A mention is a court session where the judge gives the parties in a maintenance application directions on the next steps to be taken for the application. For fresh, variation/suspension/rescission maintenance applications only, you may be required to fill up a prescribed form known as a E-Template Statement (ETS) before the trial.
Both the applicant and the respondent must attend the court mention.
Note: For a party who is represented by a lawyer, the lawyer may request to the court for the party to be exempted from attending the mention.
The Family Courts will inform you of the date, time and venue of your mentions.
If there is a valid reason for your absence, the court may choose to adjourn the matter.
You may apply to change the court date through the Integrated Family Management System (iFAMS). You must request at least 5 working days in advance and include supporting documents.
For urgent cases, contact the Family Registry at fjcourts_maintpos@fjcourts.gov.sg or 6435 5471.
If the court grants your request, a new date will be arranged. Otherwise, you are required to attend the court session as scheduled.
Some court sessions may be conducted virtually. The court will inform you if you do not need to attend court in person. Find out more about virtual court sessions.
The duration of your court mention may vary depending on the nature and complexity of your case, and the issues raised at the mention.
This table summarises what may happen at a first mention:
As the applicant | The judge may ask you to confirm:
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As the respondent | The judge may ask you:
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If the parties come to an agreement, the court will record a consent order and the matter is concluded.
The applicant may also choose to withdraw the application.
If the parties cannot come to an agreement, the court may direct both parties to attend further mention sessions to prepare the case for a hearing. The court will schedule a hearing date after the judge is satisfied that parties are ready for the hearing.
You will need to prepare the following before a hearing:
During the mention, the court will give you further instructions on how to submit and exchange documents with the other party to prepare for trial.
You may need to file the documents through the Integrated Family Management System (iFAMS) before the hearing. Refer to the iFAMS user guide to file documents for hearings for the detailed instructions.
The documents you need to prepare depends on what you are applying for:
Both the applicant and respondent must provide:
Both the applicant and respondent must provide:
The applicant must also provide:
The respondent must also provide:
Both the applicant and respondent must provide:
If applicable, the applicant must also provide the:
It is your responsibility to obtain and submit the necessary documents for trial. The court cannot apply for documents on your behalf. You may contact the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board for CPF statements, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) for Notices of Assessment, or other relevant organisations.
If you wish to call witnesses for the hearing, ensure they are available for the hearing and inform the court at the mention.
If necessary, you may apply for a Summons to a Witness online through iFAMS, with a fee of $1.
If your witnesses are allowed, you will need to submit the statements from your witnesses (also known as Affidavits of Evidence-in-Chief) through iFAMS. During the mentions, the court will give you further instructions on the deadline to file the statements.
If you or your witnesses are not comfortable communicating in English, please inform the court that you require an interpreter.
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.
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