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How to apply for, enforce, vary, rescind or suspend a maintenance order
Before you apply
Before you file, make sure you:
Key facts
If you are filing the application, you are the applicant (also known as the complainant).
The party against whom the application is filed is the respondent.
Note
This process only covers maintenance applications that are:
- Filed through the Integrated Family Management System (iFAMS) (under Part VIII of the Women's Charter).
- Not part of a divorce or guardianship case.
Refer to the following on how you can file a maintenance application.
Who can apply | Refer to this table on who can apply for a fresh maintenance order. You can apply to enforce an existing maintenance order if the respondent does not comply with it. You can also apply to vary an existing maintenance order. |
When to apply | You can file a fresh maintenance application at any time. |
Estimated fees | $1 for the issuance of a summons. |
Documents required | Depends on the type of maintenance application. Refer to this list for the relevant documents. |
How to apply | You can apply in person at the Family Justice Courts (FJC) or at an authorised agency. Note: Before your visit, you are encouraged to submit your application and supporting documents online through the Integrated Family Management System (iFAMS). Please note that you will still be required to come to FJC personally to complete the application even if you have submitted an online application. |
Who can apply for maintenance in the Family Justice Courts
You can apply for maintenance in the Family Justice Courts for the following situations:
| You can apply for maintenance for... | From... | If the following applies... |
|---|---|---|
Your child | The other parent. | The other parent neglects or refuses to provide your child with reasonable maintenance. |
Yourself | Your husband. | You are a married woman whose husband neglects or refuses to provide you with reasonable maintenance. |
Yourself | Your wife. | You are an incapacitated husband whose wife has neglected or refused to provide you with reasonable maintenance. |
Yourself | Your parent. | If you are over 21 and at least one of the following applies to you:
|
What you will need
What you need to prepare depends on the type of application you wish to file.
You will need the following documents for a fresh maintenance application:
- Your identity card or passport.
- A photocopy of your marriage certificate.
- (If applicable) A photocopy of the birth certificate of each of your children whom you are applying for maintenance for.
- (If you are an incapacitated husband seeking maintenance) A medical report containing the matters prescribed in Rule 114A of the Family Justice Rules.
You will need the following documents to apply to enforce an existing maintenance order:
- Your identity card or passport.
- A photocopy of your marriage certificate.
- (If applicable) A photocopy of the birth certificate of each of your children.
- A photocopy of each of the court orders for maintenance that you wish to enforce.
- A calculation of the unpaid maintenance (also known as arrears). This includes:
- A table showing the months where maintenance payments have been breached and the outstanding expenses that need to be paid.
- Bank statements of the account designated for payment of maintenance to show the amount that has not been paid.
- (If the maintenance order involves reimbursement) Proof of expenses that have been ordered to be paid under the maintenance order.
You will need the following documents to apply to vary an existing maintenance order:
- Your identity card or passport.
- A photocopy of each of the court orders for maintenance that you wish to vary.
- Specific details on how you wish for the maintenance order to be varied.
If you are applying for (1) fresh maintenance (pursuant to s69 of the Women’s Charter), or, (2) the variation, rescission or suspension of an existing maintenance order (pursuant to s72 of the Women’s Charter), you will be required to fill in a prescribed form known as an E-Template Statement (ETS). Find out how to prepare an ETS.
Where to apply
You may apply at any of the following locations.
You may visit the Maintenance Registry (Level 1, FJC at Havelock Square) during the operating hours to apply in person.
You may visit the following authorised agencies to file specific types of maintenance applications:
| Type of application | Authorised agency |
|---|---|
Application for fresh maintenance order for wife and children | |
Application to enforce a maintenance order including an order made in divorce proceedings |
|
Do note that you are still required to come to FJC personally to complete the application even upon an online submission.
How to apply
Before you visit: submit documents online
You are strongly encouraged to submit your application and supporting documents online via iFAMS before going to the FJC or authorised agencies. Doing so means less time will be spent processing your application at the FJC or authorised agency.
Refer to the following steps:
- Log in to iFAMS. Under the Maintenance section, select the appropriate maintenance order application (depending on what you are applying for).
- Fill in the online form.
- Save your work and choose whether you wish to verify your application at the FJC or an authorised agency. You will receive a reference number.
- You will have to bring all the supporting documents to the FJC or the authorised agency, so that they can be checked or filed together with your application, if required.
Note: For step-by-step instructions on filing a fresh maintenance order, refer to the iFAMS user guide for a maintenance order application.
Visit the FJC or an authorised agency
Bring all the required documents to one of the locations to file your application. Please do also upload a copy of your completed ETS into iFAMS before the start of your trial. However, if you have prepared the ETS before that, you may also upload it into iFAMS and/or bring along the hardcopies.
After you apply
If your application is in order, the duty judge will approve it without having to see you.
Otherwise, you will need to:
- Appear before a judge either in person or through video conference. This is usually done on the same day you visit the FJC or authorised agency.
- Answer any questions the judge has for you.
- Swear or affirm that the contents of your application and answers are true and correct.
Note
It is a serious offence to include statements that you know to be untrue or incorrect in a sworn or affirmed application.
If your application is approved
If your application is in order, the judge will issue a summons to the respondent. You will need to pay a sum of $1 for the issuance of summons.
Within 3 weeks after the application is filed, the respondent will be notified of your application in one of the following ways:
- For fresh maintenance applications, the court will serve the summons on the respondent at the address you provided in your application.
- For all other applications, the court will send the summons to the respondent via registered mail.
The court may schedule a maintenance mediation session for both you and the respondent to attend. This is usually 3 weeks after the application is filed.
Note: Ordinarily, the court would direct parties to first attend a court mediation. However, in some exceptional cases, the court may instead direct you and the respondent to attend a court mention instead of mediation.
Need help?
The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may want to get independent legal advice.
Find out more
Go to Step-by-step guide
Step-by-step guide
File and serve a maintenance application
Attend mediation
Attend one or more mentions
Attend a hearing
Understand the outcomes and file an application, if needed
2023/02/02
Resources
Refer to the:
- Maintenance brochure:
- iFAMS user guide for a maintenance order application (PDF, 551 KB).
Legislation associated with this topic includes:
Related questions
If there is a basis for a maintenance order to be made against the respondent, a provisional maintenance order can be issued, even if the respondent resides outside Singapore.
However, the respondent must be residing in a country that is listed in the Subsidiary Legislation of Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act. You must also know the respondent's address in the foreign country.
If you meet these conditions, you can file a maintenance application by following the same steps described above.
Besides the documents listed for a maintenance application, you will need to submit both of these additional information:
- The respondent's residential address in the foreign country.
- A photograph of the respondent.
If the court grants the provisional maintenance order, it will be sent to the country the respondent is residing in and must be confirmed by the courts there before it becomes effective. If the foreign courts do not confirm the provisional order, it will have no effect.
As the time taken to transmit the documents varies according to the location of the courts in the receiving country and as the confirmation hearing is dependent on the foreign court's schedule, the Family Justice Courts is not able to advise how long the process will take.
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