Child custody in Singapore
In Singapore both parents of a married couple are joint guardians, an unmarried father is not automatically a guardian, and the court decides by the child's welfare.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
If the parents are married
Both parents are joint guardians of the child with equal rights.
If the parents are not married
The mother is the guardian. The father can apply to the court to be appointed a guardian.
The unmarried father, in one line: The mother has it; the father needs a court order.
After a divorce or separation
The court decides custody and care and control by the child's welfare. Joint custody, with the child living mainly with one parent, is common, and the court can order shared care in some cases. Parents are encouraged to use mediation first.
What the child can say
The court takes the child's wishes into account where the child is old enough to express them.
Moving house or moving abroad with the child
A parent needs the other's consent, or a court's, to take the child to live abroad.
If the parents live in different countries
Singapore is a party to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention, which lets a parent ask for a child wrongly taken to another country to be returned. It works only with countries that have accepted its accession, so check the other country on the treaty status table.
What to watch for
- Muslims in Singapore are governed by Syariah law on custody.
Understand the legal system first
Singapore belongs to the Common law family. Family law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Singapore legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Singapore? →
Official sources
Take it further
The family and property rules of a European country in one PDF, with questions for a local lawyer.
Write down parenting time and responsibilities.
Permission for a child to travel with one parent or another adult.
Marriage, divorce, custody and support, step by step.
Support this free tool
This guide is free, and it takes a lot of careful work to build and keep up to date. If it helped you, you can leave a small contribution. No account is needed, and nothing is sold to you.
A one-time card payment through Stripe. It is a contribution, not a purchase, and it is not tax-deductible.
Other countries
AfghanistanAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzechiaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIndiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMonacoMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayOmanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaPhilippinesPolandPortugalRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited KingdomUnited StatesVanuatuYemenZambiaZimbabwe
TheLawToKnow Tools’s child custody guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
