to provide full or partial disclosure of the documents / information sought:

(i) the disclosing party must respond by the date specified in sub-paragraph (2)(a)(ii) stating the extent of disclosure he or she is willing to provide, notwithstanding that the actual document and / or information has not yet been provided; and

(ii) the requesting party must file and serve Form 85A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions within 7 days from the date specified in sub-paragraph (2)(a)(ii), to inform the Court of the agreed scope of disclosure.

(3) Parties are to note that when filing Form 85A in the IELS, it is to be filed using the document code “Other Supporting Document” but renamed as “Information on Agreed Voluntary Disclosure”.

(4) Where Form 85A is filed, the requesting party may request that the Court records a consent order for disclosure as per the agreement in Form 85A.

(5) If a party wishes to file a summons for disclosure, he or she must adhere to the timelines prescribed in Part 9, Rule 5(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, regardless of whether he or she has issued a voluntary request for disclosure. To avoid doubt, it is not necessary to include in the summons for disclosure the items that the disclosing party has agreed to provide pursuant to the voluntary request and disclosure process in sub-paragraph (2).

93. How to provide disclosure

(1) Where the Court allows or the parties mutually agree, the disclosing party may elect to provide the documents / information by (a) filing and serving a separate affidavit containing the same or (b) correspondence in any agreed manner of communication such as letter or email.

(2) When providing disclosure in any manner, the disclosing party must ensure that the provided documents / information are tagged to the specific item of request. For this purpose, the disclosing party may prepare a List of Disclosure with the following information:

94. Relying on documents / information disclosed through correspondence

(1) This paragraph applies where a party, in his or her subsequent affidavits, refers to documents / information which were disclosed only through correspondence.

(2) For clarity, the party in sub-paragraph (1) should:

(a) identify the document / information by specific reference to the relevant correspondence in which the disclosure was made (e.g. S/N 1 in List of Disclosure dated 31 May 2024); and

(b) if appropriate, exhibit the disclosed document / information.

(3) Pursuant to Part 2, Rule 16(5) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a party must file a Third Ancillary Affidavit to exhibit documents / information disclosed by him or her which are not included in his or her First or Second Ancillary Affidavit but are referred to in the other party’s Second Ancillary Affidavit. To avoid the need to file a Third Ancillary Affidavit, the parties should liaise with each other to ensure that all relevant evidence is included in the Second Ancillary Affidavit as far as possible. For this purpose, a party who intends to rely on the disclosed documents / information given by the other party should give reasonable notice to the other party ahead of the deadline for the Second Ancillary Affidavit. This will allow the other party to include those documents / information in his or her own Second Ancillary Affidavit.

4A: Commencement of Proceedings

47. Documents to be filed at the Registry

48. Information to be provided in cause papers and documents that are filed in the Registry

49. Identification numbers to be stated in cause papers

50. Endorsements on originating processes and other documents

51. Distribution of applications

52. Summonses

53. Notice of Proceedings

4B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

54. Submission of supporting documents

4C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

55. Definitions of this Part

56. Documents to be filed

57. Where permission is not required to make an application

58. Where permission is required to make an application

59. Applications involving the appointment of deputies

60. Application for statutory wills

61. Uncontested applications for certain specified matters

4D: Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

62. Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

4E: Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

63. Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

4A: Commencement of Proceedings

47. Documents to be filed at the Registry

(1) All documents to be filed in the Registry must have the title “In the Family Justice Courts of the Republic of Singapore”.

(2) Parties are to refer to paragraph 3(4) of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015 for the documents which will continue to be filed at the Legal Registry of the Supreme Court.

48. Information to be provided in cause papers and documents that are filed in the Registry

(1) This paragraph shall apply to all cause papers and documents that are not filed using the Electronic Filing Service.

(2) To facilitate the contacting of solicitors having conduct of an action or matter by members of the staff of the Family Justice Courts, the following information must be inserted on the cover sheet or the backing sheet of all cause papers and documents filed in the Registry in the format set out below:

(3) The information is to be inserted as a block near the bottom of the cover sheet or near the bottom right hand corner of the backing sheet.

49. Identification numbers to be stated in cause papers

Parties named in the title of the documents

(1) Where a party to any proceedings in the Family Justice Courts first files a document in such proceedings, he or she shall state his or her identification number, in parentheses, in the title of the document immediately below or after his or her name. Thereafter, all documents subsequently filed in the proceedings by any party shall include this identification number in the title of the documents in parentheses below or after the name of the party to which it applies.

Parties not named in the title of the documents

(2) Where a party to any proceedings in the Family Justice Courts first files a document in such proceedings, and the name of the party does not appear in the title of the document but does appear in the body of the document, then the identification number of the party should be stated, in parentheses, below or after the first appearance of his or her name in the document. Thereafter, all documents subsequently filed in the proceedings by any party shall include this identification number in parentheses immediately below or after the first appearance of the name of the party to which it applies in the subsequent document.

Documents filed by two or more parties

(3) Sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to documents which are filed by more than one party.

Identification numbers for non-parties

(4) If any person (living or dead), any entity or any property is in part or in whole the subject matter of any proceedings, or is affected by any proceedings, but is not a party thereto, and the name of such person, entity or property is to appear in the title of the documents filed in the proceedings, the party filing the first document in the proceedings must state the identification number of such person, entity or property in parentheses immediately below or after the name of the same. Thereafter, all documents subsequently filed in the proceedings by any party shall include this identification number in parentheses immediately below or after the name of the person, entity or property to which it applies. If the party filing the first document in the proceedings is unable, after reasonable enquiry, to discover the identification number of the person, entity or property, he or she may state immediately below or after the name of the same “(ID Unknown)”. All documents subsequently filed by any party shall then contain these words in parentheses below or after the name of this person, entity or property.

Special cases

(5) The following directions shall apply in addition to the directions contained in sub-paragraphs (1) to (4):

(a) where a party is represented by a litigation representative or guardian in adoption or deputy, sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) shall apply to the litigation representative or guardian in adoption or deputy as if he or she were party to the proceedings, and the identification numbers of the party, the litigation representative and / or guardian in adoption and / or deputy must be stated below or after the name of each, as appropriate;

(b) where parties are involved in any proceedings as the personal representatives of the estate of a deceased person, sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) shall apply to the deceased person as if he or she were a party; and

(c) where more than one identification number applies to any party, person, entity or property, all the identification numbers shall be stated in any convenient order.

Identification numbers

(6) When entering the identification number in the Electronic Filing Service, the full identification number, including the letters before and after the number should be entered.

Guidelines for the selection of identification numbers

(7) The following guidelines should be followed in deciding on the appropriate identification number.

(a) Natural person with Singapore identity card

For a natural person who is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, the identification number is the number of the identity card issued under the National Registration Act 1965. The 7-digit number as well as the letters at the front and end should be stated. For example, “(NRIC No. S1234567A)”.

(b) Natural person with FIN number

For a natural person (whether a Singapore citizen or permanent resident or not) who has not been issued with an identity card under the National Registration Act 1965, but has been assigned a FIN number under the Immigration Regulations, the identification number is the FIN number. The number should be preceded by the prefix “FIN No.”

(c) Natural person: birth certificate or passport number

For a natural person (whether a Singapore citizen or permanent resident or not) who has not been issued with an identity card under the National Registration Act 1965 or assigned a FIN number, the identification number is the birth certificate or passport number. The number should be preceded by either of the following, as appropriate: “(Issuing country) BC No.” or “(Issuing country) PP No.”

(d) Natural person: other numbers

For a natural person who is not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, and has not been assigned a FIN number and does not have a birth certificate or passport number, the identification number is the number of any identification document he or she may possess. Both the number as well as some descriptive words which will enable the nature of the number given and the authority issuing the identification document to be ascertained should be stated. For example, “Japanese Identification Card No.”

(e) Deceased person

For a deceased natural person, the identification number shall be as set out in sub-paragraphs (7)(a) to (d). However, if such numbers are not available, the identification number is the death registration number under the Registration of Births and Deaths Rules or the equivalent foreign provisions, where the death is registered abroad. The number as well as the following words should be stated: “(Country or place of registration of death) Death Reg. No.”

(f) Company registered under the Companies Act 1967

For a company registered under the Companies Act 1967, the identification number is the Unique Entity Number (UEN).

(g) Company registered outside Singapore

For a company registered outside Singapore which is not registered under the Companies Act 1967, the identification number is the registration number of the company in the country of registration.

(h) Business registered under the Business Names Registration Act 2014

For a body registered under the Business Names Registration Act 2014, the identification number is the UEN number.

(i) Limited liability partnership registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005

For a limited liability partnership registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005, the identification number is the UEN number.

(j) Other bodies and associations

For any other body or association, whether incorporated or otherwise, which does not fall within sub-paragraphs 7(f) to (i), the identification number is any unique number assigned to the body or association by any authority. Both the number as well as some descriptive words which will enable the nature of the number given and the authority assigning the number to be ascertained should be stated. For example, “Singapore Trade Union Reg. No. 123 A”.

(k) No identification numbers exist

Where the appropriate identification numbers prescribed by sub-paragraphs (7)(a) to (j) do not exist, the following words should be stated immediately below or after the name of the party, person or entity concerned: “(No ID No. exists)”.

Inability to furnish identification number at the time of filing a document

(8) If a party who wishes to file a document is unable at the time of filing to furnish the necessary identification numbers required by this paragraph, the party may indicate “(ID No. Not Known)” at the time of filing. However, when the necessary identification numbers have been obtained, the party will have to furnish the necessary identification numbers to the Registry through the Electronic Filing Service.

Meaning of document

(9) To avoid doubt, the words “document” and “documents” when used in this paragraph include all originating processes filed in the Family Justice Courts regardless of whether they are governed by the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

Non-compliance

(10) Any document which does not comply with this paragraph may be rejected for filing by the Registry.

50. Endorsements on originating processes and other documents

(1) Where it is necessary to include endorsements on any document, the directions in this paragraph apply.

(2) Endorsements are normally made on originating processes and other documents to show renewal and amendments. Such endorsements on originating processes and other documents do not require the Registrar’s signature as they are made pursuant to either an order of Court or the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. The Registrar should therefore not be asked to sign such endorsements.

(3) For documents that are filed through the Electronic Filing Service as electronic forms composed online:

(a) Solicitors should select the appropriate endorsement, and check the accuracy of the electronic form in the preview stage before filing the originating process or other document. The acceptance by the Registry of electronic forms composed online does not affect the regularity of any endorsements on the document.

(b) Where endorsements can be made prior to the filing or issuance of a document, those endorsements must be incorporated into the document before the document is filed or issued.

(c) Where endorsements must be made on a document which has already been filed or issued, a fresh copy of the document containing the relevant endorsements must be prepared, and the document must be re-filed or re-issued, as the case may be. An example of this would be renewals of originating applications.

51. Distribution of applications

All applications in chambers (including originating applications and summonses) shall be filed without specifying whether the application is to be heard before a Judge or the Registrar.

52. Summonses

(1) A party filing a summons without notice must indicate in the summons that it is without notice. A party filing a summons “by consent” must file the consent of all other parties to the matter in the relevant form.

(2) After the filing of any summons without notice or “by consent” summons, the application will be examined by the Judge or Registrar as the case may be. If the Judge or Registrar is satisfied that the application is in order and all other requirements have been complied with, the Judge or Registrar may make the order(s) applied for without the attendance of the applicant or his or her solicitor.

(3) Summonses that are filed using the Electronic Filing Service will be routed to the inbox of the applicant solicitor’s Electronic Filing Service account. Where the summons is filed through the service bureau, it may be collected at the service bureau. Enquiries by telephone will not be entertained.

(4) Where a summons is filed in a matter for which a trial or hearing date has already been fixed, the summons must include a special request informing the Court of the trial or hearing date(s).

53. Notice of Proceedings

(1) This paragraph applies to all originating applications except originating applications for:

(a) orders under the Protection from Harassment Act 2014; and

(b) an appeal against the decision of a tribunal, an application for a case to be stated or an application by way of case stated.

(2) An originating application is to be served with the applicable Notice of Proceedings (“NOP”), which sets out important information to the recipient on subsequent steps which he or she should take.

(3) The table below sets out the applicable NOP which should be used depending on the nature of the originating application:

(4) While the correct version of the NOP is designed to be issued along with the originating application, the applicants are reminded to verify the accuracy of the information within the NOP. The crucial details include the correct timeline for the recipient’s response and the correct version of the NOP.

Generation of NOP

(5) For an originating application for orders under the Mental Capacity Act 2008 (Simplified), the NOP (Simplified) can be generated in the iFAMS with the originating application when the originating application is issued. Otherwise, the applicant shall prepare the NOP using the relevant URL link in the iFAMS or the relevant forms in these Practice Directions.

(6) For all other originating applications to which this paragraph applies, the NOP can be generated in the IELS in 2 ways: (a) with the originating application when the originating application is issued; or (b) as a separate court document.

4B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

54. Submission of supporting documents

(1) Where the child has been issued a physical birth certificate, the original birth certificate and the original translation of the birth certificate (if any) of the child shall be submitted to the Adoption Counter of the Family Registry at least 7 working days prior to the hearing of the originating application accompanied with a cover letter in the prescribed format in Form 69 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(2) Where the child has been issued a digital or electronic birth certificate, sub-paragraph (1) does not apply. To avoid doubt, where the child has been issued a digital or electronic birth certificate that cannot be verified (e.g. by way of a QR code), the Court may direct the applicants to furnish evidence in support of the authenticity of the child’s birth certificate.

4C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

55. Definitions of this Part

In this Part 4C, unless the context otherwise requires, “Act” means the Mental Capacity Act 2008.

56. Documents to be filed

(1) The Court may reject any document filed if there are errors or if the document does not comply with the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, these Practice Directions, or any other directions made by the Court.

(2) The explanatory text in Form 59 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions shall be excluded from the originating application. In addition, where a choice is set out in the form (e.g. deputy / deputies), the inapplicable choice shall be deleted.

57. Where permission is not required to make an application

If the applicant falls or believes himself or herself to fall within the categories of persons who do not require permission to file an application, this shall be stated in the supporting affidavit. Relevant documents, such as copies of birth certificates or marriage certificates, of the lasting powers of attorney or of the Court orders appointing the deputies shall be exhibited to support the averment that no permission is required for an application under the Act.

58. Where permission is required to make an application

Where permission is required to make an application, that prayer must be included in the main application itself. There is no requirement for a separate application for permission. The grounds upon which the applicant is relying to obtain such permission must be stated clearly in the supporting affidavit. The Court will decide whether to grant such permission based on the grounds relied upon by the applicant.

59. Applications involving the appointment of deputies

The prayers

(1) It must be stated clearly in the originating application whether the declaration sought in respect of P’s lack of capacity concerns either P’s personal welfare or P’s property and affairs or both.

(2) The applicant shall ensure that the originating application, the supporting affidavit and the doctor’s affidavit exhibiting the medical report are consistent as to whether P lacks capacity in relation to his or her personal welfare or his or her property and affairs or both.

(3) If there is more than one deputy sought to be appointed, the originating application must state whether the deputies are to act jointly or jointly and severally.

(4) The powers sought for the deputies are to be drafted appropriately to suit the purpose of each application.

(5) Any other specific orders or reliefs that are required on the particular facts of each case are to be included.

The supporting affidavit by the applicant and the deputies

(6) If there is more than one applicant or proposed deputy, a single affidavit shall be made by all the applicants or proposed deputies. The applicants or proposed deputies shall not file separate supporting affidavits.

The doctor’s affidavit exhibiting the medical report

(7) The application shall also be accompanied by a doctor’s affidavit and medical report.

(8) In order to assist the Court, the medical report shall:

(a) distinguish clearly between observations or conclusions based on information given to the doctor and those that are based on the doctor’s examination of P;

(b) contain a clear opinion as to whether P lacks capacity in relation to the matters specified in the application;

(c) be current and must comply with the following requirements:

(i) the medical report must have been prepared less than 6 months before the date of the application to Court; and

(ii) the medical report must be based on an examination of P by the doctor less than 12 months before the date of the report;

(d) contain a clear opinion on P’s prognosis; and

(e) contain sufficient information to justify the doctor’s opinions and conclusions.

The affidavit by the successor deputy or deputies

(9) If the applicant seeks to apply for the appointment of a successor deputy or deputies, the application must also be accompanied by an affidavit of the proposed successor deputy or deputies in Form 62 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

60. Application for statutory wills

(1) The application for a statutory will under section 23(1) of the Act shall be accompanied by a supporting affidavit which includes the following information and exhibits:

(a) a copy of the draft will;

(b) a copy of the existing will or codicil (if any);

(c) any consents to act by proposed executors;

(d) details of P’s family, preferably in the form of a family tree, including details of the full name and date of birth of each person included in the family tree;

(e) a schedule showing details of all of P’s assets and properties, with up to date valuations;

(f) an up to date report of P’s medical condition, life expectancy, likelihood of requiring increased expenses in the foreseeable future, and testamentary capacity; and

(g) an explanation as to why it is necessary or desirable for the Court to execute the will on behalf of P.

(2) The Court may direct that any other material or information is to be filed by the applicant and if it does, the material or information is to be set out in a supplementary affidavit.

(3) The application shall also be accompanied by a doctor’s affidavit and medical report, both of which must comply with paragraph 59(8) of these Practice Directions.

(4) The applicant must name as a respondent:

(a) any beneficiary under an existing will or codicil who is likely to be materially or adversely affected by the application;

(b) any beneficiary under the proposed will or codicil who is likely to be materially or adversely affected by the application;

(c) any prospective beneficiary under P’s intestacy where P has no existing will; and

(d) any donee under a lasting power of attorney executed by P or any Court-appointed deputy of P.

(5) Once an order is made for a statutory will, the applicant must file a copy of the will for sealing by the Court. The statutory will is considered valid only with the seal of Court.

61. Uncontested applications for certain specified matters

(1) A specified matter application under Part 5, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 shall be made via the iFAMS under “Mental Capacity Act Application”.

(2) The specified matters to which Part 5, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 apply are the appointment of a deputy / deputies to make decisions on P’s behalf in relation to one or more of the following matters:

(a) To consent to medical treatment for P;

(b) To consent to dental treatment for P.

(c) To decide where and with whom P is to live;

(d) To decide on care services for P;

(e) To decide on travelling arrangements for P;

(f) To open a bank account for P;

(g) To close P’s bank account;

(h) To place P’s money in fixed deposit accounts in P’s bank;

(i) To terminate GIRO arrangements linked to P’s bank account;

(j) To cancel P’s credit cards;

(k) To pay P’s debts;

(l) To rent out P’s property;

(m) To decide on upgrading or renovation of P’s property;

(n) To lodge a Notice of Death in respect of P’s property;

(o) To apply for a replacement Certificate of Title in respect of P’s property;

(p) To purchase insurance policies for P;

(q) To place P’s monies in a trust for P;

(r) To apply to and / or communicate with and / or make agreements with any Government agency or agency or entity designated by the Government to administer the matter in question on behalf of P to the extent to which P would have been able to if P had mental capacity, and to receive monies paid to P by any government agency or agency or entity designated by the government in relation to the aforesaid;

(s) To obtain information relating to P;

(t) To decide and act for P in relation to Central Provident Fund matters;

(u) To receive monies paid to P on a regular basis by the Central Provident Fund Board;

(v) To enter into contracts for P;

(w) To conduct legal proceedings in P’s name or on P’s behalf;

(x) Provided that the total amount received is no more than $80,000, to do one or more of the following:

(i) To withdraw monies from P’s bank account;

(ii) To surrender, claim, receive and / or administer P’s insurance monies;

(iii) To sell P’s shares;

(iv) To sell P’s motor vehicle.

(y) To receive up to $60,000 of P’s monies from the Central Provident Fund Board in addition to monies paid to P on a regular basis by the Central Provident Fund Board.

(3) A medical report filed by P’s doctor in support of a specified matter application under Part 5, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 is to be filed through the iFAMS under “Mental Capacity Act Application”. In order to assist the Court, the medical report must be current and must comply with the following requirements:

(a) the medical report must have been prepared less than 6 months before the date of the application to Court; and

(b) the medical report must be based on an examination of P by the doctor less than 12 months before the date of the report.

4D: Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

62. Proceedings under the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013

(1) In this Part 4D, unless the context otherwise requires, “Act” means the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013.

(2) The affidavit in support of an application under section 10 or 15 of the Act for the determination or declaration of parenthood must:

(a) state the grounds of the application;

(b) include any information which may assist the Court in determining the application;

(c) state whether the applicant has made a previous application under the Act in respect of the same relevant child, and if so, to provide particulars of that application including any order of Court made in that application;

(d) include a Statement in Form 70 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions; and

(e) include any document for proving the matters stated in the affidavit.

(3) The supporting affidavit referred to in sub-paragraph (2) must verify the information in the Statement referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(d).

(4) The affidavit in support of an application for permission of the Court referred to in section 10(2)(d) of the Act must:

(a) state the grounds of the application;

(b) include any information which may assist the Court in determining the application;

(c) state whether the applicant has made a previous application under the Act in respect of the same relevant child, and if so, to provide particulars of that application including any order of Court made in that application; and

(d) include any document for proving the matters stated in the affidavit.

4E: Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

63. Proceedings under the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974

(1) In this Part 4E, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Act” means the Voluntary Sterilisation Act 1974;

(b) “relevant person” means a person who lacks capacity, within the meaning of section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act 2008, to consent to undergoing any treatment for sexual sterilisation

(2) The affidavit in support of an application under section 3(2)(d) or (e) of the Act must contain the following:

(a) if the application is made under section 3(2)(d) of the Act, an authenticated copy of the marriage certificate or the entry in the register of marriages in respect of the applicant and the relevant person;

(b) if the application is made under section 3(2)(e) of the Act and the applicant is a parent of the relevant person, an authenticated copy of the birth certificate of the relevant person;

(c) if the application is made under section 3(2)(e) of the Act and the applicant is a guardian of the relevant person, such evidence to show that the applicant has been entrusted with the care and custody of the relevant person;

(d) a statement by the applicant that he or she has received, from the registered medical practitioner who will be carrying out the treatment for sexual sterilisation, a full and reasonable explanation as to the meaning and consequences of that treatment, and that the applicant clearly understands the meaning and consequences of that treatment;

(e) a report from the registered medical practitioner who will be carrying out the treatment for sexual sterilisation stating that:

(i) the relevant person who is to undergo such treatment lacks capacity within the meaning of section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act 2008 to consent to that treatment;

(ii) he or she has given the applicant a full and reasonable explanation as to the meaning and consequences of that treatment; and

(iii) such treatment is in his or her professional opinion necessary in the best interests of the relevant person.

3A: General

23. Definitions

24. Application of this Part 3

25. Application of Practice Directions

26. Bundles of authorities

27. Request for Court records

28. Change of solicitors

29. Other requests

30. Payment in and out of Court

31. Absence of respondent – Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3B proceedings

3B: Category 1 Proceedings

32. Alternative dispute resolution

33. Pre-hearing matters

34. Service of summons under Part 8 or 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961 (except an application made under section 69, 70 or 70A)

35. Documents and affidavits in respect of proceedings under Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961

36. Appointment of maintenance record officer

36A. Referral of maintenance enforcement application to maintenance enforcement officer

37. Referral for assessment

38. Showing proof of payment

39. Interlocutory and other applications

39A. Substitution of applicant for protection order

3C: Category 2 Proceedings

40. Definitions

41. Application for transmission of Singapore maintenance order

42. Application under section 4 or 5 of the Act

43. Pre-hearing matters

3D: Category 3 Proceedings

44. Pre-hearing matters

45. Interlocutory and other applications

46. Title of proceedings

3A: General

23. Definitions

In Part 3, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “authorised user” has the meaning given by Part 28, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(b) “Category 1 proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(c) “Category 1A proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(d) “Category 2 proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(e) “Category 3 proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(f) “Category 3A proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(g) “Category 3B proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(h) “Category 4 proceedings” has the meaning given by Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

24. Application of this Part 3

(1) The directions in paragraphs 25, 26 and 27 of these Practice Directions apply in relation to proceedings mentioned in Part 3, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) The directions in paragraphs 28, 29 and 30 of these Practice Directions apply in relation to Category 1 proceedings, Category 1A proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3 proceedings only.

(3) The directions in paragraph 31 apply in relation to Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3B proceedings only.

(4) The directions in Part 3B apply in relation to Category 1 proceedings only.

(5) The directions in Part 3C apply in relation to Category 2 proceedings only.

(6) The directions in Part 3D apply in relation to Category 3 proceedings only.

25. Application of Practice Directions

(1) The following parts / paragraphs of these Practice Directions apply with necessary modifications to Category 1 proceedings and Category 1A proceedings:

Part 1

Part 4A, except paragraph 53

Part 5, paragraph 67

Part 7, paragraphs 78, 79 and 80 (except sub-paragraphs 1(b), 1(g), 1(i) and (4))

Part 13, paragraphs 104, 105, 106, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123(9), 123(10), 123(14), 124 (except sub-paragraphs (6) and (11)), 125, 126, 127, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 140

Part 16

Part 18

Part 20

Parts 21A and 21C

Part 22

Part 27

(2) Part 8, excluding paragraphs 92 and 94(3), applies to all maintenance proceedings, in addition to the parts / paragraphs set out in sub-paragraph (1).

(3) The following parts / paragraphs of these Practice Directions apply with necessary modifications to Category 2 proceedings:

Part 1

Part 5, paragraph 67

Part 7, paragraphs 78, 79 and 80 (except sub-paragraphs 1(b), 1(g), 1(i) and (4))

Part 13, paragraphs 104, 105, 106, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123(9), 123(10), 123(14), 124 (except sub-paragraphs (6) and (11)), 125, 126, 127, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 140

Part 16

Part 18

Part 20

Parts 21A and 21C

Part 22

Part 27

(4) The following parts / paragraphs of these Practice Directions apply with necessary modifications to Category 3 proceedings:

Part 1

Part 4A, except paragraph 53

Part 5, paragraph 67

Part 7, paragraphs 78, 79 and 80 (except sub-paragraphs 1(b), 1(g), 1(i) and (4))

Part 13, paragraphs 104, 105, 106, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123(9), 123(10), 123(14), 124 (except sub-paragraphs (6) and (11)), 125, 126, 127, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 140

Part 16

Part 18

Part 20

Parts 21A and 21C

Part 22

Part 27

(5) The following parts / paragraphs of these Practice Directions apply with necessary modifications (including the modification in sub-paragraph (6)) to Category 4 proceedings:

Part 1

Part 7, paragraphs 78, 79 (except sub-paragraphs (6) to (10)) and 80 (except sub-paragraphs 1(b), 1(g), 1(i) and (4))

Part 13 (Court Hearings and Evidence), paragraphs 104, 106, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 124 (except sub-paragraphs (6) and (11)), 125(1), 126, 127, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 140

Part 18 (Costs), paragraphs 150, 151, 152, 154(1) and 157

Part 20

Parts 21A and 21D

Part 22

Part 27

(6) For Category 4 proceedings, any reference to filing of documents, requests or correspondence through the Electronic Filing Service in these Practice Directions is to be read as a reference to submission to the Registry via email to FJC_MAINTPOS@judiciary.gov.sg or submission of hard copies.

26. Bundles of authorities

(1) Any party to the proceedings or his or her solicitor shall submit their own bundle of authorities. In this regard, paragraphs 124(7) to (10) of these Practice Directions shall be complied with.

(2) The bundle of authorities shall be submitted to the Court and served on all relevant parties at least 3 working days before trial.

(3) Notwithstanding any directions in these Practice Directions to the contrary, bundles of authorities shall not be filed electronically.

27. Request for Court records

(1) In relation to any Category 1 proceedings, Category 1A proceedings, Category 2 proceedings or Category 3 proceedings:

(a) An application for a copy of any part of the record of any proceedings by authorised users for a case registered in the iFAMS or migrated to the iFAMS must be made via the iFAMS under “Request for Court records”.

(b) An application for a copy of the document mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) by an applicant who is not an authorised user must be made in Form 48 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(2) In relation to any Category 4 proceedings, an application for a copy of any part of the record of any proceedings by a party to the proceedings or the appointed solicitor must be made in Form 48 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(3) The party making the request shall provide the reasons for the request and documents in support of the request, where applicable. Any request which does not comply with the directions in this paragraph may be rejected. The approval of such requests shall be at the discretion of the Court.

(4) Upon consideration of the request by the Court, parties will be notified of the outcome of the request or given directions by the Court as the case may be, where appropriate.

(5) The applicant shall be allowed to collect the copy of the record of proceedings applied for only if the fees payable, including any balance fee payable, have been fully paid by him or her.

28. Change of solicitors

(1) In the case where a solicitor is to be discharged with the client’s consent, the solicitor should attach the letter of authorisation from the client permitting him or her to file the Notice of Change of Representation on the client’s behalf.

(2) Despite anything in Part 3 of the Family (General) Justice Rules 2024 or the filing of a Notice of Change of Representation, parties may be directed by the Court to attend mediation or counselling at the first mention for any application. Parties are therefore required to attend the first mention for any application, unless the Court otherwise directs that their presence is dispensed with.

(3) Where a solicitor files a Notice of Change of Representation which leads to the client being self-represented, he or she is to inform the client of the date and time of the next mention or hearing date and that the client is to attend Court for the said mention or hearing, as the case may be.

(4) The Director of Legal Aid or a solicitor assigned to act for an aided person under the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1995 need not file the notice of appointment or the notice of ceasing to act as the Grant of Aid or cancellation of Grant of Aid will be filed with the Registry.

29. Other requests

(1) The following requests for a case registered via the iFAMS must be made via the iFAMS:

(a) Requests for permission to leave jurisdiction;

(b) Requests to cancel a warrant of arrest;

(c) Requests to change court appointments;

(d) Requests to restore or reinstate a struck-off case;

(e) Requests to withdraw an application; and/or

(f) Request by maintenance enforcement officer for an information order or information permission.

(2) The party making any of the requests in sub-paragraph (1) should provide the reasons for the request and documents in support of the request, where applicable. Any request which does not comply with the directions in this paragraph may be rejected. The approval of such requests shall be at the discretion of the Court.

(3) Upon consideration of the request by the Court, parties will be notified of the outcome or given directions by the Court as the case may be, where appropriate.

30. Payment in and out of Court

Where an appeal is to be filed under Part 19, Division 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 against an order made for proceedings to which this paragraph applies, the application for payment in and out of Court of the security deposit is to be made via the iFAMS under “Payment of money into Court” or “Payment of money out of Court”, as the case may be.

31. Absence of respondent – Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3B proceedings

(1) A summons for an application under Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3B proceedings must be endorsed with a statement of the matters set out in Part 3, Rule 15(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) To avoid doubt, where the Court hears an application mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) in the absence of the respondent, the Court may:

(a) examine the applicant and any witness called in support of the application; and

(b) make an order if the Court is satisfied that the requirements for making the order have been met.

(3) Where an order is made in the absence of the respondent, the order must be accompanied by a memorandum stating that the respondent may apply to revoke or rescind an order that was made in the absence of the respondent.

3B: Category 1 Proceedings

32. Alternative dispute resolution

(1) Pursuant to section 26(9) of the Family Justice Act 2014, the Court may direct parties to attend mediation for maintenance matters or counselling for family violence matters to encourage and assist parties in reaching a resolution or to narrow the issues in contention.

(2) Parties must personally attend and be prepared to discuss their cases during the mediation or the counselling session. Parties in maintenance proceedings should bring the documents referred to at paragraph 35(3) of these Practice Directions to facilitate discussion during the mediation.

(3) Mediation and counselling will be conducted on a without prejudice basis. All communications made in the course of these sessions will be treated in strict confidence and will not be admissible in any court. The mediation notes will therefore not be made available to the parties.

(4) If the dispute is not resolved at the session, the matter will be referred back to the Mentions Court before a judge of the Family Court who will give the necessary directions to enable the case to proceed to trial.

33. Pre-hearing matters

(1) The applicant and respondent must inform the judge of the Family Court presiding over the Mentions Court of all relevant matters that may affect the hearing of the case including, but not limited to, the following matters:

(a) Applications for disclosure for maintenance cases;

(b) Applications for stay of proceedings for maintenance cases;

(c) Applications to strike out the whole or parts of affidavits which:

(i) had been exchanged between the parties in the proceedings; or

(ii) where such affidavits had been used in other proceedings, are being referred to and intended to be used in the proceedings;

(d) The number and identity of the witnesses that will be called to give evidence and who had agreed to give evidence for the party concerned;

(e) Challenges to expert reports; and

(f) Related proceedings which are pending in any court including the Syariah Court.

(2) All applications in relation to Parts 7, 8, 9 and 11 of the Women’s Charter 1961 under Part 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, other than for (a) the main applications and interlocutory applications in family violence and maintenance proceedings and (b) applications for disclosure, shall be made via the iFAMS under “Other applications”.

(3) An application for disclosure under Part 3, Rule 21 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 is to be made via the iFAMS under “Applications for disclosure”.

(4) The applicant and respondent are to make their own arrangements for the witnesses they intend to call to give evidence at the hearing of their application, including applying for a Summons to a Witness where necessary.

(5) An application by a party for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must be made via the iFAMS under “Application for summons to give evidence”.

(6) The party applying for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must provide the reasons for the application. Any application which does not comply with the directions in this paragraph may be rejected. The approval of such applications shall be at the discretion of the Court.

34. Service of summons under Part 8 or 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961 (except an application made under section 69, 70 or 70A)

(1) The prior written consent of the party referred to in Part 3, Rules 9(3)(a) and 9(4)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 shall be in Form 24 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions. This Form can be submitted in its physical form or by using the QR Code provided for this purpose which is made available at the Court premises and also found on the Singapore Courts website at http://www.judiciary.gov.sg.

(2) In the event of any change to the party’s details in Form 24, such as email address; mobile telephone number; or if there is a change in the party’s position with regard to his or her consent for service of the summons; it shall be for the party to notify the Court of the changes within 7 days of such change by email sent to: FJC_MAINTPOS@judiciary.gov.sg. The said email must make reference to the relevant case numbers and be copied to the other party in the proceedings. If there is revocation of consent, the date of revocation shall be taken to be the date of the email unless it is otherwise specified to take effect on a later date.

(3) The party will thereafter receive an acknowledgement from the Family Justice Courts.

35. Documents and affidavits in respect of proceedings under Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961

(1) Affidavits to be filed under Part 3, Rule 19(1)(a) or 19(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 should contain only facts relevant to the application and shall, as far as possible, be in Form 27, 27-B, 27-C, 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D, 28E or 28F (as the case may be) of Appendix A of these Practice Directions. Parties may depart from the standard form to meet their case as necessary.

(2) The Court may, in its discretion, allow an unsworn statement prepared in accordance with the standard form, to be filed in lieu of an affidavit. Parties may depart from the standard form to meet their case as necessary.

(3) In maintenance proceedings under Part 8 of the Women’s Charter 1961, each party must provide the list of required documents set out in Form 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D, 28E or 28F (as the case may be) in his or her affidavit or statement.

Medical report required in an application under section 69(1A)

(4) In an application under section 69(1A) of the Women’s Charter 1961, the applicant must include a medical report given by a registered medical practitioner in his affidavit or statement.

(5) The Court may, in its discretion, allow a medical report given by a foreign doctor, if the Court is satisfied that there is good reason to do so.

(6) The Court may require a report mentioned in sub-paragraph (5) to be accompanied by documentary evidence of the foreign registration of the foreign doctor giving the report.

(7) In this paragraph:

(a) “foreign doctor” means an individual who is duly authorised or registered to practise medicine in a state or territory other than Singapore by a foreign authority having the function conferred by law of authorising or registering individuals to practise medicine in that state or territory; and

(b) “foreign registration”, in relation to a foreign doctor, means the authorisation or registration of the foreign doctor to practise medicine in a state or territory other than Singapore by a foreign authority having the function conferred by law of authorising or registering individuals to practise medicine in that state or territory.

36. Appointment of maintenance record officer

(1) Upon the making of an order for the appointment of a maintenance record officer, unless the Court orders otherwise, the parties to the proceedings shall prepare an additional set of required documents as set out in the applicable affidavit / statement in Form 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D, 28E or 28F (as the case may be) and such other documents as the Court may direct.

(2) The documents referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the Court prior to the hearing of the application and in accordance with such directions as the Court may give.

(3) Upon the appointment of the maintenance record officer, the officer shall contact the parties directly to make the necessary arrangements and appointments for the purpose of preparing a report under Part 3, Rule 20(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. The parties shall keep to the appointments to avoid any postponement of the hearing of the application.

(4) A request by a maintenance record officer under Part 3, Rule 20(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be made in Form 29 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and served on the party against whom production of the documents is sought and the other party.

(5) Unless the Court directs otherwise, a copy of the report under Part 3, Rule 20(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 shall be prepared and be submitted to the Court and the parties not less than 7 working days before the hearing of the application.

36A. Referral of maintenance enforcement application to maintenance enforcement officer

(1) Where a maintenance enforcement application has been referred to a maintenance enforcement officer (“MEO”), the parties shall prepare a set of documents as directed by the Court and as prescribed under Regulation 3 of the Women’s Charter (Enforcement of Maintenance Orders under Division 3 of Part 9) Regulations 2024.

(2) The documents referred to in sub-paragraph (1), together with any report prepared under Section 89 of the Women’s Charter 1961 (“MEO report”) (including an interim MEO report) and any other documents that may be directed by the Court, shall be submitted to the Court prior to the hearing of the maintenance enforcement application and in accordance with such directions as the Court may give.

(3) Upon the referral of the maintenance enforcement application, the MEO shall contact the parties directly to make the necessary arrangements and appointments for the purposes of Section 84 of the Women’s Charter 1961. The parties shall keep to the appointments to avoid any postponement of the hearing of the maintenance enforcement application.

(4) A request by a MEO under Part 3, Rule 22N(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be made in Form 29-A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and served on the party against whom production of the documents is sought and the other party.

(5) Unless the Court directs otherwise, a copy of the MEO report under Section 89 of the Women’s Charter 1961 shall be prepared and be submitted to the Court and the parties not less than 7 working days before the date of the hearing of the maintenance enforcement application.

37. Referral for assessment

Notwithstanding that an application under Part 8 or 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961 has not been made, an applicant may, with his or her consent, be referred by the Registry for an assessment to ascertain the financial circumstances of the applicant or the respondent or both prior to the making of such application.

38. Showing proof of payment

(1) Where an order for enforcement of maintenance arrears provides for a party to show proof of payment via the iFAMS, the party required to show proof of payment may do so via the iFAMS under “Show proof of payment of maintenance”.

(2) The Court will notify the party required to show proof of payment through either one or more of the following modes of communication – letter, email or mobile phone text message if the proof of payment is satisfactory. The notification of the Court’s acceptance of proof of payment will not be communicated orally over the telephone.

(3) If the proof of payment via the iFAMS is for any reason unsatisfactory, the Court may reject the proof of payment and notify the party required to show proof of payment, by the modes of communication specified in sub-paragraph (2).

(4) To avoid doubt, if the proof of payment via the iFAMS is rejected, or if the party required to show proof of payment does not receive any notification from the Court exempting him from attending Court on the acceptance of the proof of payment, the party must attend personally at the Maintenance Mediation Chambers, Level 2 of the Family Justice Courts to show proof of payment on or before the date specified in the order of Court.

39. Interlocutory and other applications

Pursuant to Part 3, Rule 12(1)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, Part 3, Rule 12 applies to the following interlocutory applications arising in the course of any Category 1 proceedings:

(a) An application to recuse a Judge;

(b) An application to challenge the jurisdiction of the Court;

(c) An application to stay the proceedings;

(d) An application to strike out the whole or part of an affidavit;

(e) An application to strike out the whole or part of an application made under Part 3, Rule 12 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(f) An application under section 28(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014;

(g) An application for permission under section 62A of the Evidence Act 1893;

(h) An application for an extension of time; and

(i) An application to set aside an information order or information permission.

39A. Substitution of applicant for protection order

For the purposes of Part 3, Rule 22H(3)(c) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, where a protector is the applicant for a protection order made in relation to family violence against a person, and the person wishes to replace the protector as the applicant for a subsequent application under Division 3 of Part 7 of the Women’s Charter 1961 relating to that protection order, the person may obtain a copy of the relevant consent form from the protector.

3C: Category 2 Proceedings

40. Definitions

In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Act” means the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1975; and

(b)“Singapore maintenance order” means a maintenance order made by a court in Singapore, and includes a provisional order made by a court in Singapore and confirmed under section 4(5) of the Act by a competent court in a reciprocating country.

41. Application for transmission of Singapore maintenance order

(1) An application under section 3(1) of the Act for a Singapore maintenance order to be sent to a reciprocating country must:

(a) if there are arrears under the Singapore maintenance order, contain a statement of the arrears and the manner in which the amount in arrears is calculated;

(b) specify the date on which the Singapore maintenance order was made;

(c) contain such particulars as are known to the payee under the Singapore maintenance order of the whereabouts of the payer under the order;

(d) specify any matters likely to assist in the identification of the payer; and

(e) be accompanied by:

(i) a recent photograph of the payer, if such a photograph is available to the payee;

(ii) a copy of the Singapore maintenance order;

(iii) an undertaking by the payee to be responsible personally for such expenses, as may be incurred and where requested by the responsible authority in the reciprocating country, for the service of the Singapore maintenance order on the payer under the order; and

(iv) any other document for the purpose of enforcement of the Singapore maintenance order in the reciprocating country.

(2) The payee must, on receiving notification from the Registrar of the amount of the expenses in sub-paragraph (1)(e)(iii), pay that amount to such person as the Registrar may direct.

42. Application under section 4 or 5 of the Act

(1) An application made under section 4(1) of the Act against a person residing in a reciprocating country or an application under section 5 of the Act to vary a Singapore maintenance order must be accompanied by:

(a) an undertaking by the applicant to be responsible personally for such expenses, as may be incurred and where requested by the responsible authority or a court (as the case may be) in the reciprocating country, for the service of a provisional order, made by a court in Singapore upon hearing the application, on the payer under the order; and

(b) any other document for the purpose of confirmation of the provisional order in the reciprocating country.

(2) The applicant must, on receiving notification from the Registrar of the amount of the expenses in sub-paragraph (1)(a), pay that amount to such person as the Registrar may direct.

43. Pre-hearing matters

(1) The applicant and respondent are to make their own arrangements for the witnesses they intend to call to give evidence at the hearing of their application, including applying for a Summons to a Witness where necessary.

(2) An application by a party for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must be made via the iFAMS under “Application for summons to give evidence”.

(3) The party applying for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must provide the reasons for the application. Any application which does not comply with the directions in this paragraph may be rejected. The approval of such applications shall be at the discretion of the Court.

3D: Category 3 Proceedings

44. Pre-hearing matters

(1) The applicant and respondent (if any) in the proceedings must inform the Court dealing with a case conference on the matter or the Judge presiding over the case of all relevant matters that may affect the hearing of the case including, but not limited to, the following matters:

(a) applications relating to the same vulnerable adult in other proceedings;

(b) related proceedings which are pending in any Court;

(c) the number and identity of the witnesses that will be called to give evidence and who had agreed to give evidence for the party concerned; and

(d) challenges to expert reports.

(2) The Court may, in its discretion, allow an unsworn statement to be filed for use at the hearing of the application in lieu of an affidavit.

Summons to a Witness

(3) The applicant and respondent are to make their own arrangements for the witnesses they intend to call to give evidence at the hearing of the application, including applying for a Summons to a Witness where necessary.

(4) An application by a party for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must be made via the iFAMS under “Application for summons to give evidence”.

(5) The party applying for a Summons to a Witness to give evidence must provide the reasons for the application. Any application which does not comply with the directions in this paragraph may be rejected. The approval of such applications shall be at the discretion of the Court.

45. Interlocutory and other applications

Pursuant to Part 3, Rule 12(1)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, Part 3, Rule 12 applies to the following interlocutory applications arising in the course of any Category 3 proceedings:

(a) An application to recuse a Judge;

(b) An application to challenge the jurisdiction of the Court;

(c) An application to stay the proceedings;

(d) An application to strike out the whole or part of an affidavit;

(e) An application to strike out the whole or part of an application made under Part 3, Rule 12 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024;

(f) An application under section 28(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014;

(g) An application for permission under section 62A of the Evidence Act 1893; and

(h) An application for an extension of time.

46. Title of proceedings

Every affidavit, statement, notice or other document in any proceedings under Division 1, 2 or 3 of Part 2 of the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018 (other than an application under section 12 for an order under section 14(1)(e), (f), (g) or (h), or an application under section 17 to vary, suspend or revoke such an order) must be entitled in the matter of the vulnerable adult concerned, naming the vulnerable adult, and in the matter of the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018.

141. Filing directions to the Accountant-General for payment into and out of Court

141. Filing directions to the Accountant-General for payment into and out of Court

(1) Where monies are to be paid into Court pursuant to a judgment or order of the Court, a copy of the judgment or order must be attached to the draft Directions to Accountant-General for payment in and filed into the case file via the Electronic Filing Service for approval by the Court. The Directions to Accountant-General for payment in must be in Form 148 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions.

(2) Where monies are to be paid out of Court, a copy of one of the following documents must be attached to the draft Directions to Accountant-General for payment out and filed into the case file via the Electronic Filing Service for approval by the Court:

(a) a copy of the judgment or order of Court; or

(b) the Notice of Acceptance of Money Paid into Court in Form 113 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

The Directions to Accountant-General for payment out must be in Form 148 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions.

(3) Each draft Directions to Accountant-General for payment in or payment out must contain amounts in a single currency. Where monies in different currencies are to be paid into or out of Court, separate draft Directions must be prepared for each currency in which payment is to be made.

Directions to Accountant-General for payment in or payment out

(4) Where the Directions to Accountant-General for payment in has been approved, the party or his or her solicitors (as the case may be; collectively “the Payment In Party”) must send a copy of the approved Directions to Accountant-General for payment in and the relevant judgment or order of Court to VITAL by email to VITAL_FS_Receivable@vital.gov.sg. Upon successful receipt of the documents, VITAL will provide instructions on how electronic payment is to be effected. A receipt will be issued by VITAL to the Payment In Party when payment is received by the Accountant-General.

(5) Where the Directions to Accountant-General for payment out has been approved, the party or his or her solicitors (as the case may be) must send a copy of the approved Directions to Accountant-General for payment out and the relevant judgment or order of Court to VITAL by email to VITAL_FS_Receivable@vital.gov.sg. Upon successful receipt of the documents, VITAL will provide instructions on the process for the release of the monies.

Request for information on balance of monies paid into Court

(6) Where a party wishes to request information on the balance of monies paid into Court, the party or his or her solicitors may send the request, accompanied by the case details and reasons for the request, by email to VITAL_FS_Receivable@vital.gov.sg.

149. Appeals from tribunals and applications for a case to be stated or by way of case stated to the Family Division under Part 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

149. Appeals from tribunals and applications for a case to be stated or by way of case stated to the Family Division under Part 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

(1) Part 20, Rule 3(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 states that the supporting affidavit must include the record of proceedings if that is available and is necessary for the appeal or the application. If the record of proceedings is necessary for the appeal or the application, and is not available at the time when the supporting affidavit is filed but subsequently becomes available, the appellant or applicant should seek permission from the Court to file a further affidavit to include the record of proceedings when it becomes available. To facilitate this, the appellant or applicant should promptly apply for any written grounds of decision, the record of evidence or notes of arguments taken in respect of the proceedings before the tribunal.

(2) Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, each party is to tender 1 hard copy each of his or her affidavits, written submissions and bundles of authorities (if any) to the Despatch Office at Level 1, Supreme Court Building within the timeline prescribed in Part 20, Rule 4(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(3) The formatting requirements for written submissions filed under Part 20, Rule 4(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are as follows:

(a) the minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent;

(b) the print of every page must be double-spaced; and

(c) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35 mm in width.

(4) The written submissions filed under Part 20, Rule 4(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 should not exceed 35 pages (including the cover page and table of contents). The written submissions must include a cover page and a table of contents. Parties are to note that where the Court allows the prescribed page limit to be exceeded, fees are payable under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(5) The party using the hard copy of the bundle of authorities for the hearing must, if directed by the Court, file the list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service within the timeline prescribed in Part 20, Rule 4(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. The bundle of authorities (whether in hard copy or soft copy) must comply with the requirements under paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions. In particular, where the bundle of authorities consists of more than 1 volume:

(a) the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(b) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume.

142. Draft orders of Court

143. Extracting an order granted by consent

144. Unnecessary extraction of orders of Court

145. Order of Court for proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

142. Draft orders of Court

(1) Part 18, Rules 3(7) and (8) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 place the burden of approving the drafts of judgments and orders on the solicitors themselves. The solicitors should therefore approve the drafts and not submit these drafts to the Registrar for approval.

(2) The Registrar’s signature on a judgment or order is only for the purpose of validity and does not in any way affect the regularity or irregularity of the contents of any judgment or order.

(3) Subject to sub-paragraph (4), parties in applications with notice should proceed to engross a final copy of the draft judgment or order for signature by the Registrar after agreeing on the draft. Draft orders for applications without notice may be submitted with the application without notice and the supporting affidavit when these are filed.

(4) For draft orders in electronic form that are composed online through the Electronic Filing Service, the process for extracting judgments and orders is as follows:

(a) Parties have the option of filing a system-generated order of Court through the Electronic Filing Service.

(b) Before filing the system-generated order of Court, the party extracting the order must:

(i) review and edit the order of Court electronic form to ensure that it accurately reflects the orders made by the Court; and

(ii) obtain the approval of all other parties to the application and provide evidence of such approval when filing the draft order of Court, for example, a Portable Document Format (PDF) copy of a draft order of Court signed by the solicitors of all parties to the application.

(c) The Registry will seal and issue an engrossed order of Court once its terms are approved.

(5) Where there is a dispute on the terms of the draft order, the party who writes to the Court pursuant to Part 18, Rule 3(9) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 is responsible for including in the letter all versions of the terms of the draft in dispute between the parties and all relevant correspondence.

143. Extracting an order granted by consent

(1) Parties are not required to approve a further draft consent order after the hearing.

(2) Solicitors need to file only the engrossed copy of the consent order after the draft consent order is granted.

144. Unnecessary extraction of orders of Court

To reduce unnecessary documentation and to expedite proceedings, solicitors are requested not to extract orders that need not be drawn up, as provided for in Part 18 Rule 3(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

145. Order of Court for proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

(1) Save for contested proceedings where Part 18, Rule 3(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 applies, an order of Court shall be drawn up and filed within 7 days after the order is made.

(2) An order of Court made under Part 5, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 shall be in the form made available in the iFAMS and will be sent by the Court either by email or such other means as deemed appropriate by the Court.

6A: Service of Documents

69. Personal service of processes and documents

70. Substituted and dispensation of service

6B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

71. Dispensation of consent and / or service

72. Requirements for substituted and dispensation of service

6C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

73. Service of application on named respondents and relevant persons

74. Relevant persons

75. Consent of relevant persons

76. Notification of P

77. Responding to an application

6A: Service of Documents

69. Personal service of processes and documents

(1) Solicitors are required to notify the Registry of the particulars of their employees who have been authorised by them to serve processes and documents (“authorised process servers”) by submitting a request to authorise user through the Electronic Filing Service. Where such authorised process servers are no longer so authorised, solicitors are to revoke or delete the authorisation immediately by submitting a request through the Electronic Filing Service. Solicitors’ employees do not require the authorisation of the Registrar to effect personal service of processes and documents.

(2) As personal service can be effected by a solicitor, a solicitor’s employee, a litigant who is not legally represented or such a person’s employee, Court process servers will not be assigned to effect personal service of originating processes and documents unless there are special reasons.

(3) If there are special reasons requiring personal service by a Court process server, a request for such service must be filed through the Electronic Filing Service, setting out the special reasons. The approval of the Duty Registrar must be obtained for such service. Once approval has been obtained, the documents for service must be presented at the counter designated for this purpose. A process server will then be assigned to effect service and an appointment for service convenient to both the litigant and the assigned process server will be given.

(4) On the appointed date, the person accompanying the process server must call at the Registry. The amount required for the transport charges of the process server (a record of which will be kept) must be tendered, or, alternatively, the process server in question must be informed that transport for him or her will be provided. The Registry will then instruct the process server to effect service.

(5) Under no circumstances should any payment be made directly to the process server.

70. Substituted and dispensation of service

(1) Unless otherwise specified, an application for substituted service or dispensation of service under Part 7, Rule 2(3) or 6 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 shall be in Form 79 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(2) In any application for substituted service, the applicant shall satisfy the Court that the proposed mode of substituted service is effective in bringing the document to the notice of the person to be served.

(3) The applicant should, where appropriate, consider other modes of substituted service, such as AR registered post or electronic means (including email or Internet transmission) in addition to or in substitution for substituted service by posting on doors or gates of residential or business premises.

(4) To avoid doubt, substituted service by prepaid AR registered post is deemed to be effective when the postal service has delivered the document, or attempted to deliver the document (in cases where no one is present or willing to accept the document).

(5) An application for substituted service by advertisement (in one issue of the Straits Times if the person to be served is literate in English, or one issue of the Straits Times and one issue of one of the main non-English language newspapers where his or her language literacy is unknown) should only be considered as a last resort and should contain evidence that the person to be served is literate in the language of the newspaper in which the advertisement will be placed.

(6) To avoid doubt, posting on the notice board of the Registry is not available as a proposed mode of substituted service.

6B: Proceedings under the Adoption of Children Act 2022

71. Dispensation of consent and / or service

(1) To ensure that adoption hearings are conducted more expeditiously, the applicants shall generally not be required to file separate summonses for orders such as dispensation of service of documents or dispensation of consent. Such prayers are to be set out in the originating application.

(2) Paragraph 72 of these Practice Directions shall apply to prayers for substituted service or dispensation of service of documents on a person whose consent is required, save for the case where the person whose consent is required consents to the summons for substituted service or dispensation of service.

(3) Before the Court dispenses with the consent of a person whose consent is required on the basis that the person cannot be found, the applicants shall make recent attempts to locate the person whose consent is required by contacting the person’s relatives, friends and employer(s) (if any), in order to discover the person’s whereabouts. The affidavit in support of the originating application must also include the matters set out in paragraphs 72(6)(a) to (e) of these Practice Directions.

(4) Where the biological parent(s) of the child is / are below the age of 21 years, the written consent of his or her parents (“the biological grandparents”) or guardian of the biological parent (“the parent’s guardian”) is required. Where the applicants are unable to obtain the said consent(s), they shall apply to dispense with the consent of the biological grandparent(s) or the parent’s guardian and aver in an affidavit why the biological parents’ / biological grandparents’ / parent’s guardian’s consent(s) ought to be dispensed with and the recent efforts made to obtain the said consent(s).

(5) Where the particulars of the biological father of the child are not stated on the child’s birth certificate, the biological mother of the child shall file an affidavit stating whether she is aware of the identity of the biological father and if so, to give brief reasons as to why his identity was not disclosed in the child’s birth certificate. If the biological mother is unaware of the biological father’s identity, she shall aver in her affidavit why this is so.

(6) It shall not be necessary to apply for the dispensation of consent of the biological parent(s) of the child and for the dispensation of service of documents on the biological parent(s) if the identity of the biological parent(s) is unknown.

72. Requirements for substituted and dispensation of service

(1) In any application for substituted service, the applicant shall satisfy the Court that the proposed mode of substituted service is effective in bringing the document to the notice of the person to be served.

(2) To avoid doubt, posting on the notice board of the Registry is not available as a proposed mode of substituted service.

Application for substituted service by way of posting on the front door at the last known address in Singapore (“the address”) of the person to be served

(3) The applicant should, where appropriate, consider other modes of substituted service, such as AR registered post or electronic means (including email or Internet transmission) in addition to or in substitution for substituted service by posting on doors or gates of residential or business premises.

(4) Two reasonable attempts at personal service should be made before an application for an order for substituted service is filed. In an application for substituted service, the applicant shall file a supporting affidavit stating the dates, times and outcomes of the said attempts and why he or she believes that such attempts made were reasonable.

(5) If there is no response for both attempts at personal service (i.e. the door was locked and no one came to the door during both attempts), the applicant needs to state in the affidavit:

(a) the evidence that the person to be served is currently residing at the address (for example, relevant search results from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Singapore Land Authority, the Housing & Development Board or the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority); and

(b) the grounds for the applicant’s belief that the person to be served is currently residing at the address, for example, that the applicant is also residing at the same address, and sees the person every day.

(6) If the applicant is not able to state both of the matters set out in sub-paragraphs (5)(a) and (b) in the affidavit, he or she shall make attempts to locate the person to be served by contacting the person’s relatives, friends, and employer(s) (if any), in order to discover the address at which the person is currently residing. The affidavit shall include the following matters:

(a) details of the applicant’s last contact with the person to be served, including the date, the mode of contact (i.e. over the telephone, a letter, or a meeting), and the contents of any communications made, whether written or oral;

(b) details of the applicant’s knowledge of the relatives and friends of the person to be served, and those person(s)’ knowledge of his or her whereabouts (“the contacts of the person to be served”), including their names, addresses and their relationship to the person and whether they live in Singapore or overseas;

(c) details of the applicant’s attempts to contact the contacts of the person to be served, including the number of such attempts made, the dates and mode of the said attempts (i.e. whether by telephone, letter, or meeting), and the contents of any communications made, whether written or oral;

(d) the name and address of the last known employer (if any) of the person to be served, and the result of enquiries the applicant has made of that employer as to the person’s whereabouts, including the date of such enquiries, the mode of the said enquiries (i.e. whether by telephone, letter, or meeting), and the contents of any communications made, whether written or oral;

(e) details of the nationality of the person to be served.

(7) If the local address at which the person to be served is currently residing is discovered by the applicant pursuant to sub-paragraph (6), personal service on the person shall be attempted at that address in accordance with sub-paragraph (4). Details of the dates, times and outcomes of the personal service are required in the affidavit.

(8) If the response to the attempt at personal service is that the process server is told that the person to be served “is overseas”, evidence is required in the affidavit as to what date the person will be back in the country.

(9) If it appears from the response to the attempt at personal service that the person to be served is permanently overseas, evidence is required in the affidavit as to how the documents will come to the person’s attention by being posted on the front door.

(10) If the response to the attempt at personal service is that the person to be served has “moved away”, and the applicant is alleging that the person is evading service, evidence is required in the affidavit to support the applicant’s belief that the person is evading service.

Application for substituted service by way of prepaid AR registered post / ordinary post

(11) On an application for substituted service by way of prepaid AR registered post / ordinary post, the applicant must state the following matters in the affidavit:

(a) the grounds for the applicant’s belief that the person to be served is currently resident at the particular address in respect of which the applicant is applying for substituted service by way of prepaid AR registered post / ordinary post;

(b) if the application for substituted service by way of prepaid AR registered post / ordinary post is to an overseas address, that the person to be served is not ordinarily resident in Singapore.

(12) To avoid doubt, substituted service by prepaid AR registered post is deemed to be effective when the postal service has delivered the document, or attempted to deliver the document (in cases where no one is present or willing to accept the document).

Application for substituted service by way of email

(13) If substituted service is by email, it has to be shown that the email account to which the document will be sent belongs to the person to be served and that it is currently active.

Application for substituted service by way of advertisement

(14) Before an application for substituted service by way of advertisement can be granted, the applicant shall make attempts to locate the person to be served by contacting the person’s relatives, friends, and employer(s) (if any), in order to discover the address at which the person is currently residing.

(15) The affidavit must include the following:

(a) the matters set out in sub-paragraphs (6)(a) to (e);

(b) details of the literacy of the person to be served, and in what language;

(c) if the advertisement is to be placed in an overseas newspaper, the grounds for the applicant’s belief as to why the person to be served is thought to be in that particular country.

(16) An application for substituted service by advertisement (in one issue of the Straits Times if the person to be served is literate in English, or one issue of the Straits Times and one issue of one of the main non-English language newspapers where his or her language literacy is unknown) should only be considered as a last resort and should contain evidence that the person to be served is literate in the language of the newspaper in which the advertisement will be placed.

Application for dispensation of service

(17) Before an application for dispensation of service can be granted, the applicant shall make attempts to locate the person to be served by contacting the person’s relatives, friends, and employer(s) (if any), in order to discover the address at which the person is currently residing.

(18) The affidavit must include the following:

(a) the matters set out in sub-paragraphs (6)(a) to (e);

(b) an explanation as to why advertisement is not effective in bringing the proceedings to the notice of the person to be served (for example, that it is not known which country the person is currently residing in).

6C: Proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2008

73. Service of application on named respondents and relevant persons

(1) In a situation where there are no named respondents in the proceedings, the originating application shall still be served on each relevant person in the manner required by Part 7, Rule 20(1)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) The grounds upon which the applicant is relying to obtain the Court’s approval for service by email under Part 7, Rule 21(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be stated clearly in the supporting affidavit.

74. Relevant persons

(1) “Relevant persons” are persons who have an involvement in P’s life and / or who are likely to have an interest in the application. Often, P’s immediate family members, by virtue of their relationship to P, are likely to have an interest in being notified that an application has been made to the Court concerning P.

(2) “Relevant persons” for the purposes of Part 5, Rule 8 and Part 7, Rules 20 and 21 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will therefore often include the following immediate family members:

(a) P’s spouse;

(b) P’s children (aged 21 and above);

(c) P’s parents or guardians; and

(d) P’s brothers or sisters (aged 21 and above).

(3) However, the presumption that immediate family members are likely to have an interest in an application concerning P may be rebutted where the applicant is aware of circumstances which reasonably indicate that P’s immediate family should not be served. For example, where the family member in question has had little or no involvement in P’s life and has shown no inclination to do so, that family member need not be served. In some cases, P may be closer to persons who are not immediate family members and if so, it will be appropriate to effect service on them instead of the immediate family members.

(4) The applicant shall serve the originating application, the supporting affidavits and the applicable Notice of Proceedings on relevant persons.

(5) Where the applicant decides that a person listed in one of the categories in sub-paragraph (2) ought to be served, and there are other persons in that category (for example, P has three siblings), the applicant shall serve on all persons falling within that category unless there is a good reason not to do so. For example, it may be a good reason not to serve on every person in the category if one or more of them has had little or no involvement in P’s life and has shown no inclination to do so.

(6) Apart from immediate family members, other relevant persons who are likely to have an interest in the application concerning P and who are to be served the originating application, the supporting affidavits and the applicable Notice of Proceedings include:

(a) any other relatives or friends who have a close relationship with P;

(b) any person who has a legal duty to support P;

(c) any person who will benefit from P’s estate; and

(d) any person who is responsible for P’s care.

If there is no such person to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, he or she is to state this in his or her supporting affidavit.

(7) The details of all relevant persons who are to be served are to be listed clearly in the supporting affidavit of the applicant. Where service will not be effected on relevant persons who are to be served, the reason why this is so must be stated in the supporting affidavit.

(8) In cases where P has had severe intellectual disability since early childhood and where P’s parents are P’s sole caregivers and where P is now no longer a minor and P’s parents need to be authorised to continue to look after P’s affairs, P’s parents will normally be the only relevant persons for the purposes of the application but the applicants must provide sufficient information to enable the Court to reach the conclusion that there are no other relevant persons.

(9) Organisations providing residential accommodation to P

(a) If P resides at an organisation providing residential accommodation (regardless of whether it also provides care or treatment to P), the applicant shall serve the originating application, the supporting affidavits and the Notice of Proceedings (Organisation) in Form 71C of Appendix A of these Practice Directions on such an organisation within 1 week after the application has been issued. For the purposes of the application, the organisation providing residential accommodation to P shall be considered a relevant person. However, the applicant need not obtain the consent of such an organisation to the application.

(b) If the organisation providing residential accommodation to P wishes to furnish any relevant information for the Court’s consideration and determination of the application in the best interests of P, it shall notify the Court within 8 days after the date on which the organisation is served with the application. If such a notification is submitted, the Court may require and direct for the submission of a report and / or attendance of the maker of the report at the hearing of the application.

(c) If an applicant has a strong reason for not serving an affidavit or any other document (other than the originating application) on the organisation providing residential accommodation to P, the applicant may file a summons to seek dispensation of service of such documents on the organisation in question.

75. Consent of relevant persons

(1) If any relevant person to be served has consented to the application and to dispensation of service, the applicant shall file the consent of the relevant person in Form 108B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions together with the originating application.

(2) The Court may dispense with the service of the originating application on the relevant person on the application of the applicant. It must be stated clearly in the supporting affidavit that such relevant persons have given their consent to the application and to the dispensation of service.

76. Notification of P

(1) In all cases of notification, the person effecting notification must provide P with the information required under Part 7, Rule 22 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 in a way that is appropriate to P’s circumstances (for example, using simple language, visual aids or any other appropriate means).

(2) Under the Mental Capacity Act 2008, notification of P shall be the norm rather than the exception. However, in certain appropriate circumstances, the person required to notify P may apply to Court for an order to dispense with the requirement to notify P. Such an application is appropriate where, for example, P is in a permanent vegetative state or a minimally conscious state, or where notification is likely to cause significant and disproportionate distress to P. The reasons for seeking dispensation of notification shall be stated in the supporting affidavit of the applicant.

77. Responding to an application

(1) If a relevant person served with an application (or a person who was not served with any application, whether listed as a relevant person or otherwise in the supporting affidavit of the applicant) wishes to object to the application or any part of it, he or she must apply to the Court to be joined as a party to the proceedings. The supporting affidavit for an application to be joined as a party to the proceedings must state the relevant person’s interest in the application and the grounds of his or her objection.

(2) If a relevant person served with an application consents to the application, his or her written consent must be in Form 108B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions. The written consent shall be filed by the applicant within 14 days after the date on which the relevant person was served with the application if he or she was served in Singapore or within 28 days after the date on which the relevant person was served with the application if he or she was served out of Singapore.

95. Examination of children

96. Expert Witness Template

97. Application for approval to cross-examine an expert witness

95. Examination of children

(1) A party applying for approval from the Court for a child to be examined or assessed under Part 10, Rule 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must draft his or her application in the prescribed format in Form 90 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, with the appropriate modifications to suit the individual case.

(2) The application in sub-paragraph (1) must include the following documents:

(a) the completed Expert Witness Template in Form 93 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions; and

(b) a draft Letter of Instruction to Expert Witness (Child) in the prescribed format in Form 91 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, together with the relevant schedules.

(3) For the purposes of appointing a court expert under Part 10, Rules 5(2) and 5(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Court may consider appointing an expert from the panel of doctors in the Institute of Mental Health.

(4) The requirements in paragraph 96 also apply to the appointment of a child expert.

96. Expert Witness Template

(1) Where the Court is required to consider the appointment of an expert witness, the Court may either direct that:

(a) a formal application be filed; or

(b) the issue be discussed at a case conference.

(2) In the case of sub-paragraph (1)(a), the completed Expert Witness Template in Form 93 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions is to be included in the application.

(3) In the case of sub-paragraph (1)(b), the parties are to fill in the Expert Witness Template in Form 93 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions prior to the case conference where the discussion is to take place.

(4) The Expert Witness Template requires the parties to provide information such as the general information pertaining to the proposed expert(s), the list of issues to be referred to the proposed expert(s), the proposed timelines for the proposed expert(s) to render his or her opinion, and the proposed duration for the expert(s)’ evidence if he or she is giving oral evidence.

(5) Parties must furnish to their intended expert witnesses, prior to any appointment, a copy of the following forms:

(a) where the expert’s appointment relates to child(ren) issues – Letter of Instruction to Expert Witness (Child) in Form 91 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and Note to Expert Witness in Form 92 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions;

(b) where the expert’s appointment relates to issues other than child(ren) issues – Note to Expert Witness in Form 92 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

97. Application for approval to cross-examine an expert witness

(1) Save for the exceptions in Part 15, Rule 1(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, originating applications are heard by way of affidavit evidence with no cross-examination.

(2) If a party wishes to cross-examine an expert, he or she must apply to the Court under Part 10, Rule 8(5) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(3) The applying party must include the following information in his or her application:

(a) a brief description of the issues referred to the expert and the common set of agreed or assumed facts relied on by the expert (if any);

(b) the scope of the intended cross-examination, with an explanation of the relevance or materiality of the cross-examination to the disputed issues to be determined; and

(c) confirmation that the conditions in Part 10, Rule 8(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are satisfied with the supporting evidence.

1. Child representative

98. Child representative

(1) Upon the making of an order for the appointment of a child representative pursuant to Part 12, Rule 2(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar will select a member from the child representative panel and send a letter of request of acceptance of the appointment by email to the selected member. The member may choose to decline such an appointment. If no response is received within 3 working days of the email, the member is deemed to have declined the appointment.

(2) All members on the child representative panel shall inform the Court of any changes to their email addresses.

(3) Upon acceptance of the appointment, the child representative will receive a letter from the Registrar confirming the appointment, providing the contact details of the parties and a date of a case conference. The following documents may be enclosed with the letter:

(a) an Information Sheet on Child Representative, which the child representative is to give to the parties at the earliest possible opportunity together with any further explanation which the child representative deems fit, in compliance with the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and sub-paragraph (5);

(b) a Child Representative Practice Note, which the child representative is to read carefully and adhere to;

(c) a Child Representative Checklist, which will be used at the case conference; and

(d) a Questionnaire to the parties, which the child representative might use to obtain information from the parties.

(4) Within 7 days from the receipt of the confirmation of appointment as described in sub-paragraph (3), the child representative shall serve file and serve a Notice of Address for Service on Child Representative (Form 95 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) on the parties to the proceedings.

(5) Upon accepting the appointment referred to in sub-paragraph (3), the child representative shall act expeditiously in fulfilment of his or her duties as set out in Part 12, Rules 4 and 10 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, including the following:

(a) providing the parties and / or solicitors with information about the role of the child representative and informing them of the requirements in respect of their communications with the child representative and any contributions towards the costs of the child representative which the Court may have ordered; and

(b) developing and implementing a plan for engaging the child and involving the child in the decision-making process in consultation with any other professional who may be working with the child.

(6) In the event that the child representative suspects that the child is a victim of abuse, the child representative must immediately inform the Child Protection Services of the Ministry of Social and Family Development. The child representative must also inform the Court by way of letter at the earliest opportunity.

(7) Where there are any matters which the child representative is of the view should only be shared in confidence with the Court in the welfare of the child, the child representative should write to Court requesting for a case conference with the Judge presiding over the matter. If there are any urgent issues relating to the safety of the child, the child representative must write to Court immediately requesting for urgent audience.

(8) All correspondence to the Court from the child representative or the parties shall be copied to the other party and the child representative (unless the child representative has been discharged) including that in sub-paragraph (7).

99. Parenting coordinator

99. Parenting coordinator

(1) Upon the making of an order for the parties to participate in a parenting coordination programme, the Registrar will select a parenting coordinator from the Court’s panel of parenting coordinators and send a Notice of Acceptance / Non-Acceptance by Parenting Coordinator (Form 97 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) (“Notice”) to the selected member by email together with a copy of the Court’s order. The member may choose to accept or decline such an appointment by returning to the Registrar the completed Notice by email. If no response is received within 3 working days of the email, the member is deemed to have declined the appointment.

(2) All members on the parenting coordinators’ panel shall inform the Court of any changes to their email addresses within 7 working days of such change.

(3) Upon acceptance of the appointment, the parenting coordinator will receive a notification email from the Registrar providing the names and contact details of the parties and their respective solicitors, if any. The following documents will be enclosed with the notification:

(a) the Parenting Coordinator Checklist; and

(b) the Co-Parenting Questionnaire.

(4) Within 10 days from the receipt of the notification in sub-paragraph (3), the parenting coordinator shall contact the parties to arrange the first parenting coordination session. The parenting coordinator shall also send the Co-Parenting Questionnaire for the parties’ completion and return at or before the first parenting coordination session. Notwithstanding that the parties may be represented by solicitors, the parenting coordinator shall contact the parties directly and vice-versa throughout the course of the parenting coordination programme. The parties shall endeavour to provide the parenting coordinator with documents necessary to facilitate the parenting coordination programme, including but not limited to the documents filed in Court.

64. Litigation representative in mental capacity proceedings

65. Mental capacity proceedings: where P ceases to lack capacity or dies

66. Application to be added as a party

67. Appointment of litigation representative for persons under disability

68. Informing of a party’s death in cases where proceedings are to be abated

64. Litigation representative in mental capacity proceedings

(1) Where P is a party to any mental capacity proceedings with a litigation representative, P should be referred to in the proceedings as “P (by [his or her] litigation representative, [litigation representative’s name])”.

(2) The affidavit in support of an application to be the litigation representative of P or to appoint a new litigation representative in place of an existing one must satisfy the Court of the matters set out in Part 6, Rule 4(5)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(3) Under Part 6, Rule 4(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Court may allow P to conduct any mental capacity proceedings without a litigation representative. An application to allow P to conduct mental capacity proceedings without a litigation representative must be supported by a medical report stating that P does not lack capacity to conduct proceedings himself or herself.

65. Mental capacity proceedings: where P ceases to lack capacity or dies

(1) Where P ceases to lack capacity or dies, steps may need to be taken to finalise the Court’s involvement in P’s affairs.

Application to end proceedings

(2) Where P ceases to lack capacity in relation to the matter or matters to which the proceedings relate, an application may be made by any of the following people to the Court to end the proceedings and discharge any orders made in respect of that person:

(a) P;

(b) his or her litigation representative; or

(c) any other person who is a party to the proceedings.

(3) The application should be supported by evidence that P no longer lacks capacity to make decisions in relation to the matter or matters to which the proceedings relate.

Applications where proceedings have concluded

(4) Where P ceases to lack capacity after proceedings have concluded, an application may be made to the Court to discharge any orders made (including an order appointing a deputy or an order in relation to security).

(5) The affidavit filed in support should exhibit the orders sought to be discharged and contain evidence that P no longer lacks capacity to make decisions in relation to the matter or matters to which the proceedings relate.

Procedure to be followed when P dies

(6) An application for final directions (including discharging an order appointing a deputy or discharging the security) may be made following P’s death. The application should be supported by an affidavit exhibiting a copy of P’s death certificate.

Final report by deputy

(7) The Public Guardian may require a deputy to submit a final report upon P ceasing to lack capacity or P’s death. If security has been ordered by the Court, the Court must be satisfied that the Public Guardian either does not require a final report or is satisfied with the final report provided by the deputy before the said security can be discharged.

66. Application to be added as a party

The affidavit in support of an application under Part 6, Rule 6 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 by any person to add himself or herself as a party, must show:

(a) his or her interest in the matters in dispute in the cause or matter; or

(b) as the case may be, the question or issue to be determined as between him or her and any party to the cause or matter.

67. Appointment of litigation representative for persons under disability

The affidavit in support of a summons under Part 6, Rule 11(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must include evidence proving:

(a) that the person to whom the summons relates is a person under disability;

(b) that the person proposed as litigation representative is willing and a proper person to act and has no adverse interest to that of the person under disability;

(c) that the originating application, reply or reply affidavit (as the case may be) was duly served on the person under disability; and

(d) subject to Part 6, Rule 11(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, that notice of the hearing date of the summons has been served on the person under disability in accordance with the Court’s directions.

68. Informing of a party’s death in cases where proceedings are to be abated

A person may inform the Court of a party’s death pursuant to Part 6, Rule 17(10) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 by submitting the following documents / information in a letter within a reasonable time after the person becomes aware of the death:

(a) a copy of the death certificate;

(b) a translated copy of the death certificate (if the death certificate is not in the English language); and

(c) the case numbers of all pending proceedings in which the deceased is a party.

100. Applications without notice for injunctions

101. Injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets

102. Documents in support of applications without notice for injunctions (including injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets)

103. Providing the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (“ICA”) with Court orders or injunctions restraining or prohibiting the taking of child out of Singapore

100. Applications without notice for injunctions

(1) Part 14, Rule 1(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 provides that in an urgent case, a party may apply for an injunction by originating application without notice or summons without notice, supported by an affidavit stating the urgency and explaining why the respondent should not be informed about the application and the merits of the application.

(2) Despite sub-paragraph (1), any party applying for an injunction without notice (including an injunction prohibiting the disposal of assets) must give notice of the application to the other concerned parties prior to the hearing. The notice may be given by way of email, or, in cases of extreme urgency, orally by telephone. Except in cases of extreme urgency or with the permission of the Court, the party must give a minimum of 2 hours’ notice to the other parties before the hearing. The notice should inform the other parties of the date, time and place fixed for the hearing of the application and the nature of the relief sought. If possible, a copy of the originating application, the summons without notice or the originating application without notice (if no originating application has been issued yet) and supporting affidavit(s) should be given to each of the other parties in draft form as soon as they are ready to be filed in Court. At the hearing of the application without notice, in the event that some or all of the other parties are not present or represented, the applicant’s solicitors should inform the Court of:

(a) the attempts that were made to notify the other parties or their solicitors of the making of the application;

(b) what documents were given to the other parties or their solicitors and when these documents were given; and

(c) whether the other parties or their solicitors consent to the application being heard without their presence.

(3) The directions set out in sub-paragraph (2) need not be followed if the giving of the notice to the other parties, or some of them, would or might defeat the purpose of the application without notice. However, in such cases, the reasons for not following the directions should be clearly set out in the affidavit prepared and filed in support of the application without notice.

(4) On an application without notice for an injunction against the permanent removal of a child from Singapore, the Court will require the applicant to give an undertaking to compensate any party for any loss caused as a result of the application. The Court may require the undertaking as to damages to be supported by:

(a) making payment into Court;

(b) furnishing a banker’s guarantee; or

(c) making payment to the applicant’s solicitor to be held by the solicitor as an officer of the Court pending further order.

101. Injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets

(1) Applicants for injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets are required to prepare their orders in accordance with the following forms in Appendix A of these Practice Directions:

(a) Form 99: Injunction Prohibiting Disposal of Assets Worldwide; and

(b) Form 98: Injunction Prohibiting Disposal of Assets in Singapore.

When composing the electronic form for an injunction application (in Form 67A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) through the Electronic Filing Service, Form 98 or Form 99 (as the case may be) shall be prepared in Portable Document Format (PDF) and attached to the electronic form.

(2) The language and layout of Forms 98 and 99 are intended to make it easier for persons served with these orders to understand what they mean. These forms of orders should be used except to the extent that the Judge hearing a particular application considers there is a good reason for adopting a different form. Any departure from the terms of the prescribed forms should be justified by the applicant in his or her supporting affidavit(s).

(3) The applicant should undertake not to inform any third party of the proceedings until after the return date.

(4) Wherever practicable, applications should be made sufficiently early so as to ensure that the Judge has sufficient time to read and consider the application in advance

102. Documents in support of applications without notice for injunctions (including injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets)

(1) Without limiting the requirements stated in Part 14, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and paragraphs 100 and 101 of these Practice Directions, in order to assist the Court hearing applications without notice for injunctions (including injunctions prohibiting the disposal of assets), an applicant must include in the affidavit prepared and filed in support of the application the following information under clearly defined headings:

(a) Reasons the application is taken out without notice, including whether the applicant believes that there is a risk of dissipation of assets, destruction of evidence or any other prejudicial conduct;

(b) Urgency of the application (if applicable), including whether there is any particular event that may trigger the dissipation of assets, destruction of evidence or any other prejudicial conduct;

(c) Factual basis for the application, including the basis of any belief that there will be dissipation of assets, destruction of evidence or any other prejudicial conduct, whether there have been any past incidents of the opponent dissipating assets, destroying evidence or engaging in any other prejudicial conduct, and whether there is any evidence of dishonesty or bad faith of the opponent;

(d) Factual basis for any reasonable defences that may be relied on by the opponent;

(e) Whether the applicant is aware of any issues relating to jurisdiction, forum non conveniens or service out of Singapore, and if so, whether any application relating to these issues has been or will be made;

(f) An undertaking to pay for losses that may be caused to the opponent or other persons by the granting of the orders sought, stating what assets are available to meet that undertaking and to whom the assets belong; and

(g) Any other material facts which the Court should be aware of.

(2) An applicant must prepare skeletal submissions on the points to be raised at the hearing of the application without notice. At the hearing, the applicant shall give a copy of the skeletal submissions to the Court and to any opponent present. The applicant shall file the skeletal submissions by the next working day.

(3) The Court may also require the applicant to prepare a note of the hearing setting out the salient points and arguments canvassed before the Court and may order such a note to be served together with the court documents on any opponent who is not present at the hearing or within a reasonable time after the service of the court documents.

103. Providing the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (“ICA”) with Court orders or injunctions restraining or prohibiting the taking of child out of Singapore

(1) This paragraph applies to parents and / or parties who intend to seek assistance from the ICA to stop a child from being taken out of Singapore.

(2) In proceedings under the Women’s Charter 1961, the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934 or the International Child Abduction Act 2010, a Court may grant an order or injunction restraining one or both parent(s) or any other party from taking the child out of Singapore without an order of Court or the consent of the other or both parent(s) / parties.

(3) Any parent and / or party (hereinafter referred to as “the requestor”) who has been granted an order referred to in sub-paragraph (2) and who intends to seek assistance from the ICA to stop the child from being taken out of Singapore must do the following:

(a) notify the ICA by providing the ICA with either a copy of the extracted or unextracted Court order referred to in sub-paragraph (2) and a copy of Form 117A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, duly completed and signed, at least 1 working day before the ICA is required to act on the order; and

(b) where the requestor provides an unextracted order referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(a), he or she must provide a copy of the extracted order to the ICA within 8 working days from the date of notification to the ICA of the order.

(4) In the event that:

(a) the order referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(a) ceases to have effect, is varied or discharged pursuant to a further order of Court (hereinafter referred to as “further order”) such that the travel restrictions no longer apply; or

(b) consent is given by the relevant party for the other party to take the child out of Singapore (whether for a specific purpose only or generally) (hereinafter referred to as “the consent”) and such consent is provided for in the order referred to in sub-paragraph 3(a);

the requestor shall immediately notify the ICA of the same (hereinafter referred to as “further notification”), copying the other party, and provide a copy of the extracted further order or a copy of the consent, as the case may be. The consent shall be given in Form 117B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions. The further notification to the ICA must be given at least 1 working day before the ICA is required to stop acting on the order.

(5) If the order referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(a) is varied pursuant to a further order such that further travel restrictions apply, the requestor shall immediately notify the ICA of the same, copying the other party, and provide a copy of the further order (in which event the requirements set out at sub-paragraphs (3)(a) and (b) would apply). The further notification to the ICA must be given at least 1 working day before the ICA is required to act on the further travel restrictions.

(6) The notification to the ICA referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(a), provision of a copy of the extracted order referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(b) and the further notifications to the ICA referred to in sub-paragraphs (4) and (5) must be sent to the ICA via an email (which should not exceed 5MB in size) to the email address set out below (and copied to the other party or the party’s solicitors via email or ordinary mail, whichever applicable) during the ICA’s working hours only:

ICA’s email address: ICA_FJC_Notification@ica.gov.sg

ICA’s working hours are:

- Mondays to Fridays: 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

- Public Holiday Eves: 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.

- Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays: Closed.

(7) The ICA will not provide assistance to stop the child from being taken out of Singapore or otherwise take any action under this paragraph if any party fails to comply with the requirements provided in this paragraph.

(8) “Unextracted order” referred to in this paragraph refers to the draft order of Court that has been duly signed by one party or both parties (as the case may be) and electronically filed in the IELS for the Family Justice Courts’ approval, but the sealed copy bearing the Court’s seal and Registrar’s signature has not been returned to the party / parties.

150. Definitions

151. Basis of assessment

152. Form of bill of costs

153. Electronic filing of bills of costs for assessment

154. Objections

155. Amount allowed as disbursements on account of use of Electronic Filing Service

156. Assessments involving the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid

157. Fixing costs instead of ordering assessment

150. Definitions

Where the words and phrases set out in Part 22, Rule 1(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in this Part, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 22, Rule 1(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

151. Basis of assessment

Every bill of costs to be assessed pursuant to a judgment or order of Court must be filed together with a copy of the judgment or order of Court. Where an order for assessment is not required under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the bill of costs shall describe succinctly in its heading the basis of assessment. A bill of costs for assessment between a solicitor and his or her client pursuant to section 120(3) of the Legal Profession Act 1966 must be filed together with a copy of the document signifying the consent of the parties to assessment.

152. Form of bill of costs

The attention of solicitors is drawn to Part 22, Rules 2(2) and 23 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. In addition, solicitors are to abide by the following requirements:

Margins

(a) A blank margin not less than 10mm wide on all four sides is required for each page of the bill of costs.

Pagination

(b) Every page of a bill of costs must be paginated consecutively at the centre top of the page.

Format

(c) This sub-paragraph sets out the format of a bill of costs.

Party-and-party bills

(i) For party-and-party bills:

(A) A bill of costs drawn up for assessment of costs between one party to proceedings and another should be divided into 3 separate sections as required by Part 22, Rule 23(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(B) Form 140 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions should be used for contentious business in respect of work done for a trial or in contemplation of a trial.

(C) Form 141 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions should be used for contentious business in respect of, or in contemplation of, work done other than for a trial; such as work done for an appeal or for a specific interlocutory application.

(D) Form 142 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions should be used for non-contentious business.

Specimen bills

(ii) Specimen bills illustrating the use of Forms 140, 141 and 142 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions are found in Appendix E of these Practice Directions.

Solicitor-and-client bills

(iii) A bill of costs drawn up for assessment of costs between a solicitor and his or her client should be drawn up in the same manner described in sub-paragraph (c)(i) except as follows:

(A) A solicitor will be deemed to have indicated that all items included in the bill are in relation to work done or disbursements incurred with the approval of the client.

(B) Any agreement, whether oral or in writing, between the solicitor and his or her client relating to the amount of costs payable either as a global sum or in respect of particular items included in the bill should be indicated on the bill. Any agreement between the solicitor and his or her client as to the rate to be used to compute the solicitor’s costs should also be indicated in the bill.

Particulars

(d) Sufficient particulars must be included in the bill of costs so as to enable the Registrar to exercise his or her discretion under Part 22, Rule 2(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. Without limiting sub-paragraph (c), the Registrar may, at the assessment hearing, order the claiming or receiving party to furnish full details in support of the sums claimed under the bill.

Goods and services tax

(e) A party claiming goods and services tax (GST) in a bill of costs must comply with the directions set out in this sub-paragraph. A party who fails to comply with the directions set out in this sub-paragraph will be presumed not to be claiming GST in the bill concerned.

Registration numbers

(i) For registration numbers:

(A) The GST registration number allocated by the Comptroller of Goods and Services Tax to the solicitors for the receiving party or parties should appear at the top left hand corner of the first page of the bill of costs.

(B) The GST registration numbers, if any, allocated to the receiving parties or to any one or more of them, as the case may be, must also appear at the same location in all documents.

(C) The GST registration numbers should be indicated as follows: “GST Reg. No. (solicitors for applicant / solicitors for respondent / (or as the case may be)): xxxxx.”

(D) Where no GST registration number has been allocated to a receiving party, a statement to this effect should be included after the GST registration numbers of the solicitors for the receiving parties, or the receiving parties, as the case may be, in the following manner: “Applicant / Respondent / (or as the case may be): no GST Reg. No.”

Input tax allowable

(ii) The proportion of input tax for which the receiving parties, or one or more of them, are not entitled to credit should be stated, as a percentage, in parentheses after the GST registration number of the party or parties concerned. For a person who is not liable to be registered within the meaning of the First Schedule to the Goods and Services Tax Act 1993, this proportion should be 100%.

Apportionment

(iii) For apportionment:

(A) The first and second sections of the bill of costs, which set out the work done in the cause or matter except for assessment of costs and the work done for and in the assessment of costs, should each be divided into such number of parts as will enable the bill to reflect the different rates of GST applicable during the relevant period of time.

(B) The third section, which sets out the disbursements made in the cause or matter, should similarly be divided, with the first part setting out the disbursements on which no GST is chargeable by the solicitors for the receiving party or the receiving party, as the case may be.

Summary of the GST claimed for work done

(iv) Where applicable, the following information should be included at the end of the first and of the second sections:

(A) the global sum of costs claimed for work done during each period for which a different rate of GST applies or no GST applies;

(B) the proportion, as a percentage, of input tax for which the receiving parties, or one or more of them, are not entitled to credit;

(C) a quantification of the input tax on the costs claimed in the section concerned for which the receiving parties, or one or more of them, are not entitled to credit; and

(D) a quantification of the GST claimed on the costs claimed in the section concerned.

Summary of the GST claimed for disbursements

(v) Where applicable, the following information should be included at the end of the third section:

(A) a summation of the disbursements on which no GST is chargeable by the solicitors for the receiving party or the receiving party, as the case may be;

(B) a summation of the disbursements on which GST at the applicable rate is chargeable by the solicitors for the receiving party or the receiving party, as the case may be;

(C) the proportion, as a percentage, of input tax for which the receiving parties, or one or more of them, are not entitled to credit;

(D) a quantification of the input tax on the disbursements on which GST is chargeable by the solicitors for the receiving party for which the receiving parties, or one or more of them, are not entitled to credit; and

(E) a quantification of the GST claimed on the disbursements.

Registrar’s certificate

(vi) The total amount of GST allowed on a bill of costs will be indicated as a separate item in the Registrar’s certificate. Solicitors are responsible for ensuring that the GST figures accurately reflect the sums allowed by the Registrar.

153. Electronic filing of bills of costs for assessment

(1) Each bill of costs submitted to the Court through the Electronic Filing Service must:

(a) be in Portable Document Format (PDF);

(b) comply with paragraph 152 of these Practice Directions; and

(c) be accompanied by a bill of costs summary, the electronic form of which will be composed online through the Electronic Filing Service. The information required by the Electronic Filing Service to compose the bill of costs summary includes the costs claimed under sections 1, 2 and 3 of the bill of costs.

(2) As the Registrar’s certificate of costs under Part 22, Rule 28 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be composed online based on the summary in sub-paragraph 1(c), solicitors should ensure that the information contained in the summary accurately reflects the information contained in the bill of costs submitted. Solicitors should also ensure that the amounts claimed for GST in the summary are correct.

(3) There is no necessity for solicitors to collect the assessed bill of costs from the Registry to prepare the Registrar’s certificate. The procedure for preparation of draft orders in paragraph 142 of these Practice Directions will, with the necessary modifications, apply to the preparation of the Registrar’s certificate.

(4) The Registrar’s certificate must be composed online through the Electronic Filing Service.

154. Objections

(1) Any objections in principle or as to quantum of the items claimed in a bill of costs must be indicated by the filing and service of a Notice of Dispute on Bill of Costs in Form 143 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions at least 7 days before the date fixed by the Registrar for the assessment of the bill of costs.

(2) The Notice of Dispute on Bill of Costs must be filed through the Electronic Filing Service in PDF and be accompanied by a Notice of Dispute summary, the electronic form of which will be composed online through the Electronic Filing Service. The information required by the Electronic Filing Service to compose the Notice of Dispute summary includes the amounts of costs to be awarded under sections 1, 2 and 3 of the bill of costs according to the paying party.

155. Amount allowed as disbursements on account of use of Electronic Filing Service

(1) If a document is filed using the Electronic Filing Service, $0.40 for each page of the document filed must be allowed as costs between parties to proceedings. Such costs may be claimed by a receiving party from the paying party where the receiving party is entitled to costs for the filing of the document. These costs must be allowed in addition to all other disbursements and Court fees.

(2) This paragraph applies to the assessment of costs as well as cases where the Court fixes a gross sum of costs instead of directing an assessment.

(3) This paragraph does not apply to any document filed through the service bureau.

156. Assessments involving the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid

(1) The directions contained in this paragraph must be followed in respect of all assessments in which the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid is involved.

(2) For all assessments in which the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid is involved:

(a) the receiving party must, prior to the filing of the bill of costs in Court through the Electronic Filing Service, send the bill of costs to be filed to the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid, as the case may be;

(b) the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid, as the case may be, should then inform the receiving party whether he or she agrees or disagrees with the amounts claimed in the bill of costs; and

(c) when filing the bill of costs in Court through the Electronic Filing Service, the receiving party must state whether the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid, as the case may be, disagrees with the amounts claimed in the bill of costs. The bill of costs should also be served on the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid, as may be applicable, on the same day that the bill of costs is filed.

(3) If the Public Trustee or the Director of Legal Aid, as the case may be, agrees with the amounts claimed in the bill of costs, then:

(a) for solicitor-and-client bills filed pursuant to the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1995 where the Director of Legal Aid is the respondent, the receiving party and the Director of Legal Aid need not attend at the assessment and the bill will be assessed in their absence. However, if the Registrar disagrees with the quantum of costs agreed on, he or she may nonetheless direct the attendance of the Director of Legal Aid and the receiving party, at a later date.

157. Fixing costs instead of ordering assessment

(1) Part 22, Rule 2(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 provides that:

Powers of Court (P. 22, r. 2)

…

(3) Subject to the provisions of this Part and any written law, the costs payable by any party to any other party in any matter must be fixed by the Court which heard the matter after an oral hearing or by way of written submissions from the parties, unless the Court thinks fit to direct an assessment of the costs.

Solicitors should therefore be prepared to make submissions on the entitlement to and quantum of costs at the end of a hearing or trial, whether before or after judgment is delivered.

(2) Solicitors should note that the Court may fix costs where costs have been ordered to be in the cause, or on hearing applications for dismissal or striking out pursuant to an unless order, and be prepared to make submissions accordingly.

13A: Conduct of Court Proceedings and Hearings-Related Matters

104. Attendance at hearings in the Family Justice Courts

105. Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar and Judge at the Family Courts

106. Duty Registrar and Duty Magistrate

107. Request for urgent hearing before Duty Judge

108. Request for urgent hearing dates or urgent hearings prior to the filing of the application through the Electronic Filing Service

109. Requesting a hearing date through the Electronic Filing Service

110. Adjournment or vacation of hearing dates and part-heard cases

111. Absence of parties

112. Attendance of solicitors

113. Absence from Court on medical grounds

114. The Central Queue Management System and Central Display Management System

115. Precedence and preaudience of Senior Counsel

116. Court dress

117. Submissions and examination by leading and assisting solicitor

118. Applications under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934

119. Use of electronic and other devices

120. Publication of and reports and comments on Court cases

121. Production of record of hearing

122. Application for Court records and certification of transcripts for family matters

123. Access to case file, inspection, taking copies of documents and conducting searches

13B: Documents and Authorities for use in Court

124. Filing of documents and authorities for use in Court generally

125. Hearings in chambers

126. Formatting requirements and page limits for written submissions

127. Written submissions and bundles of authorities for special date hearings in the Family Division

128. Citation of written judgments

13C: Consents

129. Consent orders

13D: Evidence – Witnesses, Affidavits and Exhibits

130. Definitions

131. Witnesses

132. Giving of evidence by person outside Singapore through live video link or live television link in any proceedings (other than proceedings in a criminal matter)

133. Form of affidavits

134. Forms that are deemed to be affidavits

135. Non-documentary exhibits to affidavits

136. Documentary exhibits to affidavits

137. Affirming and signing of affidavits in Singapore before, and completing of attestation by, commissioner for oaths through live video link or live television link

138. Affirming of documents by persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or blind

139. Effect of non-compliance

140. Objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief

13A: Conduct of Court Proceedings and Hearings-Related Matters

104. Attendance at hearings in the Family Justice Courts

(1) To avoid doubt, the general rule is that all hearings in a Family Justice Court shall be heard in private pursuant to section 10(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014. Members of the public are not entitled to attend such hearings.

(2) Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (1), a Family Justice Court may hear any matter or any part thereof in an open and public court, or by way of an open and public hearing, to which the public generally may have access, if the Court is satisfied that it is expedient in the interests of justice, or for other sufficient reason to do so.

(3) Subject to any written law, the Court may, in its discretion, allow any person such as instructing solicitors, foreign legal counsel and parties to the matter, to attend any hearing in a Family Justice Court subject to space, security and the interests of justice. In exercising its discretion, the Court may consider a broad range of factors including:

(a) the interest that the person seeking permission has in the matter before the Court;

(b) the interests of the litigants;

(c) the reasons for which such permission is sought; and

(d) the Court’s interest in preserving and upholding its authority and dignity.

(4) In allowing persons referred to in sub-paragraph (3) to attend hearings in a Family Justice Court, the Court may, at its discretion, impose the necessary conditions to be complied with.

105. Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar and Judge at the Family Courts

(1) The Duty Judge at the Family Courts may hear an urgent application from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays under the following circumstances:

(a) where the applicant, being a lawful guardian or parent of a child, is seeking to restrain or enjoin another party from taking the child out of jurisdiction without the consent of the applicant;

(b) the child’s departure from Singapore is so imminent that it is too late for the application to be heard on the next working day; and

(c) there is a strong likelihood that the child, once taken out of Singapore, will not return to Singapore.

(2) To request the urgent hearing of such an application, the applicant should contact the Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar at 97241402 during the hours of 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

(3) The Duty Registrar will only arrange for the hearing of the application before the Duty Judge if the applicant satisfies the Duty Registrar that the case meets all the criteria stipulated in sub-paragraph (1) and the application is so urgent that it cannot be heard the next working day. The Duty Registrar or Duty Judge may also give directions for the urgent hearing to take place remotely or, alternatively, with parties attending in person at any place as directed.

(4) The Duty Registrar or the Duty Judge may, in lieu of filing, direct the applicant to tender the application and supporting documents by email or in hard copies. In this case, the applicant is to provide a signed undertaking that all documents (including the originating application if applicable) will be filed the next available working day. Where the Duty Registrar or the Duty Judge directs the applicant to provide hard copies of the relevant documents, the applicant must bring three copies each of the application, the supporting affidavit and the appropriate draft orders of Court (Form 115 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) for the hearing of the application without notice.

(5) To avoid doubt, every applicant must comply with paragraph 100 of these Practice Directions.

106. Duty Registrar and Duty Magistrate

(1) The duties of the Duty Registrar are to:

(a) hear applications without notice or by consent provided that the application has been filed in the Electronic Filing Service;

(b) grant approval for any matter pertaining to the administration of the Registry, including giving early or urgent dates and allowing inspection of files;

(c) sign and certify documents; and

(d) sign documents to effect sale and transfer of matrimonial assets.

(2) The duties of the Duty Magistrate shall include the examination of complainants when they file a Magistrate’s Complaint.

(3) The duty hours are as follows:

Mondays to Thursdays (excluding public holidays)

9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., and

2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m

Fridays (excluding public holidays)

9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., and

2.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.

(4) Only solicitors or litigants (if they are not legally represented) may appear before the Duty Registrar.

(5) Except where the attendance of the solicitor is required under sub-paragraph (7), the filing of the relevant documents will be sufficient for the Duty Registrar to dispose of any application or matter. Documents will be returned to the solicitor through the Electronic Filing Service to the inbox of the law firm’s computer system or through the service bureau.

(6) All documents which are not required to be filed using the Electronic Filing Service must be duly stamped before presentation to the Duty Registrar for his or her signature and / or decision.

(7) The solicitor’s attendance is compulsory only:

(a) when he or she is requesting an early or urgent date for a hearing before the Registrar or Judge;

(b) when an application or document is returned with the direction “solicitor to attend”; or

(c) when his or her attendance is required by any provision of law.

(8) A solicitor may, if he or she wishes to expedite matters, attend before the Duty Registrar even if his or her attendance is not ordinarily required.

(9) A solicitor or a litigant who is not legally represented (collectively, “parties”) who wishes to attend before a Duty Registrar and to refer him or her to documents filed must either:

(a) file the documents at least 1 hour before attending before the Duty Registrar, so that the documents would already be in the electronic case file for the Duty Registrar’s reference. Parties should as far as possible only attend before the Duty Registrar after they have received notification from the Court that the documents have been accepted. Parties should also check with the Registry that the documents have been routed to the Duty Registrar before attending before the Duty Registrar; or

(b) attend before the Duty Registrar with the hard copy documents. The Duty Registrar will require the relevant party to give an undertaking to file all the documents by the next working day before dealing with the matter.

Attendance before the Duty Registrar by video conferencing

(10) Attendance before the Duty Registrar will be by video conferencing, unless otherwise directed.

(11) A solicitor or a litigant who is not legally represented (collectively, “parties”) who wishes to attend before a Duty Registrar by way of video conferencing must:

(b) file a letter of request via the Electronic Filing Service.

(12) The email or letter of request should contain the following information:

(a) the case number;

(b) if there is no case number assigned, the name(s) of the parties and names of the solicitor and law firm(s) acting for such parties;

(c) explain briefly the nature of the application and directions sought from the Duty Registrar;

(d) the time and date that parties wish to attend before the Duty Registrar;

(e) whether parties wish to send in any documents via the Electronic Filing Service ahead of the hearing or during the hearing before the Duty Registrar;

(f) whether parties wish to tender any hard copy documents ahead of the hearing before the Duty Registrar;

(g) the name(s) of all the parties who will be attending the hearing before the Duty Registrar, and the email address and telephone number of these parties.

(13) If parties wish to tender any hard copy documents ahead of the hearing before the Duty Registrar, parties should as far as possible provide the hard copies and ensure that they have been placed before the Duty Registrar sufficiently far in advance before the scheduled hearing. Parties should check with the Registry that the documents have been placed before the Duty Registrar before the scheduled hearing.

Physical attendance before the Duty Registrar

(14) In the event physical attendance before the Duty Registrar is allowed, solicitors or litigants who are not legally represented should email the Registry with the information set out at sub-paragraph (12) prior to attending before the Duty Registrar.

Signing of documents to effect sale and transfer of matrimonial assets

(15) When dealing with the ancillary matters, the Court may grant orders under section 31 of the Family Justice Act 2014 empowering the Registrar to sign the documents to effect the sale and transfer of matrimonial assets. These orders fall into two categories:

(a) an order empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents without further notice to the party whom the Registrar is signing the documents on behalf of (“Category A orders”); and

(b) an order empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents only in the event of a default by a party in signing the relevant documents (“the other party”) despite written notification to him / her to sign the relevant documents (“Category B orders”).

(16) Applications to obtain the signature of the Registrar pursuant to Category A orders and Category B orders shall be made before the Duty Registrar in the Family Justice Courts. The documents to be signed by the Duty Registrar shall contain the following endorsements:

“Signed on behalf of {insert name of party in default} by Registrar, Family Justice Courts, pursuant to order of Court dated {insert date}”

(17) Solicitors shall furnish the following documents to the Duty Registrar when making such applications:

(a) For Category A orders:

(i) The sealed copy of the order of Court empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents; and

(ii) A duplicate copy of each of the documents to be signed by the Registrar, which will be retained by the Court.

(b) For Category B orders:

(i) The documents set out in sub-paragraphs (17)(a)(i) and (ii).

(ii) An affidavit stating the details of the written notification(s) sent to the other party and showing the other party’s default in signing the relevant documents.

(18) The sealed copy of the order of Court empowering the Registrar to sign will be returned after the signing of the documents.

107. Request for urgent hearing before Duty Judge

Request for urgent hearing before Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar of the Family Justice Courts

(1) Save for attendances before the Duty Registrar or Duty Magistrate listed in paragraph 106 of these Practice Directions, sub-paragraphs (1) to (7) apply to all other requests for urgent hearing (including applications without notice) before the Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar.

(2) An applicant requesting for an urgent hearing before a Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar is required to file the request through the Electronic Filing Service. The request should be accompanied by the completed Form 134 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions. A copy of Form 134 should be served on each respondent to the application at the time of filing, unless the application is an application without notice and service of Form 134 would or might defeat the purpose of the application. The Registry will update the applicant or parties (whichever applicable) on the outcome of the request.

(3) The applicant should prepare skeletal submissions for the urgent hearing before the Duty District Judge, and file the skeletal submissions at the same time as Form 134. A copy of the skeletal submissions should be served on each respondent to the application at the time of filing, unless the application is an application without notice and service of the skeletal submissions would or might defeat the purpose of the application.

(4) If, due to urgency, the applicant is unable to file or serve Form 134 and / or the skeletal submissions before attending before the Duty District Judge, the applicant should provide a copy each of Form 134 and the skeletal submissions to each respondent to the application when the parties attend before the Duty District Judge. Each such copy of Form 134 or the skeletal submissions must be a hard copy, if the parties attend before the Duty District Judge physically, or in soft copy, if the parties attend before the Duty District Judge by live video or live television link. Thereafter, Form 134 and the skeletal submissions should be filed as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than the next working day after the attendance before the Duty District Judge, unless the Court directs otherwise. If any respondent does not attend before the Duty District Judge, Form 134 and the skeletal submissions should be served on that respondent as soon as possible after the hearing before the Duty District Judge, unless the Court directs otherwise.

(5) In cases of extreme urgency where the applicant is unable to comply with the requirement to file or provide a copy of the skeletal submissions by the time of the urgent hearing before the Duty District Judge, the applicant should seek dispensation of that requirement and the supporting reasons for the dispensation request should be included in Form 134 filed pursuant to sub-paragraph (2).

(6) The applicant’s skeletal submissions should contain the following:

(a) the relevant facts;

(b) the applicable law;

(c) the reason(s) for requesting an urgent hearing; and

(d) a summary of arguments.

(7) The applicant’s skeletal submissions should be in the following format:

(a) all pages should be paginated;

(b) the skeletal submissions should not exceed 10 pages (excluding the cover page and backing page);

(c) the minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent;

(d) the print of every page must be double-spaced; and

(e) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35mm in width.

Request for urgent hearing before Judge of the Family Division

(8) In the event that a request is for an urgent hearing before a Judge of the Family Division, unless otherwise directed, sub-paragraphs (2) to (7) shall apply save that references to the Duty District Judge shall be read as references to the Judge of the Family Division.

108. Request for urgent hearing dates or urgent hearings prior to the filing of the application through the Electronic Filing Service

Solicitors requesting an urgent hearing before the Duty Registrar or Duty District Judge, or an urgent hearing date, in respect of an application that has not yet been filed through the Electronic Filing Service, shall submit a hard copy of the proposed application and any supporting affidavit to the Duty Registrar or Duty District Judge for the Court’s retention and shall give an undertaking to file the application and supporting affidavit using the Electronic Filing Service by the next working day. Any document not filed using the Electronic Filing Service will not be included in the Court’s electronic case file.

109. Requesting a hearing date through the Electronic Filing Service

(1) When filing applications through the Electronic Filing Service, solicitors may be permitted to make a request for a preferred hearing date for any interlocutory application to be heard before a Registrar.

(2) Solicitors should confer with all parties to the application before selecting a preferred hearing date. Solicitors arguing the application for all parties should be available to attend the hearing on the date selected.

(3) In the event that it is not possible to confer with the opposing solicitors on a preferred hearing date, whether due to the nature or urgency of the application or otherwise, solicitors must select a date when the solicitors arguing the application for the applicant will be available.

(4) Solicitors are reminded to satisfy the requirements of paragraph 52(4) of these Practice Directions.

110. Adjournment or vacation of hearing dates and part-heard cases

(1) Before any party makes a request through the Electronic Filing Service to the Court for an adjournment or vacation of any hearing, he or she should seek the consent of the other party or parties to the matter. Unilateral requests made without first seeking the consent or views of the other party or parties to the matter will not be entertained, except in the most exceptional circumstances.

(2) The request electronic form should be filed through the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 working days before the hearing, setting out the reasons for the requested adjournment or vacation of the hearing. For hearings relating to proceedings to which Part 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 applies, the request electronic form should be filed through the Electronic Filing Service at least 5 working days before the hearing.

(3) If the consent of all other parties to the matter is obtained, a letter stating that all parties have consented to the requested adjournment or vacation of hearings may be attached to the request electronic form. However, this does not mean that the request will be granted as a matter of course. The Court will still evaluate the merits of the request before making its decision.

(4) If the consent of one or more of the other parties is not obtained, the letter should set out the reasons for the other parties’ objections, or explain why the consent of one or more of the other parties cannot be obtained. Any relevant correspondence between the parties should also be attached to the request electronic form. The Court will then evaluate the contents of the request and the relevant correspondence before deciding whether the requested adjournment or vacation of hearings should be allowed.

(5) In any other case, parties must attend before the Court to make an application for an adjournment. See also paragraph 112 of these Practice Directions.

(6) Where the reason for an adjournment is a conflict of court dates, the following information relating to both court cases must be stated in the letter attached to the request electronic form:

(a) the case number;

(b) the date and time of the hearing;

(c) the nature of hearing;

(d) the date when the applicant was informed of the hearing date or agreed to accept the hearing date (e.g. date of Registrar’s Notice or date of case conference or court mentions when the date was taken);

(e) in the event the family proceedings hearing date was fixed earlier, whether the court subsequently giving the same hearing date was informed of the family proceedings hearing already fixed; and

(f) in the event the family proceedings hearing date was fixed later, whether the Family Justice Courts was informed of the earlier hearing date and the reasons for the earlier date.

(7) The directions in sub-paragraphs (8) and (9) apply to trials only.

(8) Subject to any directions of the Court, when a case is adjourned, the Registrar will assign such days as are available for the hearing of the case, and solicitors will be expected to take the dates at short notice.

(9) In the event that the hearing of a case is not concluded within the number of days allotted, the Court may direct the hearing of the case to continue beyond the allotted time, rather than adjourning the case part-heard to another date. Solicitors for parties in all cases should therefore be prepared to continue with the hearing of the matter despite the fact that the time originally allotted may have expired.

111. Absence of parties

Where an application has been struck off by reason of any party being absent, the Registrar may direct that the matter be restored by way of summons.

112. Attendance of solicitors

(1) Save in the most exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, and so long as the firm of solicitors remains on record, a member of the firm must attend all proceedings in respect of the cause or matter in which the firm is acting, even if it does not intend to oppose the orders sought by the other side. The practice of asking the opposing solicitor to mention the matter on one’s behalf is not acceptable.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), the Court may however allow a solicitor appearing in any cause or matter to mention for solicitors for all other parties provided that:

(a) the solicitor obtains confirmation of his or her authority to mention on their behalf for the purpose of the hearing; and

(b) parties have agreed on the order sought.

(3) However, where an adjournment of the hearing date of any cause or matter is sought, solicitors for all parties must attend the hearing. See also paragraph 110 of these Practice Directions.

(4) Solicitors appearing in any cause or matter should be punctual in attending Court, as delay in the commencement of the hearing leads to wastage of judicial time. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed for solicitors who do not arrive for hearings on time.

113. Absence from Court on medical grounds

(1) If:

(a) any party to proceedings;

(b) any witness;

(c) any solicitor; or

(d) any officer or other person appointed by the Public Prosecutor to act as a Deputy Public Prosecutor or an Assistant Public Prosecutor in carrying out any of the duties of the Public Prosecutor under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 or under any other written law,

is required to attend Court and wishes to absent himself or herself from Court on medical grounds, he or she must provide the Court with an original medical certificate. The medical certificate must be in the proper form and contain the information and particulars required by sub-paragraphs (2) to (5).

(a) be completely and properly filled in;

(b) contain the name of the medical practitioner who issued the medical certificate;

(c) state the name of the hospital or clinic in which the medical practitioner practises;

(d) indicate that the person to whom the certificate is issued is unfit to attend Court, and specify the date(s) on which he or she is unfit to attend Court;

(e) be signed in full by the medical practitioner (and not merely initialled); and

(f) be authenticated by a rubber stamp showing the medical practitioner’s full name and designation in the hospital or clinic, as the case may be.

(3) If a medical certificate is not in the sample form, the medical certificate should:

(a) be addressed to “Registrar, Family Justice Courts” (and not “whoever-it-may-concern”);

(b) identify clearly the medical practitioner who issued the certificate;

(c) state the name of the hospital or clinic at which it was issued;

(d) be signed in full by the medical practitioner (and not merely initialled);

(e) be authenticated by a rubber stamp showing the medical practitioner’s full name and designation;

(f) contain a diagnosis of the patient concerned (unless the diagnosis cannot or should not normally be disclosed);

(g) contain a statement to the effect that the person to whom the certificate is issued is medically unfit to attend Court, and specify the date(s) on which he or she is unfit to attend Court; and

(h) bear the date on which the medical certificate was written and, where this differs from the date of consultation, this fact must be disclosed and clearly stated.

(4) If any portion of the information set out in sub-paragraph (3) is not found in the medical certificate itself, such information may be included in a memorandum which should be attached to the medical certificate. This memorandum must:

(a) identify clearly the medical practitioner who issued the memorandum;

(b) contain the name of the hospital or clinic at which it was issued;

(c) be signed in full by the medical practitioner (and not merely initialled); and

(d) be authenticated by a rubber stamp showing the medical practitioner’s full name and designation.

(5) All information and details in any medical certificate or memorandum must be clearly and legibly printed.

(6) If the directions set out in sub-paragraphs (2) to (5) are not complied with, the Court may reject the medical certificate and decline to excuse the attendance of the person to whom the medical certificate was issued. The Court may then take any action it deems appropriate.

(7) This paragraph applies to all proceedings in the Family Justice Courts, whether in open court, in Court or in chambers.

114. The Central Queue Management System and Central Display Management System

(1) The Central Queue Management System (CQMS) is used for hearings and conferences in the Family Justice Courts except the following:

(a) Youth Courts;

(b) Mentions in the Family Courts;

(c) Trials in the Family Courts; and

(d) Open court hearings in the Family Courts.

(2) When taking queue numbers at the CQMS kiosk, solicitors are to indicate they are ready for hearing by taking the queue number for the opposing party.

(3) The Judge or Registrar has the full discretion to manage the queue and call cases in the CQMS in a manner which he or she deems fit.

(4) Senior Counsel will continue to be given the precedence and the right of preaudience in accordance with paragraph 115 of these Practice Directions.

(5) If a hearing or conference is being conducted in the Supreme Court building, solicitors shall use the Central Display Management System as set out in the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021.

115. Precedence and preaudience of Senior Counsel

(1) By virtue of section 31 of the Legal Profession Act 1966 and existing custom and usage, Senior Counsel are given precedence and the right of preaudience.

(2) In order to give substance to the principle of precedence and preaudience to Senior Counsel, Senior Counsel who intend to appear before Judges or Registrars for summonses hearings should inform the Registrar in writing not later than 2 clear days before the scheduled hearing date. Matters involving Senior Counsel will thereafter be listed first, in the order of their precedence. If Senior Counsel do not appear at the time their matters come on for hearing according to the list, they will have to wait for their turn in accordance with their queue numbers given by the Central Queue Management System in the Family Justice Courts, subject to the Judge’s or Registrar’s overriding discretion.

(3) All other solicitors, including those who appear on behalf of Senior Counsel, will continue to be heard in the order of their queue numbers in accordance with the current practice in the Family Justice Courts, subject to the Judge’s or Registrar’s overriding discretion.

116. Court dress

Trials, in Court and open court proceedings

(1) For proceedings in the Family Division:

(a) the attire for male solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be the existing gown worn over an ordinary long-sleeved white shirt with a turn-down collar, a tie of a subdued or sober colour, a dark jacket, dark trousers and black or plain coloured shoes.

(b) the attire for female solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be the existing gown worn over a long-sleeved white blouse high to the neck, a dark jacket, a dark skirt or dark trousers and black or plain coloured shoes. Conspicuous jewellery or ornaments should not be worn.

(c) when appearing in trials, in Court or in open court proceedings that are conducted through a live video or live television link:

(i) if the proceedings are conducted solely through the live video or live television link and do not take place in any courtroom, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs (1)(a) and (b), save that a gown need not be worn;

(ii) if one or more Judges hear the proceedings in a courtroom, unless the Court otherwise directs, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs 1(a) and (b);

(iii) if the Judge conducts proceedings through the live video link or live television link, and the parties attend the proceedings in the courtroom, unless the Court otherwise directs, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs 1(a) and (b).

(d) The attire for Senior Counsel will be as described in sub-paragraphs (1)(a) to (c), save that they may, instead of the existing gown, wear a gown in the design of those worn by the Queen’s Counsel of England and Wales and made of the following material:

(i) silk;

(ii) silk and wool mix; or

(iii) artificial silk.

(2) For proceedings in the Family Courts and Youth Courts, the attire for solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be as described in sub-paragraph (1), save that a gown need not be worn.

Proceedings in chambers

(3) When appearing before the Judge or Registrar in chambers, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (1), save that a gown need not be worn.

Mediations

(4) For mediations:

(a) The attire for male solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (3), save that a single-coloured shirt of neutral or subdued shades instead of a white shirt may be worn.

(b) The attire for female solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (3), save that a single-coloured blouse or a single-coloured dress of neutral or subdued shades instead of a white blouse may be worn.

117. Submissions and examination by leading and assisting solicitor

(1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (2) and (3), in the event that a party is represented by more than one solicitor at a hearing, whether in open court, in Court or in chambers, the making of submissions and the questioning of witnesses may be carried out by one solicitor for each party only.

(2) If a party would like certain portions of the submissions, or examination, cross-examination or re-examination of witnesses to be conducted by a different solicitor in the same case, an oral application for permission to do so should be made to the Court as early as is practicable and by no later than the commencement of the trial or hearing. The following information should be provided to the Court for the purposes of the application:

(a) the issues on which each solicitor will be making submissions; and / or

(b) the witnesses to be examined, cross-examined or re-examined by each solicitor, or the portions of their evidence for which each solicitor will conduct the examination, cross-examination or re-examination.

Nothing in this paragraph detracts from the responsibility of the lead solicitor to ensure that all solicitors making submissions, or having conduct of any portion of the examination, cross-examination or re-examination of witnesses, are adequately supervised and able to handle the tasks assigned to them.

(3) If permission has been granted in accordance with sub-paragraph (2), each solicitor should ensure that he or she confines himself or herself to the issues or portions of evidence in respect of which permission was granted, and that there is no overlap in the issues or the examination being dealt with by different solicitors for the same party. Further, a solicitor must not repeat, clarify or expand on any submissions that have been made by another solicitor for the same party or examine, cross-examine or re-examine witnesses on portions of their evidence dealt with by another solicitor for the same party.

(4) For civil proceedings, lead solicitors are strongly encouraged to apprise the client of the benefits of allocating certain advocacy tasks to junior assisting solicitors, including the potential benefits of reduced legal costs and increased focus by lead solicitors on the main advocacy tasks, and to therefore consider obtaining instructions to make an application in accordance with sub-paragraph (2). In this regard, lead solicitors are encouraged to consider that giving junior assisting solicitors more opportunities for oral advocacy could potentially benefit the client and, at the same time, promote renewal of the Bar.

(5) For civil trials:

(a) notwithstanding sub-paragraphs (1) and (2), and save where the lead solicitor is a junior solicitor, the junior assisting solicitor shall deliver the oral opening statement unless the Court otherwise orders; and

(b) the lead solicitor is to inform the trial judge at the Judge Pre-Trial Conference (“JPTC”), or if a JPTC has not been fixed, at the start of the trial, whether their client will be making an application pursuant to sub-paragraph (2) and, if so, the proposed division of advocacy tasks between the lead solicitor and junior assisting solicitor.

118. Applications under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934

(1) An applicant for an order under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934 must prepare the following documents in accordance with the appropriate forms in Appendix A of these Practice Directions and bring them along to the hearing:

(a) the Order of Court to Prevent the Removal or for Return of the Child(ren) (Form 115 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions);

(b) the Order for Seizure (Infant) (Form 116A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions);

(c) the Request for Attendance of the Bailiff (Seizure of Infant) (Form 116B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions);

(d) the Letter of Indemnity (Seizure of Infant) (Form 116C of Appendix A of these Practice Directions).

(2) If an order is granted under section 43(3) or section 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934, the applicant must do the following:

(a) accompany the bailiff to the place of execution and identify the child to be seized;

(b) instruct his or her solicitor (if any) to accompany the bailiff;

(c) provide specific address of execution and if the execution is at an airport (whether Singapore Changi or Seletar), the solicitor / applicant shall provide the details of the flight and terminal number (boundary of seizure at the airport is restricted to the public area); and

(d) engage and pay for the costs of an auxiliary police officer to accompany the bailiff to the place of execution, subject to the condition that where the person against whom the execution is to be carried out or the child / any of the children concerned is a female, the auxiliary police officer shall be a female officer.

119. Use of electronic and other devices

(1) In order to maintain the dignity of Court proceedings in the Family Justice Courts, court users are strictly prohibited from making any video and / or image recording in all hearings and sessions in open court, in Court or in chambers.

(2) Additionally, audio recording during a hearing or session are strictly prohibited without prior approval of the Judge or Registrar hearing the matter or the person presiding over the session.

(3) Court users are permitted to use notebooks, tablets and other electronic devices to:

(a) take notes of evidence and for other purposes pertaining to the proceedings in open court, in Court or in chambers; or

(b) communicate with external parties in all hearings in open court or in Court,

provided that such use does not in any way disrupt or trivialise the proceedings.

(4) To avoid doubt, this paragraph applies to all alternative dispute resolution and counselling sessions conducted in the Family Justice Courts.

(5) The attention of court users is also drawn to section 5 of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

120. Publication of and reports and comments on Court cases

(1) This paragraph applies to solicitors, litigants (whether represented by solicitors or not), the media and all other persons reporting on or commenting about cases which are before any Court (“Court cases”). All categories of persons mentioned above are collectively referred to as “all concerned”.

(2) All concerned are reminded that reports or comments in public on Court cases must not flout any existing law or order of Court or be calculated to affect, or be reasonably capable of affecting, the outcome of any decision by the Court. The attention of all concerned is drawn to section 3 of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

(3) All concerned are not to publish, report or publicly comment on any affidavit or statutory declaration which has not been adduced as evidence or referred to in any hearing in open court, in Court or in chambers or any other court document which has not been served on the relevant party or parties in the Court proceedings.

(4) All concerned are not to publish, report or publicly comment on any statements made in chambers by anyone which is expressly stated to be confidential or is impliedly confidential. Solicitors may inform their clients of statements made in chambers when it is necessary for them to render proper advice to their clients.

121. Production of record of hearing

(1) An audio recording mentioned in Part 15, Rule 9(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be made by the Court in all trials in action. Where a hearing is conducted by means of video conferencing or telephone conferencing using a remote communication technology approved by the Chief Justice or authorised by the Court, and the Court has authorised the making of a recording of the hearing using such remote communication technology, the recording so made will, unless the Court otherwise directs, constitute the Court’s notes of proceedings for the purposes of Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) Without limiting Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Court may determine, for the purposes of that provision, that the Court’s notes of proceedings are to be taken down by a person other than the Court, whether by hand or through the use of any computer or electronic device.

(3) The provisions of sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) are subject to any directions made by the Court hearing the matter, or by the Registrar, whether or not upon application by the parties. Such directions may include the use of alternative means of producing transcripts.

(4) Where the Court makes directions under sub-paragraph (3) for the use of alternative means of producing transcripts:

(a) the transcript of the notes of proceedings will constitute the Court’s notes of proceedings for the purposes of Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024; and

(b) the parties must inform the Registry by letter at least 7 working days before the scheduled hearing as to the mode by which the proceedings will be recorded.

(5) The costs of engaging a service provider must be paid by the parties directly to the service provider.

(6) Requests for certified transcripts of the official record of hearing conducted at the Supreme Court building must be made by filing the requisite request electronic form through the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 working days before the scheduled hearing.

Request for digital audio recording and transcription service for hearings other than trials

(7) Digital audio recording and transcription of proceedings will be made available in the Family Justice Courts, to parties, through one or more designated service providers at the request of parties.

(8) Any party who intends to use the digital audio recording and transcription service for hearings other than trials shall write to the Court hearing the proceedings for approval at least 12 working days before the commencement of the proceedings.

(9) The request for digital audio recording and transcription service shall be subject to the approval and / or directions of the Court hearing the proceedings, the approval of the Registrar, and the availability of the designated service provider to provide the service.

(10) Upon written notification of the approval by the Court hearing the proceedings, the requesting party shall submit to the designated service provider at least 8 working days before the commencement of the proceedings the application for digital audio recording and transcription service using the requisite form provided by the designated service provider. The requesting party shall also comply with any direction(s) that may be given by the Court hearing the proceedings, in respect of the party’s written request for digital audio recording and transcription service.

(11) The designated service provider shall inform the requesting party whether the application for digital audio recording and transcription service has received final approval by the Registrar.

(12) The cost of engaging the designated service provider for digital audio recording and transcription service shall be paid by the requesting party directly to the designated service provider. The engagement of and payment to the designated service provider are subject to its terms and conditions.

(13) The party or parties engaging the designated service provider shall apply for sufficient copies of the transcript to be furnished to the Court hearing the proceedings and all other parties to the proceedings.

Audio recording

(14) To avoid doubt, where hearings for proceedings commenced in the Family Justice Courts are audio recorded, a copy or copies of the audio recording will not be made available to any party.

122. Application for Court records and certification of transcripts for family matters

(1) For proceedings in the Family Courts or Family Division which have been commenced using the Electronic Filing Service, every application for the Court records in those proceedings (including notes of evidence, certified transcripts or grounds of decision) must be made by way of filing the appropriate request in the Electronic Filing Service to the Registry.

(2) On approval, copies of the Court records will be made available upon payment of an appropriate fee.

(3) Pursuant to Part 15, Rule 9(10) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby directs that transcripts of hearing or notes of hearing may be certified by:

(a) the Judge or judicial officer having conduct of the proceedings;

(b) with the approval of the Court, the manager or personal assistant, as the case may be, to the Judge or judicial officer having conduct of the proceedings; or

(c) with the approval of the Court, the service provider.

(4) The costs of producing a certified transcript of the official record of the hearing may be claimed as an item of disbursement unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

123. Access to case file, inspection, taking copies of documents and conducting searches

Access by parties to a case file

(1) All parties to a case who are registered users of the Electronic Filing Service may, subject to this paragraph and any directions of the Court, access the electronic case file made available through the Electronic Filing Service and may inspect, download soft copies or print hard copies of documents accessible to the parties in the electronic case file.

(2) Where a party to a case is not a registered user and is unable to access the electronic case file through the Electronic Filing Service, the procedure in sub-paragraph (5) must be followed.

(3) All parties to a case have the liberty to make amendments to administrative details contained in the electronic case file through the Electronic Filing Service. Administrative details include the contact details of solicitors, the identities of the solicitors, and the nature of the claim. Where a party to a case is not a registered user of the Electronic Filing Service, he or she may attend at the service bureau to seek assistance to amend the administrative details contained in the electronic case file.

(4) The Registry may require parties to a case to provide supporting documents to substantiate proposed amendments to other details of the electronic case file before the amendment is approved. For example, amendments to add or remove a party to the case have to be supported by an order of Court; and amendments to change the name, gender, identification number, or marital status of a party to the case have to be substantiated by documentary proof.

File inspection by non-parties

(5) In order to inspect a case file containing documents that were filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the following procedure should be followed:

(a) A request should be made to obtain permission to inspect the file, which request should:

(i) be filed using the Electronic Filing Service;

(ii) state the name of the person who is to carry out the search or inspection (and if this person is not a solicitor, his or her identity card number should also be included in the request, after his or her name);

(iii) state the interest the applicant has in the matter, and the reason for the search or inspection; and

(iv) if the search or inspection is requested for the purpose of ascertaining information for use in a separate suit or matter, clearly state the nature of the information sought and the relevance of such information to the separate suit or matter.

(b) Once approval for inspection has been received from the Court:

(i) Registered users can inspect the case file online through the Electronic Filing Service; and

(ii) Parties who are not registered users can inspect the case file by presenting a copy of the approval at the service bureau. After verifying the approval that has been presented, the service bureau will assign a personal computer to the inspecting party for the inspection to be carried out. An inspecting party will usually be allowed only 60 minutes to carry out the inspection. If a longer period is required, the service bureau may impose a charge for use of the computer. The service bureau may impose additional charges for downloading soft copies or printing hard copies of documents from the case file being inspected.

(6) To inspect a case file in proceedings that do not use the Electronic Filing Service, the following procedure should be followed:

(a) A request should be submitted to the Registry to obtain permission to inspect the case file. The request should state the name of the person who is to carry out the search or inspection. If this person is not a solicitor, his or her identification and contact details should also be included in the request, and his or her identification document (including physical or digital identity card) should be produced for verification if requested. The request should also state the interest that the applicant has in the matter, and the reason for the search or inspection. If the search or inspection is requested for the purpose of ascertaining information for use in a separate suit or matter, the request should clearly state the nature of the information sought and the relevance of such information to the separate suit or matter.

(b) If approval for inspection is given by the Court, and upon confirmation of the receipt of payment of the fees payable, the inspection of the case file and Court documents will be carried out at the Registry.

(c) The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for the provision of the above service.

(7) Solicitors must communicate to the Registrar in writing the names of their employees who have their authority to make searches and inspections. Such authority may be in respect of a specific search or inspection or for a specified period.

(8) All copies of documents taken in the course of inspection should not be used for purposes other than those stated in the request to inspect. Solicitors are responsible for informing their clients of this. To avoid doubt, a non-party that has obtained approval to inspect a case file may take and retain a soft copy of any document that is available for inspection.

Obtaining certified true copies of documents

(10) Applications to obtain certified true copies of documents should be made by way of filing a request through the Electronic Filing Service, unless the documents concerned have not been filed through the Electronic Filing Service.

(11) The intended use of the certified true copies should be clearly stated in the request. The relevance and necessity of the certified true copies in relation to their intended use should also be clearly described.

(12) The applicant will be informed of the outcome to his or her request and the fees payable for the provision of the certified true copies if the request is approved. Upon confirmation of the receipt of payment of the fees payable, the certified true copies will be released to the applicant. The Registry may require verification of the identity of the applicant against his or her identification document (including physical or digital identity card) prior to the release of the certified true copies.

(13) The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for the provision of the above services without prejudice to additional incidental charges which may be chargeable by the Court for reproducing the copies in paper form and / or mailing the copy(ies) to the applicant.

Electronic cause books and registers maintained by the Registry

(14) For the purposes of Part 26, Rule 3(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registry must maintain the following Court records:

(a) details of all originating processes in Family Justice Courts, including:

(i) details of interlocutory applications filed in the originating processes; and

(ii) details of appeals filed in the originating processes;

(b) details of enforcement orders, writs of distress and warrants of arrest; and

(c) any other information as may from time to time be deemed necessary.

(15) Searches for any Court records mentioned in sub-paragraph (14) may be conducted through the Electronic Filing Service at a service bureau or at the Registry. The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for such searches.

(16) An application may be made by any person for a licence to use any information contained in any electronic cause book or register subject to such terms and conditions as the Registrar may determine. Successful applicants will be required to enter into separate technical services agreements with the Electronic Filing Service provider. Applications under this sub-paragraph must be made in writing, identifying the data fields sought and providing details of how the information will be used.

13B: Documents and Authorities for use in Court

124. Filing of documents and authorities for use in Court generally

Time for filing of documents

(1) Subject to any directions in these Practice Directions, or by the Court to the contrary, all documents for use at any hearing in Court must be filed using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day in advance of the hearing. These documents include written submissions, skeletal arguments, bundles of documents, bundles of affidavits, core bundles and opening statements.

(2) In the event that it is not possible to file the documents in advance of the hearing, solicitors may apply to the Judge or Registrar conducting the hearing for permission:

(a) to use hard copy documents during the hearing. The hard copy documents should be printed on both sides of each page where possible; or

(b) to display a soft copy of the document by sharing his or her screen during the hearing (if the hearing is conducted by video-conferencing).

The solicitor must explain why it was not possible to file the documents in advance of the hearing, and must also give an undertaking to file using the Electronic Filing Service all the documents used at the hearing by the next working day after the hearing. Any document not filed using the Electronic Filing Service will not be included in the Court’s case file.

General requirements as regards documents filed for use in Court

(3) Without limiting any directions in these Practice Directions, the following requirements apply to all documents filed for use in Court:

(a) The cover page and table of contents are to be included in the page count for the purposes of determining whether a document is within the prescribed page limit (if any).

(b) Cover pages are mandatory for all documents.

(c) A table of contents is mandatory for all documents for which the prescribed page limit is 20 pages or higher.

(d) Where a document consists of more than 1 volume:

(i) the table of contents of all volumes of the document must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(ii) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the items that are contained in that volume.

(4) If the filing of a document is to be done by submitting only a hard copy of the same to the Registry in accordance with these Practice Directions or the Court’s direction:

(a) Any fees payable pursuant to the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be paid over the counter at the same time as when the hard copy document is submitted to the Registry.

(b) Parties should, when making payment over the counter, indicate to the cashier the precise number of pages which comprise the documents.

(c) The hard copy of the document filed in Court should show, on the first page of the document, the amount of fees that have been paid on the document.

(d) To avoid doubt, this sub-paragraph does not apply where:

(i) a document is filed, and the fees payable pursuant to the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are paid, through the Electronic Filing Service; and

(ii) the party chooses to tender hard copy of the document to the Registry.

Bundle of authorities

(5) Where bundles of authorities are required to be filed under these Practice Directions or by the Court, the following directions, unless otherwise provided by these Practice Directions or ordered by the Court, apply.

(6) Bundles of authorities may be filed, served, delivered or otherwise conveyed using the Electronic Filing Service. A party may also choose not to file the bundle of authorities into the electronic case file and instead submit a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for hearings according to the directions in this Part.

(7) The party using the hard copy of the bundle of authorities must produce the bundle at every hearing at which it is required. The hard copy of the bundle of authorities should be printed on both sides of each page where possible. The Court will neither retain nor undertake to produce for hearings the hard copy of the bundle. The Judge or Registrar may, if he or she so chooses, retain the hard copy of the bundle of authorities for his or her own reference. The hard copy so retained will not, however, form part of the Court’s record in respect of the proceedings in which it was used.

(8) Solicitors must adhere to the following directions when preparing bundles of authorities for use in Court:

(a) The bundle of authorities must contain all the authorities, cases, statutes, subsidiary legislation and any other materials relied on.

(b) The bundle of authorities must be arranged in the following order – statutes in alphabetical order of the title, subsidiary legislation in alphabetical order of the title, cases in alphabetical order of the case name, secondary materials (such as textbooks and articles) in alphabetical order of the last name of the author, and any other materials in alphabetical order of the title or last name of the author as is appropriate.

(c) The bundle of authorities must have a table of contents immediately after the cover page. Where the bundle of authorities consists of more than 1 volume:

(i) the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(ii) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume.

(d) The items in the table of contents must be numbered sequentially, and bound in the order in which they are listed.

(e) The table of contents must contain a concise statement of the relevance of each authority to the specific issues before the Court. The relevance of each authority must be succinctly expressed and comprise no more than 3 sentences. The statement must be set out immediately after the name of the case. For example:

PEX International Pte Ltd v Lim Seng Chye and Anor [2021] 1 SLR 631

Relevance: The foreseeability of the risk of harm is not generally necessary to mount a successful action in the tort of private nuisance but foreseeability of the type of harm is relevant.

Denka Advantech Pte Ltd and Anor v Seraya Energy Pte Ltd and Anor [2020] 1 SLR 373

Relevance: The rule against penalties in Singapore remains focussed on whether the clause in question provides a genuine pre-estimate of the likely loss at the time of contracting, and its only legitimate interest is that of compensation.

(f) The bundle of authorities must be properly bound with plastic ring binding or plastic spine thermal binding. The rings or spines should be red for applicants / appellants and blue for respondents with a transparent plastic cover in front and at the back.

(g) The bundle of authorities must have flags to mark out the authorities. Such flags must bear the appropriate indicium by which the authority is referred to. Flags must be spaced out evenly along the right side of the bundle so that as far as possible they do not overlap one another.

(h) The bundle of authorities must be paginated consecutively at the top right hand corner of each page. Each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively.

(i) The bundle of authorities must be legible. Clear copies of the authorities must be made available for inspection by the other parties or the Judge if the copies exhibited in the bundle of authorities are not legible.

(9) The Court may reject bundles of authorities that are not in compliance with sub-paragraph (8), and in exercising its discretion as to costs, take such non-compliance into account.

(10) Only authorities which are relevant or necessary for the trial or hearing may be included in the bundle. No bundle of authorities is necessary in cases where parties are not relying on any authority at the trial or hearing. In cases where the Court is of the opinion that costs have been wasted by the inclusion of unnecessary authorities, the Court will have no hesitation in making a special order for costs against the relevant party.

(11) Where bundles of authorities are filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the following applies:

(a) A bookmark should be created in the Portable Document Format (PDF) file for each authority in the bundle.

(b) The name given to each bookmark should be the same as the corresponding authority in the table of contents.

(c) The page number of each printed volume of the bundle must correspond to the page number in the Portable Document Format (PDF) version of that volume of the bundle. Each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively.

125. Hearings in chambers

(1) In all hearings in chambers before a Judge or Registrar, solicitors must submit their own bundles of documents (where necessary) and bundle of authorities. The requirements of paragraphs 18(6) to (14) and 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions must, with the necessary modifications, be complied with in this regard. Except where paragraph 127(2) of these Practice Directions applies, the bundles may be submitted at the hearing itself before the Judge or Registrar, as the case may be.

(2) The party using a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for the hearing must, if directed by the Court, file the list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day in advance of the hearing. In the event that it is not possible for the party to do so, he or she must explain to the Judge or Registrar conducting the hearing why it was not possible for him or her to do so and must also undertake to file the list of authorities using the Electronic Filing Service by the next working day after the hearing.

126. Formatting requirements and page limits for written submissions

(1) This paragraph applies to written submissions filed by parties pursuant to Part 15, Rule 21(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) The written submissions must not contain any endnotes.

(3) The formatting requirements for written submissions are as follows:

(a) the cover page must be included at the beginning of the document;

(b) the table of contents must be included at the beginning of the document immediately after the cover page(s);

(c) all pages must be paginated, with the page numbers corresponding to the Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the document;

(d) the minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent;

(e) the print of every page must be double-spaced; and

(f) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35 mm in width.

(4) The table below sets out the prescribed page limits for written submissions for the following applications:

* A final order is one which disposes of the entire action.

(5) The page limits set out in the table at sub-paragraph (4) include the cover page, table of contents, footnotes and all annexes and appendices. Parties are to note that where the Court allows the prescribed page limit to be exceeded, fees are payable under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

127. Written submissions and bundles of authorities for special date hearings in the Family Division

(1) This paragraph applies only to hearings in the Family Division save for the hearing of appeals.

(2) For any contested special date hearing before a Judge sitting in the Family Division, subject to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and unless otherwise directed by the Court, each party must:

(a) submit to the Court and serve on the other party a hard copy of the following documents at least 1 clear day before the hearing:

(i) written submissions (with a cover page and a table of contents); and

(ii) bundle of authorities (which are in compliance with the requirements under paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions); and

(b) file a soft copy of the written submissions into the electronic case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day before the hearing.

(3) The party using a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for the hearing must, if directed by the Court, file the list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day before the hearing. Where the bundle of authorities (whether in hard copy or soft copy) consists of more than 1 volume:

(a) the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(b) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume.

(4) If any party does not intend to rely on written submissions at the contested hearing referred to in sub-paragraph (2) (e.g. where the hearing does not involve complex issues), the party should seek the Court’s approval for a waiver by way of a request using the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 days before the hearing.

(5) This paragraph does not apply to any hearing before a Judge which is fixed on the normal list. However, parties are encouraged to adhere to the directions set out in sub-paragraph (2) if the application will be contested. In the event that this is not done, the Judge may adjourn the hearing to enable the filing of written submissions or bundle of authorities if appropriate.

(6) For any special date hearing before a Registrar, any party who wishes to rely on written submissions at the hearing is required to comply with sub-paragraph (2).

(7) This paragraph does not apply to any hearings for which specific directions on the filing of written submissions or bundle of authorities are provided for in these Practice Directions.

128. Citation of written judgments

(1) Solicitors who wish to cite a judgment as authority in support of their oral or written submissions must adhere to the following directions. These directions are intended to provide guidance to solicitors as to:

(a) the extent to which it is necessary to rely on local and foreign judgments in support of their case; and

(b) the practice of citing such judgments.

Use of judgments as authorities in submissions

(2) Solicitors who cite a judgment must state the proposition of law that the judgment establishes and the parts of the judgment that support that proposition. Such statements should not excessively add to the length of the submission but should be sufficient to demonstrate the relevance of that judgment to the argument made. Where solicitors wish to cite more than two judgments as authority for a given proposition, there must be a compelling reason to do so, and this reason must be provided in submissions.

(3) The Court will also pay particular attention to any indication in the cited judgment that the judgment:

(a) only applied decided law to the facts of the particular case; or

(b) did not extend or add to the existing law.

Use of judgments from foreign jurisdictions

(4) Judgments from other jurisdictions can, if judiciously used, provide valuable assistance to the Court. However, where there are in existence local judgments which are directly relevant to the issue, such judgments should be cited in precedence to foreign judgments. Relevant local judgments will be accorded greater weight than judgments from foreign jurisdictions. This will ensure that the Courts are not unnecessarily burdened with judgments made in jurisdictions with differing legal, social or economic contexts. In addition, solicitors who cite a foreign judgment must:

(a) draw the attention of the Court to any local judgment that may be relevant to whether the Court should accept the proposition that the foreign judgment is said to establish; and

(b) ensure that such citation will be of assistance to the development of local jurisprudence on the particular issue in question.

Citation practice

(5) Solicitors who cite a judgment must use the official series of the law report(s) or, if the official series is not available, any other law report series in which the judgment was published. Solicitors should refrain from referring to (or including in the bundle of authorities) copies of judgments which are printed out from electronic databases, unless:

(a) such judgments are not available in any law report series; or

(b) the print-outs are the exact copies of the judgments in the law report series.

The following are examples of law reports that should be used for citation:

(6) Solicitors should, where possible, make specific citations by referring to the paragraph number of the judgment, and not to the page number of the judgment or report. For consistency, square brackets ([xx]) should be used to denote paragraph numbers. The paragraph mark (¶) should no longer be used.

The neutral citation system for local judgments

(7) A neutral citation is a court-approved system of citation which is independent of the series of law reports or other publication, and unique to each written judgment. Each written judgment from a particular level of court is assigned a sequential number, starting from 1 at the beginning of each calendar year. The application of the system is as follows:

(a) Cases reported in the Singapore Law Reports must be cited using their Singapore Law Reports citations, in priority to their neutral citations.

(b) Unreported decisions must be cited using their neutral citations.

(8) Court designators

(9) Example and explanation

ABC Co Pte Ltd v XYZ Co Ltd [2015] SGFC 25, at [3], [8].

Year of the decision [2015]

Level of Court SGFC (Singapore Family Courts)

Sequential Number 25 (twenty-fifth written judgment rendered by the Family Court in 2015)

Paragraph Number(s) Paragraphs 3 and 8 of the judgment

Ancillary provisions

(10) The Court in exercising its discretion as to costs may, where appropriate in the circumstances, take into account the extent to which a solicitor has complied with this paragraph.

(11) It will remain the duty of a solicitor to draw the attention of the Court to any judgment he or she is aware of, not cited by an opponent, which is adverse to the case being advanced.

13C: Consents

129. Consent orders

(1) To consent to the other party’s originating application or summons, a party shall provide his or her consent in the relevant form.

(2) When an agreement has been reached between the parties and the terms of the agreement are different from the orders sought in the originating application or summons, the parties shall state the terms of the agreement and provide their consent in the relevant form.

(3) If a party is not represented by a solicitor and the other party is represented, the unrepresented party’s consent shall contain the following endorsement:

“I acknowledge that I have considered this application and have been informed by the other party’s lawyer of my right to seek independent legal advice.”

Recording of consent orders

(4) For the convenience of parties and to expedite the recording of consent orders agreed between parties, parties can apply for the grant of a consent order:

(a) before any Judge sitting in case conference for that case;

(b) before a Duty Judge;

(c) before any Judge-Mediator; or

(d) via correspondence,

in addition to seeking such orders at hearings.

Recording a consent order in the manner set out in sub-paragraphs (4)(a) to (c)

(5) Parties shall file the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order or the relevant consent form in the Electronic Filing Service at least 5 working days prior to the appearance in sub-paragraphs (4)(a) to (c).

(6) If the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order or the relevant consent form has not been electronically filed in the Electronic Filing Service by the time of the appearance, a physical copy of the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order or the relevant consent form bearing the signature of both parties or their solicitors must be submitted in Court for the approval of the Court during the appearance before the Judge.

Recording a consent order in the manner set out in sub-paragraph (4)(d)

(7) Parties shall file the Draft Ancillary Reliefs Order or the relevant consent form in the Electronic Filing Service and request for an order in terms of the same via correspondence to the Court.

(8) The Court may consider and approve the terms of agreement submitted by the parties, and grant an order in terms of the same before the next date of appearance in Court. The next date of appearance in Court will then be vacated thus obviating the need for the parties to attend in Court for the sole purpose of recording the consent order. In such a situation, the Court will notify parties of the grant of the consent order through a Registrar's Notice.

13D: Evidence – Witnesses, Affidavits and Exhibits

130. Definitions

Where the words and phrases defined in Part 15, Rule 22 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in this Part 13D, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 15, Rule 22 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

131. Witnesses

Release of witness upon completion of evidence

(1) Every witness will be released by the Court upon completion of his or her evidence and it is the duty of a solicitor to apply to the Court if the solicitor desires the witness to remain.

Request for Registrar to produce document or Court’s records

(2) A request to produce a document filed in Court or the Court’s records pursuant to Part 15, Rule 5(15) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be made in Form 109 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

132. Giving of evidence by person outside Singapore through live video link or live television link in any proceedings (other than proceedings in a criminal matter)

(1) Any application for permission for any person outside Singapore to give evidence by live video link or live television link in any proceedings (other than proceedings in a criminal matter) must be made expeditiously and, in any case, unless the Court otherwise directs, not later than 4 weeks before the date of commencement of the hearing at which the person is to give evidence. The application may also contain a prayer for the issue of a letter of request, to the relevant authorities of a foreign jurisdiction, for permission for evidence to be given by live video link or live television link by a person located in that jurisdiction, if the laws of that jurisdiction require the issue of such a letter of request.

(2) A party applying for permission for any person outside Singapore to give evidence by live video link or live television link must take note of the relevant legislation and requirements in force in the foreign country or territory where the person is giving evidence. Certain countries or territories may impose prohibitions against, restrictions on, or requirements to obtain permission for or relating to, the giving of evidence by a person in that country or territory for court proceedings in a different country or territory. The party applying for permission must make all necessary enquiries, and take all necessary steps, to ensure that the foreign country or territory where the person is giving evidence raises no objection, to the giving of evidence in that country or territory for court proceedings in Singapore. This may be done by any means that the party considers appropriate, including:

(a) obtaining advice from a foreign lawyer qualified to advise on the laws of the relevant foreign country or territory;

(b) making enquiries with the relevant authorities; or

(c) obtaining permission from the relevant foreign country or territory, in accordance with any applicable procedure, for evidence to be given by a person located in that country or territory through a live video link or live television link, if such permission is required.

(3) The necessary enquiries and steps referred to at sub-paragraph (2) must be made prior to the application referred to at sub-paragraph (1) and evidence of the enquiries and steps taken must be given in the supporting affidavit to the application.

(4) An application to the Family Division for the issue of a letter of request, to the relevant authorities of a foreign jurisdiction, for permission for evidence to be given by live video link or live television link by a person located in that jurisdiction, if not contained in an application mentioned in sub-paragraph (1), must be made expeditiously and, in any case, unless the Court otherwise directs, not later than 8 weeks before the date of commencement of the hearing at which the person is to give evidence. In this regard, parties should write to the Family Justice Courts at the earliest possible juncture to inform the Court of their intention to take out such an application in the Family Division.

(5) To avoid doubt, the proceedings mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) include all civil and quasi-criminal proceedings involving the examination of any person.

133. Form of affidavits

(1) In addition to the requirements under Part 15, Rule 24 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, affidavits should comply with the requirements set out in this Practice Direction.

(2) When filing affidavits through the Electronic Filing Service for use during a hearing of an interlocutory application, the summons number of the interlocutory application must be provided in the Electronic Filing Service in addition to the case number of the suit or matter.

(3) Affidavits shall have a blank margin of not less than 35mm wide on all 4 sides of each page.

(4) The text of the affidavits, as opposed to the exhibits, must be printed or typed and doubled-spaced on white paper.

(5) The following information must be typed or printed in a single line at the top right hand corner of the first page of every affidavit:

(a) the party on whose behalf the affidavit is filed;

(b) the name of the maker of the affidavit;

(c) the ordinal number of the affidavit in relation to the previous affidavits filed in the cause or matter by the maker of the affidavit;

(d) the date the affidavit is to be filed; and

(e) whether the affidavit has been filed in respect of a contested divorce (“CD”), uncontested divorce (“UD”), summons (“SUM”), ancillary matters (“AM”) or originating application (“OA”) hearing, and if the affidavit is filed in respect of a summons hearing, it shall state the number of the said summons, where the number is available.

For example:

“Respondent: Tan Ah Kow: 4th: 15.4.2024: AM hearing”; and “Respondent: Tan Ah Kow: 4th: 15.4.2024: SUM hearing: SUM no. 1234 of 2024".

(6) Every page of the affidavit must be paginated consecutively, and the page number must be inserted at the centre top of each page of the affidavit other than the exhibits and separators. Exhibits and separators must be paginated in accordance with paragraph 136(3).

Hard copy affidavits

(7) Affidavits shall be on A4-ISO paper of durable quality.

(8) Affidavits of 30 pages or less (including exhibits and dividing and backing sheets) may be stapled firmly at the top left hand corner of the paper. Any affidavit (including exhibits, dividing and backing sheets) exceeding 30 pages must be bound with plastic ring binding or plastic spine thermal binding (the plastic rings or spines to be red for applicants / appellants, and blue for respondents) with a transparent plastic cover in front and at the back.

(9) Unless otherwise directed by the Court, hard copies of affidavits shall be printed on both sides of each page.

134. Forms that are deemed to be affidavits

Pursuant to Part 15, Rule 36(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the following forms are deemed to be affidavits:

(a) Form 64: Application Form (Simplified MCA)

(b) Form 61: Affidavit (Doctor’s Affidavit)

135. Non-documentary exhibits to affidavits

(1) Non-documentary exhibits (e.g. CD-ROM, samples of merchandise, etc.) must be clearly marked with the exhibit mark in such a manner that there is no likelihood of the exhibit being separated or misplaced. The affidavit should indicate that the exhibit in question is a non-documentary exhibit and refer to it according to the relevant exhibit number.

(2) Where the exhibit consists of more than one item (e.g. CD-ROMs in a box), each and every such separate item of the exhibit must similarly be separately marked with the usual exhibit marks to ensure precise identification.

(3) Where it is impracticable to mark on the exhibit itself, such exhibit or its container must be tagged or labelled with the exhibit mark securely attached to the exhibit or its container in such a manner that it is not easily removable.

(4) Very small non-documentary exhibits must be enclosed or mounted in a sealed transparent container and tagged or labelled as referred to in sub-paragraph (3). An enlarged photograph showing the relevant characteristics of such exhibits must, where applicable, be exhibited in the affidavit.

136. Documentary exhibits to affidavits

(1) Every page of every exhibit must be fully and clearly legible. Where necessary, magnified copies of the relevant pages should be inserted in appropriate places.

More than 10 documentary exhibits

(2) When there are more than 10 different documentary exhibits in an affidavit:

(a) a table of contents of the documentary exhibits (enumerating every exhibit in the affidavit) must be inserted before the first exhibit in the manner of the example set out below:

and

(b) the exhibits must be set out in the sequence in which reference is made to them in the affidavit.

Pagination

(3) Every page of the exhibits, including cover pages, dividing sheets or separators between exhibits, must be consecutively numbered at the top right hand corner of each page, following from the page numbers of the text of the affidavit (i.e. the first page of the exhibits must take the page number following the last sheet of the text of the affidavit). The page number of the affidavit must correspond to the page number in the Portable Document Format (PDF) version that is filed through the Electronic Filing Service.

Dividing sheets

(4) The exhibits in an affidavit must be prefaced by a dividing sheet, marked, typed or stamped clearly with an exhibit mark and including the certificate of the commissioner for oaths required under Part 15, Rule 33(5) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 as follows:

“This is the exhibit marked [letter of the alphabet or a number] referred to in the affidavit of [name of the maker of the affidavit] and sworn/affirmed before me this [date on which the affidavit is affirmed]

Before me,

SGD

A Commissioner for Oaths”

Bookmarks

(5) This sub-paragraph only applies to documentary exhibits to affidavits that are filed through the Electronic Filing Service. Each exhibit in the affidavit must be separately bookmarked in the Portable Document Format (PDF) document that is filed. The names of the bookmarks should follow the initials of the maker of the affidavit, e.g. “TAK-1”, “TAK-2”.

Tags

(6) This sub-paragraph only applies to documentary exhibits to affidavits that are not filed through the Electronic Filing Service. Each exhibit in the affidavit must be flagged by means of a plastic tag, marked in accordance with the exhibit reference and such flags shall run vertically down the right edge of the exhibits evenly spaced out so as not to overlap one another. The table of contents itself shall bear the top most flag, marked “TABLE”.

Numbering

(7) Where a person affirms more than one affidavit with exhibits in the same action, the numbering of the exhibits in all subsequent affidavits must run consecutively throughout, and not begin again with each affidavit. For instance, where a person in his or her first affidavit has marked two exhibits as “TAK-1” and “TAK-2”, the first exhibit in his or her second affidavit should be marked as “TAK-3” instead of “TAK-1”.

References to exhibits in text of affidavit

(8) Where the text of an affidavit makes reference to a documentary exhibit, the page number(s) of the affidavit where the relevant portions of the documentary exhibit can be found should be set out alongside the number of the exhibit in question.

References to exhibits in other affidavits

(9) Where the maker of the affidavit wishes to refer to documents already exhibited to another person’s affidavit, he or she must exhibit them to his or her own affidavit pursuant to Part 15, Rules 33(1) to (3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

Related documents

(10) Related documents (e.g. correspondence and invoices) may be collected together and collectively exhibited as one exhibit arranged in chronological order, beginning with the earliest at the top, paginated in accordance with sub-paragraph (3), and the exhibit must have a front page showing a table of contents of the items in the exhibit.

137. Affirming and signing of affidavits in Singapore before, and completing of attestation by, commissioner for oaths through live video link or live television link

(1) A remote communication technology mentioned in Part 15, Rule 28(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be capable of creating a live video link or live television link through which a commissioner for oaths is able to do all the things mentioned in Part 15, Rule 28(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) For the purposes of Part 15, Rule 28(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the maker of the affidavit and the commissioner for oaths may sign the affidavit electronically by applying a security procedure that results in a secure electronic signature under section 18 of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010.

(3) Where an affidavit is made pursuant to Part 15, Rule 28 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the affidavit should be made, as far as possible, as if the maker of the affidavit were appearing before the commissioner for oaths in person, and the attestation must state that the affidavit was affirmed and signed in Singapore with the maker of the affidavit appearing before the commissioner for oaths through a live video link or live television link, or that the affidavit was signed by the maker of the affidavit and / or the commissioner for oaths electronically in Singapore, or both, as the case may be.

138. Affirming of documents by persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or blind

(1) Rule 8 of the Commissioners for Oaths Rules restricts solicitors who are appointed as commissioners for oaths to taking affidavits or statutory declarations, or administering oaths, for persons who speak and understand English, or, in the solicitor’s discretion, for persons who speak and understand a language or dialect other than English in which the solicitor is proficient.

(2) Solicitors are requested to encourage their clients to use the services of other solicitors who are appointed commissioners for oaths and who are proficient in the language or dialect in which the documents are to be affirmed, or in which the oaths are to be taken. The Family Justice Courts’ commissioners for oaths will continue to take affidavits or statutory declarations and administer oaths for legally aided cases and for parties who are acting in person who need to file documents in the Family Justice Courts. If arrangements for the use of the services of solicitors who are appointed as commissioners for oaths are not possible, persons who are blind or illiterate in English may continue to be brought by solicitors to the Family Justice Courts’ commissioners for oaths to affirm documents.

(3) As commissioners for oaths are under a duty to ensure that the maker of the affidavit understands the document being affirmed, where the maker of the affidavit is not able to understand English, is illiterate or blind, the commissioner for oaths is obliged to ensure that the following requirements under Part 15, Rule 30 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are met:

Safeguards for persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or blind (P. 15, r. 30)

30. Where the maker of an affidavit is not able to understand English or is illiterate or blind, the commissioner for oaths must certify on the affidavit that —

(a) the affidavit was read in the presence of the commissioner for oaths to the maker in a language or dialect that the maker understands;

(b) the person who did the translation was competent to do so;

(c) the maker indicated that he or she understood the affidavit and confirmed its contents; and

(d) the maker signed or placed his or her fingerprint willingly in the presence of the commissioner for oaths to affirm the affidavit.

(4) Sub-paragraph (3) also applies to persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or are blind, and who are brought before a Family Justice Courts’ commissioner for oaths. In such a case, the necessary steps referred to in Part 15, Rule 30 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 may take a considerable time and may cause long delays for other persons who wish to take affidavits or statutory declarations before the Family Justice Courts’ commissioner for oaths.

(5) Accordingly, solicitors who wish to bring such persons before the Family Justice Courts’ commissioners for oaths should first estimate the time that will be taken to interpret or read the documents to be affirmed. If it is estimated that the total time required for interpretation or reading of the documents will be more than 20 minutes, the solicitor must write to the Registrar and arrange for a special appointment for the documents to be affirmed. The solicitor should not bring the intended maker of the affidavit before the duty commissioner for oaths without such an appointment.

(6) If such a person is brought before the duty Family Justice Courts’ commissioner for oaths and the interpretation or reading of the documents takes more than 20 minutes, the commissioner for oaths will refer the solicitor and the intended maker of the affidavit to the Registrar for a special appointment to be made for the documents to be affirmed.

(7) Save in exceptional circumstances, the Family Justice Courts will not entertain requests from solicitors for its commissioners for oaths to take affidavits or statutory declarations or administer oaths for persons outside the Family Justice Courts’ premises. Solicitors appointed as commissioners for oaths and who are proficient in the language or dialect in which the documents are to be affirmed, or in which oaths are to be taken, are instead encouraged to perform this function.

139. Effect of non-compliance

Any affidavit or exhibit which does not comply with the directions contained in this Part 13D may be rejected by the Court and made the subject of an order for costs. This requirement does not apply to non-compliance caused by the IELS technical limitations.

140. Objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief

(1) Objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief under Part 15, Rule 16(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be taken by filing and serving a notice in Form 101 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(2) The notice in Form 101 should set out all the objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief that will be raised at the hearing of the cause or matter and all the grounds of the objections.

(3) An adjudication on the material objected to in affidavits of evidence-in-chief filed pursuant to an order of Court should only be sought at the trial or hearing of the cause or matter for which the affidavits of evidence-in-chief were filed, and not before. If an adjudication is sought prior to the trial or hearing of the cause or matter, the application for the adjudication will be adjourned to be dealt with at the trial or hearing of the cause or matter, and the applicant may be ordered to pay the costs of the adjournment.

158. Requests for the bailiff’s attendance

159. Seizure or attachment under an enforcement order

160. Claims and objections to seizure or attachment

161. Sale and valuation of seized property

162. Sale of immovable property

163. Bailiff’s Internet website

164. Examination of enforcement respondent

158. Requests for the bailiff’s attendance

(1) Where an enforcement applicant requires the bailiff to:

(a) attend at the place of execution at any time after the first attendance, whether during or after office hours, for the purposes of carrying out an enforcement order, to arrest a debtor, or for any other purpose;

(b) proceed with the sale of the seized property; or

(c) release seized property;

he or she must do so by filing the Request for Attendance of the Bailiff in Form 125 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions through the Electronic Filing Service. A Request for Attendance of the Bailiff made in any other manner may be rejected.

(2) The fees prescribed under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable in respect of any attendance by the bailiff pursuant to a request made in Form 125.

159. Seizure or attachment under an enforcement order

(1) After the enforcement applicant extracts the enforcement order (“EO”), the bailiff shall fix a first appointment for enforcement, and shall issue a Letter of Appointment (including a request for deposit) to inform the enforcement applicant of the date and time of the first enforcement attempt. Enforcement may be carried out between the hours of 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. at the bailiff’s discretion, unless the bailiff or the Court otherwise orders.

(2) Where, under Part 23, Rule 6(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, an EO is carried out by the bailiff serving:

(a) a notice of seizure on any person or entity;

(b) a notice of seizure on the Singapore Land Authority; or

(c) a notice of attachment on any financial institution or non-party;

the bailiff may engage, or direct the enforcement applicant to engage, the services of any appropriate persons or service provider, including the enforcement applicant’s solicitors, to effect service of such notice of seizure or attachment.

(3) Where, under Part 23, Rule 6(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a copy of the notice of seizure or attachment must be served on the enforcement respondent, the bailiff may engage, or direct the enforcement applicant to engage, the services of any appropriate persons or service provider, including the enforcement applicant’s solicitors, to effect service of such copy of the notice of seizure or attachment.

(4) Without affecting sub-paragraphs (2) and (3), in respect of an EO for attachment of a debt due to the enforcement respondent from a financial institution or any other non-party, where the enforcement applicant is represented in the enforcement proceedings by solicitors, the bailiff will direct the enforcement applicant to engage the services of the enforcement applicant’s solicitors:

(a) to serve the notice of attachment on the financial institution or non-party under Part 23, Rule 6(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024; and

(b) to serve a copy of the notice of attachment on the enforcement respondent under Part 23, Rule 6(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(5) Where the enforcement applicant's solicitors have served the notice of attachment and copy of the notice of attachment as directed by the bailiff under sub-paragraph (4), the enforcement applicant’s solicitors must notify the bailiff in writing of the date, time and mode of service of each document within three (3) working days after the date that document is served.

(6) To avoid doubt, where the enforcement applicant's solicitors have served the notice of attachment and copy of the notice of attachment as directed by the bailiff under sub-paragraph (4):

(a) the bailiff’s commission under Part 23, Rule 9(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 continues to be payable to the bailiff; but

(b) items 13 and 14 of Part 3 of the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are not payable to the bailiff, or to the enforcement applicant’s solicitors, in respect of the service of the notice of attachment and copy of the notice of attachment.

(7) Upon the bailiff’s request, the enforcement applicant or the enforcement applicant’s solicitor or other authorised representative must accompany the bailiff when the bailiff carries out the EO:

(a) Pursuant to Part 23, Rule 6(3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the enforcement applicant or the enforcement applicant’s solicitor or other authorised representative must be present with the bailiff at the appointed date, time and address of any enforcement attempt, upon the bailiff’s request.

(b) If the enforcement applicant or the enforcement applicant’s solicitor or other authorised representative is absent at the appointed date, time and address of the enforcement attempt, the appointment is deemed vacated and the bailiff shall not proceed with the enforcement attempt.

(c) Insofar as the seizure of movable property is concerned, the bailiff will only seize property that is identified by the enforcement applicant or the enforcement applicant’s solicitor or other authorised representative.

(8) Effecting forced entry into premises

Where the EO authorises the bailiff to effect seizure in respect of properties in the possession or control of the enforcement respondent, and the enforcement applicant requests the bailiff to exercise his powers of entry into the premises of the enforcement respondent, the following conditions shall apply:

(a) save in special circumstances, entry shall only be effected on the second or subsequent enforcement attempt;

(b) the bailiff may, in any case, refuse to effect the forced entry without assigning any reason; and

(c) the enforcement applicant shall at his or her expense, upon the direction of the bailiff, engage any security personnel, locksmith or any other person or facility as the bailiff deems appropriate to assist in effecting entry into the premises and the enforcement process.

(9) Under Part 23, Rule 6(9)(a) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a non-party who is served with a notice of attachment must, within 14 days of service of the notice of attachment, inform the bailiff of the amount owing by the non-party to the enforcement respondent that is available to be attached. The non-party must copy the enforcement applicant when providing the bailiff with this information. If no notice of objection is filed under Part 23, Rule 10 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the bailiff will inform the non-party of the commission due to the bailiff within 7 days of receipt of this information. The commission shall be handed or paid over to the bailiff in priority to the money that is to be handed or paid over to the enforcement applicant.

(10) A non-party who is served with a notice of attachment and who has handed or paid over to the enforcement applicant the money due to the enforcement respondent must inform the bailiff of such handing or payment within 7 days of the same.

(11) If, after the first enforcement attempt, the enforcement applicant wishes to proceed with a subsequent enforcement attempt under an enforcement method, or one or more of the remaining enforcement methods ordered in the EO, the enforcement applicant shall file a “Request to Proceed with Seizure / Enforcement” via the Electronic Filing Service.

(12) If, at any stage, the enforcement applicant does not wish to proceed with a subsequent enforcement attempt under an enforcement method, or any of the remaining enforcement methods ordered in the EO, the enforcement applicant shall file a “Notice Not to Take Further Action on Enforcement Order” via the Electronic Filing Service.

160. Claims and objections to seizure or attachment

(1) If an objector objects to any seizure of property or attachment of debt by the bailiff under Part 23, Rule 10(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the objector must, within 14 days after the service of the notice of seizure or attachment, file and serve a Notice of Objection in Form 126 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions on the bailiff, the enforcement applicant, the enforcement respondent (if not the objector) and any non-party served with the notice of attachment (if not the objector).

(2) If the enforcement applicant accepts or disputes the grounds of objection, the enforcement applicant must, within 14 days after the service of the Notice of Objection, file and serve a Consent to Release in Form 127 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions or a Notice of Dispute to Objection in Form 128 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions (as the case may be) on the bailiff and the objector.

(3) Where an enforcement applicant files a Notice of Dispute to Objection, the bailiff may direct that he or she, within 7 days after the direction, apply to Court by summons in Form 129 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions in the action supported by affidavit for an order determining the ground of objection in respect of the property or debt in dispute. The summons and supporting affidavit must be served on the objector, the enforcement respondent (if not the objector), and any non-party served with the notice of attachment (if not the objector).

(4) Where an enforcement applicant fails to file a Consent to Release or a Notice of Dispute to Objection within the prescribed timeline, and the bailiff directs the objector to apply to Court under Part 23, Rule 10(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 for an order to release the property or debt, the objector must, within 7 days after the direction, file a summons in Form 130 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions in the action supported by an affidavit. The summons and supporting affidavit must be served on the enforcement applicant, the enforcement respondent (if not the objector), and any non-party served with the Notice of Seizure or Attachment (if not the objector).

161. Sale and valuation of seized property

(1) After seizure is effected by the bailiff and the relevant timelines in Part 23, Rules 7(1) and (2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 have passed, the bailiff may take steps to sell the seized property, including requiring the enforcement applicant to furnish a written valuation report or estimated valuation of the seized property, in order for the bailiff to decide the conditions of sale.

(2) Auctions

(a) Sale by bailiff

If a scheduled auction is not proceeded with, or is abandoned due to the absence of the enforcement applicant or the enforcement applicant’s solicitor or other authorised representative, the bailiff may at his or her discretion release any or all of the items seized.

(b) Sale by auctioneer

(i) Under Part 23, Rules 7(5) and (7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, where the value of the seized property is estimated by the bailiff to be more than $20,000, or where the property in question is immovable property, the sale must be carried out by an auctioneer and by public auction. The auctioneer shall be engaged by the enforcement applicant, and the auction must be advertised by the auctioneer at least once in a printed local newspaper and at least 14 days before the date of auction.

(ii) Under Part 23, Rule 7(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, where the value of the seized property is estimated by the bailiff to be $20,000 or less, the sale may be carried out by the bailiff and may be by private treaty or by public auction. Where the sale is by public auction, the auctioneer shall be engaged by the enforcement applicant, and the bailiff may direct that the auction be advertised by the auctioneer at least once in a printed local newspaper and at least 14 days before the date of auction.

(iii) All costs and expenses incurred in connection with the auction shall be borne by the enforcement applicant and may be added to the judgment debt.

162. Sale of immovable property

(1) If an enforcement applicant wishes to effect the sale of immovable property seized under an enforcement order, he or she must file the requisite Request for sale electronic form to the bailiff through the Electronic Filing Service. When filing the Request for sale electronic form, the enforcement applicant must provide evidence of the following:

(a) the date of service of the Notice of Seizure (in Form 123 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) on the Singapore Land Authority in respect of title to the immovable property, and the date of registration (and expiry) of the enforcement order relating to the immovable property;

(b) that copies of (i) the enforcement order in Form 121 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions; and (ii) the Notice of Seizure in Form 123 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, have been served on the enforcement respondent, and the dates of such service;

(c) whether the immovable property is subject to any mortgage or charge, and if so, that the mortgagee or chargee consents to the sale; and

(d) the names of 3 proposed law firms and / or solicitors, among whom the bailiff will appoint 1 to act on his or her behalf in the sale of the immovable property.

(2) The bailiff is not required to proceed with the sale if the immovable property is subject to a mortgage or charge and the enforcement applicant is unable to produce the written consent of the mortgagee or chargee to the sale.

(3) If the bailiff proceeds with the sale of the immovable property, the bailiff may appoint any solicitor to settle the particulars and conditions of sale on his or her behalf.

(4) The following applies to any sale of immovable property by the bailiff:

(a) the bailiff may require more than 1 valuation report to be submitted by a valuer before proceeding with the sale;

(b) the sale must be conducted by an auctioneer and the immovable property must be offered for sale by way of public auction in such manner as the auctioneer may advise;

(c) the immovable property must not be sold at a price below the forced sale value as specified in the valuation report, or if there exists 2 or more valuation reports, in the latest valuation report; and

(d) the solicitor must prepare all necessary conditions of sale, documentation, accounts and particulars on behalf of the bailiff in accordance with the bailiff’s directions, and will be entitled to recover his or her legal fees and disbursements from the proceeds of sale as bailiff’s expenses.

163. Bailiff’s Internet website

164. Examination of enforcement respondent

(1) A questionnaire in the manner and form set out in Form 131A or 131B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions (as may be appropriate) must be annexed to the order for examination of enforcement respondent under Part 23, Rule 11(5) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 when the said order is served on the enforcement respondent or the officer or officers of the enforcement respondent if it is an entity (collectively, the “enforcement respondent” for the purposes of this paragraph). The enforcement applicant may modify the questions according to the circumstances of each case.

(2) If the enforcement respondent is of the view that any question in the questionnaire is unreasonable, he or she is to contact the enforcement applicant to ascertain whether the issue can be resolved prior to the hearing.

(3) At the hearing, the answered questionnaire is to be produced to the Registrar and received as evidence upon the enforcement respondent’s confirmation on oath that his or her answers provided are true and correct. The enforcement applicant may then apply to discharge the enforcement respondent or proceed with further questioning.

(4) The enforcement respondent need not attend at the hearing if:

(a) he or she provides his or her answers to the questionnaire to the enforcement applicant by way of an affidavit or statutory declaration before the hearing; and

(b) the enforcement applicant agrees to apply for a discharge of the order for examination of enforcement respondent at the hearing.

146. Appeals under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

147. Request for further arguments before Judge

148. Use of presentation slides for all proceedings before the Family Division of the High Court

146. Appeals under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

(1) The appeals counter of the Registry is located in the Family Registry of the Family Justice Courts Building.

Formatting requirements and page limits for appeals under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

(2) The formatting requirements for written submissions, appellant’s Case and respondent’s Case filed under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are as follows:

(a) the minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent;

(b) the print of every page must be double-spaced; and

(c) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35 mm in width.

(3) The following page limits apply to appeals under Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024:

(4) The prescribed page limits set out in the table at sub-paragraph (3) include the cover page and table of contents.

(5) Where the Court allows the prescribed page limits to be exceeded, fees are payable under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

Guidelines for preparation of appeal documents

Written submissions

(6) All written submissions must include a cover page and a table of contents.

Bundle of authorities

(7) The party must, in lieu of the bundle of authorities, file a list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service within the timelines prescribed in Part 19, Rule 18(5), 23(5) or 30 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(8) The bundle of authorities (whether in hard copy or soft copy) must comply with the requirements under paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions. In particular, where the bundle of authorities consists of more than 1 volume:

(a) the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and

(b) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume.

Appellant’s Case, respondent’s Case and core bundle of documents required under Part 19, Division 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024

(9) The appellant’s Case and the respondent’s Case must each include a cover page and a table of contents.

(10) The contents of the appellant’s core bundle of documents must be arranged in the following separate volumes:

(a) Volume A – A table of contents listing the documents included in Volumes A and B, the certified copy of the written judgment or grounds of decision of the lower Court, and the extracted order of the lower Court.

(b) Volume B – All other documents referred to in Part 19, Rule 25 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and a table of contents listing the documents included therein.

(11) Each volume of the appellant’s and respondent’s core bundles of documents and subsequent bundles (if any) must begin at page 1. Every page must be numbered and the page number of the appellant’s and respondent’s core bundles of documents and any subsequent bundles must correspond to the page number of the Portable Document Format (PDF) version.

Submission of hard copies of appeal documents

(12) All appeal documents as required in Part 19 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be tendered to the Despatch Office at Level 1, Supreme Court Building not less than 5 working days before the hearing of the appeal. For clarity, the appeal documents are as follows:

147. Request for further arguments before Judge

(1) All requests for further arguments pursuant to Part 19, Rule 20 or Part 19, Rule 34 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be made by way of request filed through the Electronic Filing Service and should, either in the request electronic form or a document attached to the request:

(a) state the party making the request;

(b) identify the Judge who heard the matter in question;

(c) specify when the order concerned was made (if the request is made after the Judge has given his or her decision);

(d) state the provision of law under which the request is made;

(e) set out the proposed further arguments briefly, together with any authorities; and

(f) include a copy of each of the authorities cited.

(2) A copy of the request must be furnished to all parties concerned.

(3) All requests should be addressed to the Registrar.

148. Use of presentation slides for all proceedings before the Family Division of the High Court

Subject to approval by the Court, parties may utilise presentation slides to assist in oral submissions before the Court. Presentation slides may be projected in the courtroom or hearing chambers when oral submissions are made. Presentation slides must comply with the following standards:

Typeface

(a) A clear typeface such as Arial or Times New Roman must be used; care should be taken to ensure that the font used is of at least a size equivalent to Arial font size 32. Bold and italicised fonts should be used sparingly.

Colours

(b) There must be sufficient contrast between the slide background and text: it is preferable to use black or dark fonts with a light background. The colours used in slide backgrounds should be muted and preferably monochromatic.

Animation and sounds

(c) Animation of slides or elements within a slide should be avoided; similarly, sounds should not be incorporated in the presentation slides unless they are necessary.

Corporate logos

(d) Corporate logos of the law practice may be displayed on the presentation slides. Care should be taken to ensure that the size and location of corporate logos do not distract from the substance of the presentation slides.

193. Personal data

194. Operating hours of the Family Justice Courts

195. Hours for the sittings of the Family Justice Courts

196. Use of video or telephone conferencing for hearings

197. Technology facilities in Supreme Court building

198. Citation of case numbers

199. Requests and other correspondence

200. Request for court interpreters

201. Authorisation for collection of Court documents or mail

202. The Friends of Litigant-in-Person (“FLiP”) Scheme

193. Personal data

(1) For the purposes of the following sub-paragraphs:

(a) “personal data” has the same meaning as defined in the Personal Data Protection Act 2012; and

(b) “data subject” means a person whose personal data appears in any document filed in the Registry or an electronic cause book or register maintained by the Registry.

Consent to collection, use or disclosure of personal data

(2) Consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal data contained in any document filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar need not be obtained.

(3) Pursuant to Part 26, Rules 3(1) to (3) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar may compile and maintain electronic cause books and registers by extracting information, including personal data, contained in any document filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar.

Access to personal data

(4) Contained in documents filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar. A data subject who wishes to access his or her personal data contained in any document filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar must comply with the applicable provisions in the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and these Practice Directions relating to the access to and inspection of case files. A data subject is not entitled to request information about the ways in which his or her personal data contained in any document filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar has been used or disclosed.

(5) Contained in electronic cause books and registers maintained by the Registry. A data subject who wishes to access his or her personal data contained in any electronic cause book or register must conduct a search through the Electronic Filing Service at a service bureau or at the Registry and must pay the fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. A data subject is not entitled to request information about the ways in which his or her personal data contained in any electronic cause book or register has been used or disclosed.

Correction of personal data

(6) Contained in documents filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar. A data subject who wishes to correct any error or omission in his or her personal data in any document filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar must comply with the applicable provisions in the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and these Practice Directions relating to the amendment of the relevant document.

(7) Contained in electronic cause books and registers maintained by the Registry. A data subject who wishes to correct any error or omission of his or her personal data in any electronic cause book or register maintained by the Registry must comply with the following procedure:

(a) The request to correct the error or omission must be made in writing by the data subject or by his or her solicitor, together with the reason for the requested correction. The request must clearly identify the record and the personal data to be corrected;

(b) If the data subject is not represented, his or her identification and contact details should also be included in the request, and his or her identification document (including physical or digital identity card) should be produced for verification when requested; and

(c) The following documents should accompany the request:

(i) recent copy of the record identifying the error or omission; and

(ii) supporting document(s) to substantiate the proposed correction.

This sub-paragraph does not apply if the personal data can be corrected by the data subject through the IELS.

(8) Where a correction is made pursuant to a request under sub-paragraph (7), any information that is licensed for use under paragraph 123(16) will be updated accordingly with the corrected personal data.

194. Operating hours of the Family Justice Courts

195. Hours for the sittings of the Family Justice Courts

The hours for the sittings of the Family Justice Courts shall be as follows, subject to the presiding judicial officer’s discretion in any case to conclude a sitting at such earlier or later time as he or she may direct:

196. Use of video or telephone conferencing for hearings

(1) These directions apply to hearings to be conducted by video or telephone conferencing, as directed by the Court.

Guidelines for video and telephone conferencing

(2) A set of guidelines (“Guidelines”) shall govern the scope, use and procedure for the conduct of hearings by video or telephone conferencing. The Guidelines are found on the Singapore Courts website at http://www.judiciary.gov.sg and solicitors / parties are to abide by and familiarise themselves with the Guidelines for hearings conducted by video or telephone conferencing. The Guidelines may be amended where necessary.

(3) Solicitors / parties shall ensure that their equipment meets the required technical specifications and that they are familiar with the applicable platform listed in the Guidelines.

Directions for hearing by video and telephone conferencing

(4) Selected hearings in the Family Justice Courts will be conducted by video conferencing or where appropriate, telephone conferencing. Where the Court issues directions for a hearing to be conducted by video conferencing or telephone conferencing, a Registrar’s Notice will be sent to the parties in advance of the scheduled hearing:

(a) Solicitors may write to the Court to raise any concerns that they may have within 2 days after receiving the Registrar’s Notice; and

(b) A party who is not legally represented is strongly encouraged to use video conferencing or telephone conferencing, but may inform the Court if he or she does not wish to do so.

(5) The Court retains full discretion to decide:

(a) whether to conduct any hearing by video conferencing or telephone conferencing; and

(b) whether to conduct any hearing with one or more parties attending by video conferencing or telephone conferencing and any other party attending physically in the Family Justice Courts.

Conduct of hearing

(6) Where hearings are conducted by video conferencing or telephone conferencing, all Court rules and practices on dress and etiquette will continue to apply. However, it will not be necessary to stand and / or bow to the Court at the start or end of the hearing or to stand when addressing the Court.

(7) If the hearing cannot be conducted, or if the Court decides that it is not expedient to deal with the matter by video or telephone conferencing, the Court may either direct that the hearing be adjourned for solicitors and / or parties to attend Court personally, or issue any other direction regarding the resolution of the case.

(8) Unauthorised audio or visual recording of hearings is strictly prohibited and in appropriate cases, the Court may require an undertaking that no such recording will be made. The attention of parties is drawn to section 5 of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016 regarding contempt of court by unauthorised recordings.

(9) Solicitors / parties are to ensure that the hearing is conducted in a private and secure location and not in a public area. No person shall attend at the video or telephone conferencing terminal if the Court is not aware of their presence. The identities of all persons present at the hearing must be disclosed to the Court at the start of the hearing, and permission is to be obtained for their attendance.

(10) In the event of non-compliance with the required technical specifications, prescribed Court etiquette or the applicable Guidelines, the Court may adjourn the hearing and issue further directions to be complied with.

(11) Any reference made to the record of proceedings in these Practice Directions shall refer to the Court’s record of proceedings of the hearing conducted by video or telephone conferencing.

(12) Any queries or requests for assistance pertaining to hearings by video or telephone conferencing may be sent by email to:

197. Technology facilities in Supreme Court building

(1) This paragraph shall apply only in respect of proceedings in the Family Division conducted at the Supreme Court building.

Use of the video conference facilities and the Mobile Infocomm Technology Facilities

(2) The video conference (“VC”) facilities and the Mobile Infocomm Technology Facilities (“MIT facilities”) may, at the discretion of the Registrar, be used:

(a) for the hearing of any matter, whether before a Judge or Registrar, in open court, in Court or in chambers; or

(b) for any other dispute resolution process.

(3) The Registrar may refuse any request for the use of any of the services described in this paragraph at any time owing to the unavailability of staff or equipment or for any other reason. The Registrar need not give any reasons for the refusal of such a request.

Applications to use the video conference facilities and usage of additional equipment

(4) A request to use the VC facilities for the hearing of any matter before a Judge or Registrar must be made by filing a request electronic form in the manner and form set out in Form 152 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions through the Electronic Filing Service at least 14 working days before the hearing at which the VC facilities are to be used.

(5) An application to use the VC facilities for any other dispute resolution process must be made by submitting Form 152 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions to the Registrar, through the relevant person-in-charge at the organisation at which the dispute resolution process is carried out, at least 14 working days before the dispute resolution proceedings at which it is to be used.

(6) Upon a successful request to use the VC facilities:

(a) prior arrangements for equipment testing have to be made at least 5 working days before the first day fixed for the hearing, in order to ensure equipment compatibility;

(b) applicants will be informed of the number for video conferencing during the testing session; and

(c) as a matter of general practice, the remote site will connect to the number and it is the responsibility of the party requesting the VC to coordinate the booking and calling in from the remote site.

(7) Any person who desires to use audio-visual and computer equipment additional to those provided in a courtroom will be asked to provide details of such equipment. The applicant must also be prepared to have the equipment available for testing with the audio-visual system of the courtroom at least 3 working days before the first day fixed for the hearing. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide equipment that is compatible with the audio-visual system of the courtroom.

Applications to use the Mobile Infocomm Technology Facilities

(8) A request to use the MIT facilities for the hearing of any matter in open court, in Court or in chambers before a Judge or Registrar must be made by filing a request electronic form in the manner and form set out in Form 152 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions through the Electronic Filing Service at least 14 working days before the hearing at which the MIT facilities are to be used.

(9) An application to use the MIT facilities for any other dispute resolution process must be made by submitting Form 152 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions to the Registrar, through the relevant person-in-charge at the organisation at which the dispute resolution process is carried out as soon as practicable, as availability of the resources are on a first-come, first-served basis.

(10) The MIT facilities are available for use in open court, in Court and in chambers.

(11) Any applicant desiring to use MIT facilities is required to provide details of the type of evidence to be presented and media format in the application form. The applicant must also be prepared to have the presentation material or media available for testing with the MIT facilities at least 5 working days before the first day fixed for the hearing. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide presentation materials or media format that is compatible with the equipment provided by the Court.

198. Citation of case numbers

(1) All originating processes and summons filed in the Family Justice Courts on or after 15 October 2024 must bear case numbers in the following format:

Description of Court / Type of application [Case number] / Year filed

For example:

(2) Parties are to cite the case number in full in all documents and correspondence which are submitted to the Court.

199. Requests and other correspondence

General correspondence

(1) All requests relating to or in connection with any family proceedings in the Family Justice Courts shall be addressed to the Registrar.

(2) For cases which have been commenced electronically through the IELS, all requests relating to or in connection with any pending cause or matter are to be made using the electronic forms available through the IELS. Where an electronic form is available through the IELS for the request that is sought, the Registry has the discretion to refuse acceptance of other forms of written correspondence (including letters) and to refuse to act on such correspondence.

(3) All correspondence to the Court relating to or in connection with any pending cause or matter must be copied to all other parties to the cause or matter or to their solicitors unless there are good reasons for not doing so. Solicitors are further reminded that the Court should not be copied on correspondence between parties or their solicitors. The Registry has the discretion to reject or refuse to act on any inappropriate correspondence or correspondence that is not copied to all other parties to the cause or matter or to their solicitors unless there are good reasons for not doing so.

(4) The minimum font size to be used is Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent, unless there are good reasons for using a smaller font size. In addition, all letters should be captioned with the number of the case to which they relate and the names of the parties. For example:

FC/ OAD 1/2024 Between AB and CD

(5) If the letter relates to an interlocutory application, the reference number, hearing date and time of that application should be stated in the caption below the parties’ names. For example:

FC/SUM 1/2024 CASE CONFERENCE ON 1 JANUARY 2024 at 2:30PM

(6) Compliance with the directions in this paragraph will facilitate the expeditious processing of the request.

(7) For cases which have been commenced through the IELS, a letter may be sent to the Court by a law firm using the IELS only. If a letter is sent to the Court by a law firm in any other way, it is liable to be rejected. If a letter is sent to the Court by a law firm without the information specified in sub-paragraphs (4) and (5), it is also liable to be rejected. This sub-paragraph does not apply to a party who is not legally represented.

(8) Registrar’s Directions and Notices from the Registry will be sent to law firms who are registered users of the Electronic Filing Service through the Electronic Filing Service. Registered users are to ensure that the inbox of their Electronic Filing Service account(s) are checked and cleared regularly.

200. Request for court interpreters

Proceedings in the Family Division before a Judge

(1) For proceedings in the Family Division before a Judge, any party requiring interpretation services of interpreters from the Supreme Court’s Interpreters Section for himself or herself or any of his or her witnesses at a hearing is to comply with sub-paragraphs (2) to (10).

(2) The directions set out in sub-paragraphs (3) to (10) are to be followed in relation to all requests for interpretation services of interpreters from the Supreme Court’s Interpreters Section, whether the services are required for hearings in open court, in Court or in chambers.

(3) Not less than 7 working days before the day on which the services of an interpreter are required (“scheduled day”), the requesting party must file a request electronic form addressed to the appropriate Head Interpreter through the Electronic Filing Service in the manner and form set out in Form 153 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions.

(4) The request in sub-paragraph (3) must be filed for hearings of matters which have been adjourned or part-heard, even if the services of an interpreter were requested and provided at an earlier hearing of the same matter. In the event that a request is made in respect of an adjourned or part-heard matter, the request should state the date of the earlier hearing.

(5) The requesting party must make payment of any prescribed fees for interpretation services under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 upon approval of the request.

(6) In the event that the services of the interpreter are for any reason not required on any of the scheduled days specified in the request, the requesting party must immediately notify the appropriate Head Interpreter either by letter or email. This will serve as a notice of cancellation.

(7) Any request for refund of the fee paid under sub-paragraph (5) must be submitted to the Registrar through the Electronic Filing Service within 1 month after the date on which the reason for the refund arose. The supporting reasons and the amount of refund sought must be clearly indicated in the request for refund.

(8) Unless otherwise decided by the Registrar, the fee paid for any scheduled day may be refunded only if a notice of cancellation under sub-paragraph (6) is given at least 1 clear working day prior to that scheduled day.

(9) The provision of interpretation services by the Supreme Court’s Interpreters Section is subject to the availability of suitable interpreters on the day that the interpretation services are required. Failure to comply with the directions set out in sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) may result in the services of interpreters not being available or provided.

(10) Engagement of private interpreters (i.e. interpreters not from the Supreme Court’s Interpreters Section):

(a) To avoid doubt, a party may engage the services of a private interpreter for interpretation services in respect of the languages listed in Form 153 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions.

(b) If a party requires the services of an interpreter in a language apart from those listed in Form 153 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions, it is the duty of the party to engage such an interpreter directly to obtain his or her services for the scheduled hearing.

(c) Interpreters who are not from the Supreme Court’s Interpreters Section must be sworn in before the Duty Registrar before they may provide interpretation services for the proceedings.

Proceedings in the Family Courts and proceedings in the Family Division before a Registrar

(11) The directions in the following sub-paragraphs apply to proceedings in the Family Courts and proceedings in the Family Division before a Registrar.

(12) Any party requiring the interpretation services of interpreters from the Family Courts’ Interpreters Section for himself or herself or any of his or her witnesses at a hearing must inform the Registrar in writing:

(a) within 7 working days from the date of the case conference or other proceeding at which the hearing date was fixed; or

(b) 2 weeks before the day on which the services of an interpreter are required (“scheduled day”),

whichever is earlier. This practice is to be followed for all fresh and adjourned hearings, whether in open court, in Court or in chambers.

(13) Where an interpreter is required and the Registrar has not been so informed, any deployment of an interpreter will be subject to availability.

(14) The request should contain the following information:

(a) the case number;

(b) the parties to the suit;

(c) the names of witnesses requiring an interpreter;

(d) the Court / chamber number;

(e) the stage of the proceedings (e.g. fresh or adjourned hearing);

(f) the date and time of hearing (in the event the hearing is fixed for more than 1 day, the dates and time on which the interpreter’s services are required);

(g) the number of days for which the interpreter’s services are required; and

(h) the language / dialect spoken by the witnesses requiring the services of the interpreter.

(15) In the event that the services of the interpreter are for any reason not required on any of the scheduled days specified in the request, the requesting party must inform the Registrar in writing immediately.

(16) For proceedings other than proceedings under Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Women’s Charter 1961, the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018, the Children and Young Persons Act 1993 and the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1975, the requesting party must file the request for the services of an interpreter through a “Request for Hearing Administrative Support” through the Electronic Filing Service.

(17) Engagement of private interpreters (i.e. interpreters not from the Family Courts’ Interpreters Section):

(a) If a party requires the services of an interpreter in a language apart from Chinese, Malay or Tamil, it is the duty of the party to engage such an interpreter directly to obtain his or her services for the scheduled hearing.

(b) Interpreters who are not from the Family Courts’ Interpreters Section must be sworn in before the judge hearing the proceeding before they may provide interpretation services for the proceedings.

Translation

(18) Requests for translations of documents in Chinese, Malay or Tamil for use in proceedings in the Family Justice Courts should be sent using the form available at the relevant counter at the Registry at least 6 weeks before the date the translations are required, unless there are exceptional reasons justifying non-compliance. Failure to comply with the directions set out in this sub-paragraph may result in translations not being available or provided by the date they are required.

(19) In the event that the Family Courts’ Interpreters Section is unable to accept a translation request, parties and solicitors should approach a private translation service instead.

201. Authorisation for collection of Court documents or mail

(1) Without limiting sub-paragraphs (3) and (4), all law firms are required to notify the Registry of the particulars of person(s) authorised to collect Court documents or mail from the Family Justice Courts on their behalf by submitting a request to authorise user through the Electronic Filing Service.

(2) Where such authorised persons are no longer so authorised, law firms are required to revoke or delete the authorisation immediately by submitting a request through the Electronic Filing Service. Until receipt of such notification of revocation or deletion, Court documents and mail will continue to be released to such authorised persons upon production of evidence of identification.

(3) Any solicitor may collect Court documents or mail on behalf of his or her firm and any person who is not legally represented may collect Court documents or mail intended for him or her in any matter in which he or she is a party.

(4) A law firm may authorise a courier service provider to collect Court documents or mail from the Family Justice Courts on their behalf. At the time of collection, the courier service provider should produce a letter of authorisation which is printed on the law firm’s letterhead and addressed to the courier service provider. The said letter of authorisation should clearly state the case number, the name of the courier service provider appointed to collect and the Court documents or mail to be collected. An employee or representative of the courier service provider collecting the Court documents or mail may be requested to provide evidence that will allow the Registry to verify that he or she is an employee or representative from the courier service provider, and will have to acknowledge receipt of the Court documents or mail collected.

202. The Friends of Litigant-in-Person (“FLiP”) Scheme

(1) The Court may, at any stage of proceedings, refer a litigant who is not legally represented (“the litigant”) to the Community Justice Centre for the assignment of a FLiP volunteer to assist him or her by providing administrative and emotional support in the conduct of his or her case such as:

(a) accompanying and attending court sessions with the litigant;

(b) providing emotional support and offering practical guidance on non-legal issues;

(c) sharing information on court procedure and processes;

(d) explaining key information and instructions given by the attending judge.

(2) The FLiP volunteer may attend court hearings, including hearings conducted in chambers, but will not be allowed to address the Court in the place of the litigant. The FLiP volunteer will also not provide legal advice or draft any legal documentation on behalf of the litigant.

(3) The FLiP volunteer shall not reveal to any third party any information relating to the proceedings he or she is assigned to.

203. Application of provisions of the Rules of Court 2021

204. Application of these Practice Directions

205. Application of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021

206. Citation of case numbers

203. Application of provisions of the Rules of Court 2021

Pursuant to Part 1, Rule 2(3) of the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024, the following provisions of the Rules of Court 2021 shall apply with the necessary modifications:

Order 6, except Rules 3(6), 6(5), (6) and (7), 7(7) and (8), 8(3) and 9(3)

Order 7

Order 8

Order 9, except Rules 6, 9(7)(e), (f), (g) and (m) and 17

Order 10

Order 11

Order 12

Order 13

Order 14, except Rules 1(6), 4(1)(c) and 12

Order 15, except Rules 1 and 2

Order 16, except Rules 2(6), (7), (8), (9) and (10)

Order 17

Order 22, except Rule 12

Order 28

Order 29

Order 29A

Order 32

Order 54

Order 69

Order 70

204. Application of these Practice Directions

(1) Unless otherwise provided in Part 24 or 25 of these Practice Directions, the following provisions of these Practice Directions apply with necessary modifications to proceedings under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024:

Part 4, paragraphs 47, 48, 50 and 51

Part 13, paragraphs 104, 106(1) (except sub-paragraph 1(c)), 106(4) to (8), 106(10) to (14), 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 119, 120, 121 (for the record of hearing under Order 15, Rule 11 of the Rules of Court 2021), 122 (for the purpose of Order 15, Rule 11 of the Rules of Court 2021), 123, 129(1) to (4) and 129(8)

Part 14

Part 19, paragraph 163

Part 20, paragraphs 166, 167 and 168

Part 22, paragraphs 193, 194, 195, 196 (the email to be used for queries pertaining to hearings by video or telephone conferencing is FJC_MAINTPOS@judiciary.gov.sg), 197, 199, 200, 201 and 202

(2) Where the provisions set out in sub-paragraph (1) apply to and in relation to any proceedings under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024, the references in these provisions to a rule specified in the first column of the following table are to be read as references to the term specified opposite in the second column of that table:

205. Application of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021

(1) Unless otherwise provided in Part 24 or 25 of these Practice Directions, the following provisions of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021 apply with necessary modifications to proceedings under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024:

Part 2, paragraph 23

Part 3

Part 5

Part 8, paragraph 57(1) to (4), 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65

Part 9, paragraphs 66, 67, 68, 68A, 71, 72, 73 and 75

Part 10, paragraphs 76, 77 (except that letters of request may only be issued by the Family Division), 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and 84A

Part 11, paragraphs 96, 100, 101, 102 (to be applied to trials in Court as well), 104, 105 and 106

Part 12, paragraphs 107, 109(5) and 110

Part 16, except paragraph 144

(2) Where the provisions set out in sub-paragraph (1) apply to and in relation to any proceedings under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024, the references in the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021 to a term specified in the first column of the following table are to be read as references to the term specified opposite in the second column of that table:

206. Citation of case numbers

(1) All originating processes and summons filed in the Family Justice Courts under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024 on or after 15 October 2024 must bear case numbers in the following format:

Description of Court / Type of application [Case number] / Year filed

For example:

(2) Parties are to cite the case number in full in all documents and correspondence which are submitted to the Court.

21A: General

169. Application

21B: Electronic Filing under the IELS

170. Proceedings for which the IELS is to be used

171. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

172. Appointment of agent to establish service bureau

173. Registered user and authorised user

174. Certificate of Service

175. Form of documents

176. Pagination of documents

177. Filing documents through service bureau

178. Filing of documents to the Family Justice Courts through another service bureau

179. Limits on the size and number of documents submitted using the IELS

180. Documents which cannot be converted into an electronic format

181. Rejection of documents, back-dating and refund of penalty

182. Hard copies of documents

183. Responsibility for accuracy and completeness of information submitted using the IELS

21C: Electronic Filing under the iFAMS

184. Proceedings for which the iFAMS is to be used

185. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

186. Authorised user and authorised agent

187. Electronic filing of written complaints

188. Documents

189. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

190. Amendment of documents

191. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the iFAMS

21D: Electronic Filing under the ICMS

192. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and proceedings for which the ICMS is to be used

21A: General

169. Application

(1) Where the words and phrases set out in Part 28, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in Part 21, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 28, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

(2) The directions in Part 21B apply in relation to the IELS only.

(3) The directions in Part 21C apply in relation to the iFAMS only.

(4) The directions in Part 21D apply in relation to the ICMS only.

21B: Electronic Filing under the IELS

170. Proceedings for which the IELS is to be used

Pursuant to Part 28, Rules 3 and 6 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby specifies that the IELS is to be used for all civil proceedings in the Family Justice Courts (including appeals from quasi-criminal proceedings) and all documents to be filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar in such proceedings must be so filed, served, delivered or otherwise conveyed using the IELS.

171. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

In exercise of the powers conferred by Part 28, Rules 3 and 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar, with the approval of the Chief Justice, has established an Electronic Filing Service known as the Integrated Electronic Litigation System or eLitigation and accessible at https://www.elitigation.sg and has appointed CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd as the Electronic Filing Service provider.

172. Appointment of agent to establish service bureau

Pursuant to Part 28, Rule 13 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar has appointed CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd as an agent to establish a service bureau or service bureaux at such address or addresses in Singapore as may be deemed suitable.

173. Registered user and authorised user

(1) For the purposes of Part 28 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the identification code of an authorised user is the authorised user’s SingPass ID.

(2) For the purposes of Part 28, Rule 14(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, an application to the Registrar to be a registered user is to be made using Form 151 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions. For the purposes of Part 28, Rule 14(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, a registered user may designate one or more authorised users by nominating at least 1 authorised user in Form 151 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions. In either case, Form 151 must be accompanied by the following:

(a) a recent business profile report of the registered user from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA);

(b) an application form including the subscriber agreement for subscription to the IELS; and

(c) 2 sets of GIRO application forms for the electronic payment of filing and hearing fees, and electronic filing and other charges.

174. Certificate of Service

Where documents are served using the IELS, a Certificate of Service will automatically be generated and stored in the electronic case file.

175. Form of documents

(1) Unless otherwise provided for in these Practice Directions or directed by the Court, it is not necessary for documents that are electronically filed in Court to have a cover page or backing sheet.

(2) Parties are reminded that they must, at all times, ensure that the information stored in the frontend system is up-to-date and free from errors as the same information will be reproduced in electronic forms that are generated by the IELS. Documents generated by the IELS containing outdated or wrong information will be rejected by the Registry and the fee payable is stipulated in the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(3) In the event that the IELS fails to automatically generate the document information page, parties may undertake the procedure outlined in paragraph 181(2) of these Practice Directions.

176. Pagination of documents

Every single page of a document must be paginated so that the pagination on the actual document corresponds with the pagination of the Portable Document Format (PDF) document in the electronic case file. The attention of solicitors is drawn to paragraphs 133(6) and 136(3) in this regard. This is to facilitate hearings involving reference to both hard and soft copies of the same document.

177. Filing documents through service bureau

(1) Solicitors and law firms are encouraged to file documents through the IELS. However, in the event that certain documents cannot be filed through the IELS, solicitors and law firms may file documents through the service bureau. A party who is not legally represented may also file documents through the service bureau.

(2) The operating hours of the service bureau may be found on the IELS website at https://www.elitigation.sg.

(3) Documents to be filed through the service bureau must comply with these Practice Directions and all applicable administrative instructions and procedures prescribed by the service bureau with the approval of the superintendent.

178. Filing of documents to the Family Justice Courts through another service bureau

Pursuant to Part 28, Rule 19(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby prescribes that any service bureau established or authorised to be established by the Registrar of the Supreme Court or the Registrar of the State Courts may be used to assist in the filing, service, delivery or conveyance of documents pertaining to Family Justice Courts proceedings using the IELS in all cases and circumstances where the staff of that service bureau are able to provide such assistance.

179. Limits on the size and number of documents submitted using the IELS

(1) The following limits currently apply to the filing of documents using the IELS:

(a) The total number of documents in a single submission cannot exceed 99.

(b) The total number of pages in a single document cannot exceed 9,999.

(c) The size of a single transmission cannot exceed 500 mega-bytes.

(2) The limits described in sub-paragraph (1) will apply to filing online through both the IELS and the service bureau.

(3) The resolution for scanning of documents, unless otherwise directed by the Court, must be no more than 300 DPI.

(4) In the event that any solicitor wishes to file documents which exceed the limits specified in sub-paragraph (1), he or she should inform the Registrar at least 14 days before the intended filing date. The solicitor will then be asked to attend before the Registrar for directions on how the documents should be filed.

180. Documents which cannot be converted into an electronic format

(1) If a document cannot be converted in whole or in part into an electronic format for any reason, the hard copy of the document must be filed at the Registry.

(2) If the Court receives a document which the filing party says cannot be converted in whole or in part into an electronic format, and it can discern no good reason why the document cannot be converted into an electronic format, the document may be rejected.

181. Rejection of documents, back-dating and refund of penalty

(1) Care must be taken to enter correct, complete and accurate information into the electronic form. If the information entered into the electronic form and the actual document differ, the document is likely to be rejected by the Court. If a document is rejected by the Court for any reason, a penalty may nonetheless be payable in respect of the document, as specified in the Third Schedule of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024. In this regard, the attention of solicitors is also drawn to Part 28, Rule 12 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(2) In the event that any document is rejected through no fault of the filing party, a solicitor may:

(a) re-file the document with a request that the date and time of filing or issuance, as the case may be, be back-dated to an earlier date and time, pursuant to Part 28, Rule 8(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024; and

(b) request a refund by submitting the requisite electronic form through the IELS.

(3) Where permission of Court has been obtained to expunge parts of a document or affidavit from the Court record, an applicant or his or her solicitor must re-file the document or affidavit with the expunged parts redacted.

(4) To avoid doubt, a filing fee will be payable in respect of the re-filed document or affidavit as specified in the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and the filing fee paid on the earlier filing of that document or affidavit will not be refunded.

182. Hard copies of documents

(1) The Registrar may, in the Registrar’s discretion, request hard copies of any documents filed electronically.

(2) Upon such request, the filing party or that party’s solicitors must furnish hard copies of the relevant documents at the venue specified by the Registrar:

(a) within the specified time frame; or

(b) within 24 hours of the request, if no time frame is specified.

(3) The Registrar may also direct that any documents are to be filed in hard copy instead of using the IELS for such period or periods as the Registrar thinks fit.

183. Responsibility for accuracy and completeness of information submitted using the IELS

(1) The solicitor having the conduct of any cause or matter may delegate the task of filing originating processes and documents in Court to an assistant or a suitably experienced solicitor’s employee or secretary, provided always that the solicitor is to personally satisfy himself or herself as to the accuracy and completeness of the information submitted to the Court, and will personally bear responsibility for any errors or deficiencies.

(2) In particular, solicitors should ensure the following:

(a) that the title of the action generated using the IELS is accurate and correct;

(b) where an action is commenced by way of an originating application, that either the relevant legislation under which the action is brought is provided or at least 1 nature of claim is selected that adequately represents the subject matter of the action; and

(c) where a document submitted is a digitally verifiable document issued by the Registry of Births and Deaths, Singapore (e.g. a Digital Death Certificate or Digital Death Extract or a Digital Birth Certificate) or an electronic grant of probate or letters of administration issued by a foreign court, that its authenticity has been verified.

Consolidated or transferred cases in civil proceedings

(3) Where permission of Court has been obtained to consolidate cases or transfer a case from the Supreme Court to the Family Justice Courts, the applicant or his or her solicitor must inform the Registry of the order for consolidation or transfer by way of an “Other Hearing Related Request” through the IELS.

21C: Electronic Filing under the iFAMS

184. Proceedings for which the iFAMS is to be used

Pursuant to Part 28, Rules 3 and 6 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby specifies that the iFAMS is to be used for an application under Part 5, Rule 8 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and all Category 1 proceedings, Category 2 proceedings and Category 3 proceedings as defined in Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and all documents to be filed with, served on, delivered or otherwise conveyed to the Registrar in such proceedings must be so filed, served, delivered or otherwise conveyed using the iFAMS.

185. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and appointment of electronic filing service provider

(1) In exercise of the powers conferred by Part 28, Rules 3 and 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar, with the approval of the Chief Justice, has established an Electronic Filing Service known as the Integrated Family Application Management System.

(2) The iFAMS is accessible at:

(a) https://ifams.gov.sg for a party who acts in person or a solicitor appointed to act on a party’s behalf.

(b) https://ifams.gov.sg/FSA for individuals designated as authorised agents as defined in Part 28, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

186. Authorised user and authorised agent

(1) Under Part 28, Rule 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, any individual may access the iFAMS as an authorised user using his or her SingPass ID. The identification code of an authorised user who is an individual shall be the authorised user’s SingPass ID.

(2) Under Part 28, Rule 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the entities that may be granted access to the iFAMS as authorised users by the Registrar are as follows:

(a) Law firms and law corporations as defined in section 2 of the Legal Profession Act 1966;

(b) Designated Family Service Centres (“FSCs”);

(c) Designated appointed agencies of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (“MSF”);

(d) Designated Family Violence Specialist Centres (“FVSCs”); and

(e) Such other entity as the Registrar may authorise from time to time.

(3) In the case of law firms and law corporations, only solicitors can be designated as authorised agents to access the iFAMS.

(4) For the purposes of Part 28, Rule 20 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the identification code of an authorised user which is an entity or its authorised agent shall be the authorised user’s CorpPass ID or such other ID that may be issued by the Registrar to the authorised user.

(5) Authorised users shall be responsible for all transactions conducted and liable for all fees and charges incurred by any of their designated authorised agents in the iFAMS.

187. Electronic filing of written complaints

All complaints are to be electronically filed through the iFAMS. To avoid doubt, the written complaints shall be electronically filed in the following manner:

(a) Applicants acting in person who access the system as authorised users using their SingPass shall file a written complaint which complies with the requirements of Part 3, Rule 7(4) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(b) Solicitors acting for applicants shall file a written complaint which complies with the requirements of Part 3, Rule 7(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(c) Written complaints filed by an authorised user described under paragraphs 186(2)(b) to (e) of these Practice Directions on behalf of an applicant shall comply with the requirements of Part 3, Rule 7(5) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

188. Documents

(1) All documents must be electronically filed using the Portable Document Format (PDF).

(2) The proper document type must be selected and a clear and appropriate document description must be entered. The document description should not be abbreviated.

(3) Unless otherwise provided for in these Practice Directions or directed by the Court, it is not necessary for documents that are electronically filed in Court to have a cover page or backing sheet.

(4) Every single page of a document must be paginated consecutively so that the pagination on the actual document corresponds with the pagination of the Portable Document Format (PDF) document in the electronic case file. Unless otherwise provided for in these Practice Directions, the page number must be inserted at the top right hand corner of the page.

189. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

(1) If a document cannot be converted in whole or in part into an electronic format for any reason, the hard copy of the document must be filed at the Registry.

(2) If the Court receives a document which the filing party says cannot be converted in whole or in part into an electronic format, and it can discern no good reason why the document cannot be converted into an electronic format, the document may be rejected.

190. Amendment of documents

Where a document is required to be amended, a fresh copy of the document must be produced and electronically filed, regardless of the number and / or length of the amendments sought to be made.

191. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the iFAMS

(1) The following limits currently apply to the filing of documents using the iFAMS:

(a) The total number of pages in a single document cannot exceed 999.

(b) The size of a single transmission cannot exceed 4 mega-bytes.

(2) The resolution for scanning of documents, unless otherwise directed by the Court, must be no more than 200 DPI.

(3) In the event that any party wishes to file documents which exceed the limits specified in sub-paragraph (1), he or she may make multiple submissions.

21D: Electronic Filing under the ICMS

192. Establishment of Electronic Filing Service and proceedings for which the ICMS is to be used

(1) In exercise of the powers conferred by Part 28, Rules 3 and 4 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar, with the approval of the Chief Justice, has established an Electronic Filing Service known as the Integrated Case Management System.

(2) Pursuant to Part 28, Rules 3 and 6 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby specifies that the ICMS is to be used for all Category 4 proceedings as defined in Part 3, Rule 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

(3) All applications under Category 4 are to be submitted to the Registry and uploaded into the ICMS by the Registry to serve as an electronic record of all documents filed for the purposes of the proceedings.

165. Definitions of this Part

166. Request for waiver or deferment of court fees in Family Division

167. Electronic payment of court fees

168. Stamping of documents

165. Definitions of this Part

Where the words and phrases defined in Part 25, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are used in this Part, they shall have the same meaning as defined in Part 25, Rule 1 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, unless otherwise specified.

166. Request for waiver or deferment of court fees in Family Division

A request for the waiver or deferment of the whole or any part of any appeal court fees under Part 25, Rule 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be supported by an affidavit in Form 145 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions. The affidavit in Form 145 must verify Form 146 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions.

167. Electronic payment of court fees

Implementation of electronic means for payment of court fees

(1) Subject to these Practice Directions, all court fees not paid using the Electronic Filing Service may be paid by electronic means.

Modes of payment by electronic means

(2) Payment by electronic means includes payment effected by Interbank GIRO (IBG), NETS and selected credit cards. For law firms with standing GIRO arrangements with the Family Justice Courts, payment by IBG would be the most appropriate mode of electronic payment where court fees are paid over the counter. A law firm using IBG for such purposes will authorise the Family Justice Courts to deduct the fees from its bank account upon lodgement of the prescribed form.

Scope of payment by electronic means

(3) The electronic means of payment cover all court fees previously collected over the counter and hearing fees in the Family Justice Courts.

Registrar’s discretion

(4) Unless otherwise approved by the Registrar, payment of court fees collected over the counter must be made by electronic means. The Registrar may, in any case, waive the requirement for the payment to be effected by electronic means, on such terms and conditions as the Registrar deems fit.

168. Stamping of documents

(1) Only documents filed in the Family Justice Courts will be stamped at the Family Justice Courts’ stamp office. The amount of stamp fees payable must be indicated on the top right hand corner of the document. In addition, solicitor’s employees or solicitors must complete and submit the requisition form set out in Form 132 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions, together with the relevant document(s) to the cashier for stamping.

(2) Payment should be made with NETS, PayNow, Cash, local Cashier’s Order and Bank Draft (in Singapore currency). Cashier’s Orders and Bank Drafts should be crossed and made payable to:

“Registrar, Supreme Court/AG”

(3)The stamp office shall be open during the following hours:

Monday to Thursday:     9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and
                        2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
 
Friday:                 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and
                        2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.

230. Application and Appeals

231. Magistrate’s complaints (private summonses)

232. Application for Court Records for Youth Courts matters

233. Initiation of prosecution

234. Charges

235. Checklists

236. Applications

237. Bundles of authorities for Youth Courts Proceedings

238. Documents

239. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

240. Amendment of charges and documents

241. Noting of appearances of solicitors / prosecutors

242. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the ICMS

243. Giving evidence through live video or television link

244. Documents for use in criminal trials

244A. Application by person-in-charge of juvenile rehabilitation centre

230. Application and Appeals

Application

(1) The directions in this Part must be read in conjunction with the Criminal Procedure Code (Electronic Filing and Service for State Courts and Youth Courts) Regulations 2013.

Appeals

(2) Skeletal arguments must be filed at least 10 days before the hearing. Hard copies of the bundles of authorities and skeletal arguments shall be tendered to the Registry at the same time as they are filed.

231. Magistrate’s complaints (private summonses)

(1) Framing of criminal charges

Solicitors representing the complainants (save in maintenance cases) are to frame and submit the charges when the complaints are filed. This will facilitate the immediate issuance of the summons if it is so ordered by the Duty Judge.

(2) Infringement of copyright / trademarks

Magistrate’s complaints involving infringement of copyright / trademarks must be sworn by authorised representatives. A letter of authorization to that effect must be attached to the complaint.

(3) Service of summons by solicitors’ clerks

(a) Solicitors are informed that any summons issued pursuant to Section 153 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 must be served at least 7 days before the return date of the summons if such service is undertaken by the firm’s clerk. This is because the authorization to serve will lapse 7 days before the return date.

(b) If the summons is already served on the respondent 7 days before the mention date, the attached summons must be returned to the Registry immediately after service. Failure to do so will result in the summons not being listed for mention.

(c) If the summons cannot be served on the respondent 1 week before the mention date, the authorization to serve will lapse. In order to obtain further authorization for the firm’s clerk to serve the summons on the respondent or to obtain an extension of the return date, the solicitor must appear before the Duty Judge not later than 5 days before the return date. Failure to comply with this may result in the complaint being struck off the list.

232. Application for Court Records for Youth Courts matters

(1) An application for a copy of any part of the record of any proceedings for a case registered via the Integrated Case Management System (“ICMS”) must be made via the ICMS portal under “Request for Court Records”.

(2) Applications for all other cases must be made in Form 48 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions.

(3) On approval of an application that has been electronically filed via the ICMS, the record of proceedings will be available for online downloading via the ICMS portal or collection depending on the delivery mode chosen.

(4) Upon approval of an application for all other cases, and for ICMS cases where the mode of collection chosen is at the counter, the requisite number of copies of the record of proceedings applied for shall be made available for collection by the applicant for a period of 21 calendar days from the date specified in the notification given to the applicant by the Registry.

(5) Where the copy of any record of proceedings applied for is not collected by the applicant within the time given by sub-paragraph (4), the copy of the record of proceedings shall be disposed of and the applicant must make a fresh application if he or she still requires a copy of the relevant record of proceedings.

(6) The relevant fee prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code (Prescribed Fees) Regulations 2013 must be paid by the applicant at the time he or she makes the application.

(7) The applicant shall be allowed to download or collect the copy of the record of proceedings applied for only if the fees payable therefor, including any balance fee payable, have been fully paid by him or her.

(8) Any application for the waiver or remission of any fee payable for a copy of any record of proceedings may be made to the Registrar and the grant of such an application shall be in the absolute discretion of the Registrar.

233. Initiation of prosecution

All criminal prosecutions instituted by or on behalf of the Public Prosecutor, a police officer, an officer from a law enforcement agency, or a person acting with the authority of a public body against one or more accused, whether or not represented by a solicitor, must be initiated by electronic filing.

234. Charges

(1) All new and amended charges must be electronically filed prior to the scheduled Court session.

(2) The charges must be in Word Document format (.doc or .docx) or in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

(3) The charge sheet for each distinct offence must be electronically filed separately, and the system will assign and stamp a unique number on each charge sheet.

(4) The investigation officer or prosecutor framing the charge is not required to sign the charge but must key in “ /s/ ” followed by his or her name above his or her personal information in the charge sheet.

235. Checklists

(1) For every Mention (“FM” / “FFM”); Case Conference (“CC”); Criminal Case Disclosure Conference (“CCDC”) and Plead Guilty Mention (“FM(PG)”), there will be a corresponding Mentions Checklist, CC/CCDC checklist and PG checklist for the Court event in the electronic case file.

(2) Except for the first appearance in Court by defence counsel, defence counsel is required to submit the Mentions or CC checklist indicating the affirmative position of the accused. The submission may be made at any time prior to the commencement of the scheduled Court event.

(3) Prosecutors are required to submit the Mentions or CC checklists indicating the prosecution’s affirmative position. The submission may be made at any time prior to the commencement of the scheduled Court event.

(4) The PG checklist need not be re-submitted if the position of the prosecution on the charge(s) has been indicated and remains the same.

(5) For CCDCs, the checklist is only required to be submitted before the scheduled Court event by the party applying for an adjournment.

236. Applications

(1) All applications which have been specifically provided for must be electronically filed. These include applications relating to the initiation of any criminal process or criminal matter or which require a direction or Court order before the scheduled Court session.

(2) An application which is not electronically filed in accordance with the directions contained in this Part shall be rejected.

(3) The prosecution or defence must notify the party who is unrepresented of its application.

237. Bundles of authorities for Youth Courts Proceedings

(1) In all Youth Courts proceedings, solicitors shall submit their own bundle of authorities.

(2) In this regard, the requirements set out in paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions shall apply to bundles of authorities submitted to the Youth Courts.

238. Documents

(1) Except for the Statement of Facts and Schedule of Offences, all documents must be electronically filed using the Portable Document Format (PDF).

(2) The Statement of Facts and the Schedule of Offences may be filed in Word Document Format (.doc or .docx).

(3) The investigation officer or prosecutor putting up the Statement of Facts must key in “ /s/ ” followed by his or her name.

(4) The proper document type must be selected and a clear and appropriate document title must be entered. The document title should not be abbreviated.

(5) It is not necessary for documents to have a cover page or backing sheet.

(6) Every page of a document must be paginated consecutively so that the pagination on the actual document corresponds with the pagination of the Portable Document Format (PDF) document in the electronic case file, and the page number must be inserted at the centre top of the page.

(7) The prosecution or defence must provide hard copies of documents that are electronically filed to the unrepresented litigant.

239. Documents which cannot be converted into electronic format

(1) If a document cannot be converted in whole or in part into an electronic format for any reason, the hard copy of the document must be tendered to the Court.

(2) A document which is not wholly converted into an electronic format without good reason may be rejected as the Court sees fit.

240. Amendment of charges and documents

Where a charge or document is required to be amended, a fresh copy of the charge or document must be produced and electronically filed, regardless of the number and length of the amendments sought to be made.

241. Noting of appearances of solicitors / prosecutors

(1) To facilitate the contacting of solicitors and prosecutors having conduct of matters in the Youth Courts, solicitors and prosecutors appearing in cases must each fill in a Form 49 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions and hand the duly completed form to the Court officer before their cases are mentioned.

(2) This practice applies to all mentions and trials in the Youth Courts.

(3) The forms will be placed on all bar tables.

242. Limits on size and number of documents submitted using the ICMS

(1) The following limits shall apply to the filing of documents:

(a) the total number of pages in a single document must not exceed 999;

(b) the size of a single transmission must not exceed 50 mega-bytes.

(2) The resolution for scanning, unless otherwise directed by the Court, must be no more than 300 DPI.

(3) In the event that any party wishes to file documents which exceed the limits specified in sub-paragraph (1), he or she may make multiple submissions.

243. Giving evidence through live video or television link

(1) A witness (including the youth offender) may, with the Youth Courts’ permission, give evidence through a live video or live television link in any trial, inquiry, appeal or other proceedings as specified in section 281 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.

(2) The application for permission should be made as early as practicable. In addition to the need for timeliness,

(a) where the application is for the youth to give evidence by means of a live video or live television link under section 281(5A) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, the application should state:

(i) where the youth will be giving evidence from (whether a place within a Court, a prison, an approved centre or institution in Singapore as defined in the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 or any other place in Singapore);

(ii) the administrative and technical facilities and arrangements to be made at the place from which the youth is to make an appearance or to give evidence from; and

(iii) the reasons for making such an application, and in particular, why it would be in the interests of justice to allow the application;

(b) where the application is for a witness (not being the youth) who is not in Singapore to give evidence from a place that is not in Singapore by means of a live video or live television link, the application should also state:

(i) whether the witness is a witness specified in section 281(5B)(c) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, and if so, the capacity of the witness (e.g, an expert witness, factual witness or otherwise);

(ii) the administrative and technical facilities and arrangements to be made at the place from which the witness is to give evidence; and

(iii) the reasons for making such an application, and in particular, why it would be in the interests of justice to allow the application.

(3) The Court may, in a proper case, permit appropriate person(s) to be present with the witness (including a youth offender giving evidence as a witness, where appropriate) at the place where the witness is giving evidence from. Such person(s) may include a parent, a guardian, an officer of the Court, a counsellor, a social worker or any such other person(s) as the Court deems fit.

(4) If a youth is not represented by a solicitor, the Judge will explain to him or her the process of a witness or the youth (as the case may be) giving evidence through a video link.

(5) Microphones have been installed for the Judge, prosecutor, solicitor, witness, interpreter and the youth who are physically in Court. The oral proceedings, including the testimony of the witness, will be relayed and broadcast through the courtroom speaker system. When a video link session is in progress, prosecutors and solicitors who are physically in Court are reminded to speak clearly and slowly into the microphones which are placed on the tables. In order to ensure clarity in the audio transmissions, no two persons should speak simultaneously into the microphones.

244. Documents for use in criminal trials

(1) The party intending to tender a document as evidence to the Youth Courts during a trial must file an electronic copy of the document.

(2) The Court may, in its discretion, allow a party to tender a document as evidence during a trial, notwithstanding that the party has not complied with the requirements of this Part.

(3) The electronic copy must tally in all respects with the hard copy as it will form part of the electronic case file.

(4) If another party objects to the admissibility of certain documents, those documents on which agreement cannot be reached must not be electronically filed. A hard copy of those documents must be tendered at the trial.

(5) The importance of not submitting unnecessarily large electronic files is emphasised. If there are a large number of documents to be tendered, parties should submit an electronic copy of the documents stored on a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or such other storage medium acceptable to the Registrar instead of electronically filing the documents. These documents will be uploaded into the case file by the Court officer and will form part of the electronic case file.

(6) Parties may obtain directions of the Court if they are uncertain if the documents should be electronically filed, submitted on a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or such other storage medium, or tendered by hard copy.

(7) The party tendering document(s) at trial (i.e., the prosecution or defence) must provide hard copies of the document(s) at trial to the unrepresented party and to the witness.

244A. Application by person-in-charge of juvenile rehabilitation centre

(1) An application under section 49(8) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1993 by the person-in-charge (“PIC”) of a juvenile rehabilitation centre, to vary or discharge an order made under section 49(1)(i) of that Act for a child or young person to be sent to a juvenile rehabilitation centre, must be made in Form 209 of Appendix F of these Practice Directions.

(2) Unless the Court otherwise directs, the PIC making the application under sub-paragraph (1) must serve a Notice of Application (Form 210 of Appendix F of these Practice Directions) on the parent or guardian of the child or young person within 7 days after the date the application is made.

Service of Notice of Application

(3) Unless the Court otherwise directs, the Notice of Application under sub-paragraph (2) may be served on a person:

(a) by delivering the Notice to the person personally;

(b) by delivering the Notice to any adult who is a member of the person’s family and who resides at the person’s last known place of residence; or

(c) by sending the Notice to the person’s last known place of residence or business, or to any address provided by the person as an address for service, by registered post in a cover addressed to the person.

(4) A Notice of Application sent by registered post to a person in accordance with sub-paragraph (3)(c) is to be treated as duly served on the person at the time when the Notice would in the ordinary course of post be delivered.

(5) In proving service of a Notice of Application by registered post, it is sufficient to prove that the cover containing the Notice was properly addressed, stamped and posted by registered post.

(6) If required by the Court, the person who effects service of a Notice of Application in accordance with sub-paragraph (3) must file an affidavit in Form 211 of Appendix F of these Practice Directions as evidence of such service.

APPENDIX A: FORMS FOR USE IN FAMILY JUSTICE (GENERAL) RULES 2024