Getting An Expat Divorce And Spouse Maintenance In Singapore

Not every marriage lasts for a lifetime, often people grow apart and the marriage breaks.There is no use living in a meaningless marriage where both partners cannot bear the sight of one another. In most countries the cost of the divorce and all allied expenses are sky rocketing and leave the person seeking divorce high and dry. The biggest advantage with seeking a divorce in Singapore is that the expat divorce procedure is easy, comparatively inexpensive and fast. You need to fulfil a few simple conditions and then you can apply for a divorce in the Court in Singapore.

How to apply for expat divorce in Singapore?

• • You should be living in Singapore for three years or more and should have been married for 3 years. If in case you have not been living in Singapore for three years, you can show your intent of being domiciled in Singapore for a longer period of time before the court.

  • The grounds to apply for a divorce must be grave and acceptable in the court of law. Mental cruelties, desertion, adultery, are some grounds that are recognised by the courts of law.

  • Once the divorce has been granted after following the expat divorce procedure if either spouse is living in Singapore on the dependant pass, then that person will have to leave the country immediately.

What are the criteria for deciding maintenance to the spouse?

After a divorce proceeding has been filed, the next question that needs to be considered is that of spouse maintenance in Singapore. In Singapore, the Women’s Charter Sec 114(1) states that the Court takes in account the circumstances of the particular case in hand to decide the maintenance that a former wife is entitled to get from her ex-husband. Some of the factors are the standard of living that the former wife had while she was married and she must be able to maintain the same. If the former wife is capable of working or has been working in the past; it will also be taken into consideration while deciding the amount of the maintenance. Also, the husband should have the financial capacity to be able to provide maintenance to the wife.

The court may decide to provide maintenance to the wife for the interim period while the divorce proceedings are on. If the wife makes out a case for maintenance the court will give a substantial order in her favour. If due to some reason the wife is not able to make out a case, the court will make a nominal order in favour of the wife. There are times when the court may also order a lump sum order for maintenance to the wife as a full and final settlement as part of spouse maintenance in Singapore.

About Author:Henry Tan is expert writer, he writes on various topic related to Law in Singapore. Currently he is writing for on divorce law in Singapore. If you have any questions related to Divorce procedures in Singapore, please visit http://singaporedivorcelawyer.com.sg or consult Divorce lawyers in Singapore.