Apply to summon a witness

• Requiring the witness to attend court to give oral evidence (testify).
• Requiring the person to produce documents. A person served with a subpoena to produce documents shall sufficiently comply if he enables the documents to be produced without attending court personally.
• Requiring the witness to both testify and produce documents. (If the witness does not attend court, their affidavits that you have submitted as evidence may be rejected by the court.)

You will need to make 2 visits to the State Courts Bail Centre (Level 4, State Courts) during the operating hours.

1. Visit the State Courts for the application

You need to do all of the following:

• Bring your identification card (NRIC or FIN) to the State Courts Bail Centre (Level 4)
• Fill in the Application for Issue of Summons to a Witness form.
  
  • This should include the witness' name and address. Explain why you need the witness to attend court in the Relevance of Witness to Case section.
• Pay $20 for each Summons to a Witness issued.

The court will process your application and inform you (through a phone call) whether your application is approved or rejected.

Note: If the hearing is scheduled within the next 7 days, you will need to confirm that you have informed the witness, and that the witness is agreeable to attend court if summoned.

2. (If approved) Visit the State Courts for the service of the summons

If your application is approved, the court will ask you to return to the Bail Centre to meet a court process server. You will then serve the summons personally on the witness together with the process server. Personal service means handing the document to the witness in person.

Note: You are required to bear the process server's transportation costs, from and to the State Courts, to carry out the service.

If you are not represented by a lawyer, you can file the request at the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau in person.

The request should include the following details:

• Name and address of the witness.
• Dates when the witness is required in court.

No fees are involved. The court will follow up with your request and inform you of the next steps.

1. File the subpoena via eLitigation

File a subpoena (Form 67, Rules of Court) via eLitigation. If you are not represented by a lawyer, visit the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau to submit your application in person.

The Service Bureau will notify you via email or SMS of the outcome of your application. If your application is accepted, you will need to return to the Service Bureau to collect the subpoena issued by the court.

2. Serve the subpoena

How you serve the subpoena depends on which court your case is in:

Estimated fees

If you need an urgent subpoena to be issued less than 3 days before a trial, there are additional fees.

The estimated fees for issuing a subpoena depend on where the case is heard:

For Family Justice Courts (FJC) cases, how you apply depends on the type of case:

Cases in iFAMS

For cases in the Integrated Family Management System (iFAMS), you may make a request during a court mention, or file an application online via iFAMS. You will need to pay $1 for each summon issued by the court.

Cases in the Youth Courts or under Part VII or VIII or the Women’s Charter in the Family Courts

For most cases in the Youth Courts and cases under Part VII or VIII or the Women’s Charter in the Family Courts, you may put up a request in court to summon a witness. The court will follow up with your request and inform you of the next steps.

Other cases in the FJC

For other cases in the FJC, follow these steps to apply for a subpoena through eLitigation.

1. File the subpoena via eLitigation

Prepare a subpoena according to Form 123 of the FJC Practice Directions and file it via eLitigation. If you are not represented by a lawyer, visit the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau to submit your application in person.

The Service Bureau will notify you via email or SMS of the outcome of your application. If your application is accepted, you will need to return to the Service Bureau to collect the subpoena issued by the court.

2. Serve the subpoena

You need to serve the subpoena personally on the witness within 12 weeks from the date the subpoena is issued by the court. Personal service means handing the document to the witness in person.

Estimated fees

If you need an urgent subpoena to be issued less than 3 days before a trial, there are additional fees.

The estimated fees for issuing a subpoena depend on where the case is heard:

• For criminal cases:
  • Sections 115 to 116 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
  • Form 40 (Summons to A Witness) of the Schedule of the Criminal Procedure Rules.
  • Fees (State Courts — Criminal Jurisdiction) Order.
• For civil cases:
  • Order 38 and Appendix B of the Rules of Court 2014.
• For family cases:
  • Rules 601 to 610 of the Family Justice Rules.
  • Fifth Schedule of the Family Justice Rules.
• For cases in the Youth Courts and proceedings under Part VII and VIII of the Women’s Charter:
  • Section 115 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
  • Sixth Schedule of the Family Justice Rules.

• For Supreme Court: Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021.
• For State Courts: State Courts Practice Directions 2021.
• For Family Justice Courts: Paragraph 108 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions.