The child must be below 21 years of age.

The child must be a resident of Singapore, that is, he (or she) must be a Singapore Citizen, Singapore Permanent Resident or Dependant's Pass holder. Please note that a child is not regarded as a resident if the child is residing in Singapore on a visit pass, a student’s pass or a special pass.

You and your spouse must be resident in Singapore, that is, both of you must be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, or holders of Employment Pass, or Dependant’s Pass (or any other Pass which the Family Court accepts as proving that both of you are resident in Singapore).

You and your spouse must be at least 25 years old and also at least 21 years older than the child to be adopted.
If you or your spouse do not satisfy either or both requirements, the court may still allow the adoption if you or your spouse and the child are related by blood, or if there are other special circumstances.
Both you and your spouse should not be more than 50 years older than the child.

If you are unmarried and male, you cannot adopt a girl, unless there are special circumstances.
If you are married and intend to adopt on your own, you must first get your spouse’s consent.

Before identifying a child for adoption (or applying for a Home Study Report, or applying to court, or beginning the adoption process), you and your spouse must attend a Pre-Adoption Briefing. The briefing is compulsory and both you and your spouse should attend. It is a 2.5 hour, one-off session and is conducted in English, Mandarin and Malay. The briefing will cover:

1. the adoption process, including the eligibility criteria for adoption;
2. your rights and responsibilities once you become an adoptive parent;
3. the needs of an adopted child; and
4. sources of support for you and your adopted child.

Please call Lam & Co. at 6535 1800 for assistance registering for the Pre-Adoption Briefing.

Please note that Singapore adoption orders made on or after 3 January 2014 will not be automatically recognized in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Because of this, at present, British nationals cannot adopt a child in Singapore.

For all other foreign nationals from the European Union, before identifying a child in Singapore or starting your adoption application, you must get a letter of support.

Please call Lam & Co. at 6535 1800 for assistance regarding the letter of support.

A Home Study Report is a comprehensive investigation into the background to the adoption and your family circumstances. It includes an assessment as to whether you and your spouse are eligible and ready to adopt a child. Each report is valid for only one adoption. Before identifying a child for adoption, or agreeing to adopt any child, you must apply for a Home Study Report -- unless you apply for and get a waiver.

Please call Lam & Co. at 6535 1800 for more information regarding the Home Study Report and waiver.

You may identify a child for adoption on your own, through your relatives, relatives, acquaintances, or commercial entities, provided always that the source is legal and the transfer to you does not contravene the laws of any country. If you need any help, please call us at 6.535.1800.

Please note that Singapore law (Adoption of Children Act, Chapter 4, Section 11) prohibits any payment or reward to the biological parents for the adoption of their child unless sanctioned by (that is, allowed or permitted by) the Singapore court.

he child must be a resident of Singapore before the Court will grant any Adoption Order.  There is a technical definition of resident of Singapore for the purposes of the Adoption Act and you may have to apply for a Dependent's Pass for the child.

Please call Lam & Co. at 6535 1800 for more information on this as the situation depends on your circumstances.

You must get the child’s parents’ Notarized Consent. If the parents are not available, you must get the Notarized Consent of the following persons:

1. Natural parent(s) of child;
2. Guardian of child;
3. Person having actual custody of child;
4. Person liable to contribute to the support of the infant; or
5. Natural maternal and paternal grandparents of the child, where the natural parent(s) are below 21 years of age.

If you cannot get the Notarized Consent of any of the above persons, you will have to apply to court for their consent to be dispensed with. The court may do away with the requirement for Notarized Consent if there are special circumstances to justify this.  Lam & Co. can assist you on the above step.

You must get the child’s identification documents and ensure that they are genuine.  These documents include the child’s birth certificate and, if the child is a Singapore permanent resident, the child’s passport.

You must prepare an itemized breakdown of the costs, if any, of obtaining the child, duly supported with original receipts.  Such costs may include payments to an adoption agency for services rendered, medical reports, or any other payments.

Please note that Singapore law (Adoption of Children Act, Chapter 4, Section 11) prohibits any payment or reward to the biological parents for the adoption of their child unless sanctioned by (that is, allowed by or permitted by) the Singapore court.

Call Lam & Co. at 6535 1800 for help on this.

Usually, the court will instruct you or your lawyer to get the consent of the (Singapore) Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Director of Social Welfare to act as the child’s Guardian-In-Adoption during the adoption process.  The Guardian-In-Adoption’s duty is to safeguard the child’s interests, to conduct the appropriate social investigations into the background to the adoption and submit an affidavit to court.  The Ministry will review the request for consent for its Director of Social Welfare to act as the child’s Guardian-In-Adoption.  If acceptable, the Ministry will issue the consent which will be submitted to court and the court will then make the appointment.

The Guardian-In-Adoption will appoint a Child Welfare Officer.  This officer will conduct interviews about your family and the child’s situation and background.  This officer may require you to attend interviews at the Ministry’s office or other place and will also visit your home.  After investigations and interviews have been completed, the Ministry will prepare an affidavit of its findings.

The court will decide whether other parties such as the Child Welfare Officer or the child’s biological parents need to be present at the hearing.  The court will also, in due course, decide whether or not to grant the Adoption Order. The court will grant the order if and only if all legal requirements have been satisfied and it is in the best interest of the child to be adopted by the applicant(s).

Call Lam & Co. now at 6535 1800.

You or your lawyer must be present for the court hearing.  The court will decided whether other parties such as the Child Welfare Officer or the child’s biological parents need to be present at the hearing.

The court will decide whether or not to grant the Adoption Order. The court will grant the order if and only if all legal requirements have been satisfied and it is in the best interest of the child to be adopted by the applicant(s).

If the court grants the order, the court will notify the Registry of Births & Deaths and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority so that a new birth certificate can be issued for the child.  In due course, ICA will write to you or your lawyer to collect the original new birth certificate.

If the court refuses to grant the Adoption Order, you will have to return the child to the child’s family at your own cost.

Please note that under Singapore law, all adoption documents filed in court are confidential and the court’s written permission must first be obtained before such documents can be inspected.

Adoption of Second or Subsequent Child

Before adopting another child, you should ensure that your first adopted child has adapted to and integrated well with your family. Otherwise, this could cause confusion, distress, or anxiety, for the child and in the family.  This could also give rise to sibling rivalry issues.  You will have to obtain another Home Study Report. You are likely to have to wait nine months or more from the date of the earlier adoption order before you can register for the other Home Study Report.

Adoption, Additional Requirements (for those wishing to adopt a child from China)

Please refer to:
http://app.msf.gov.sg/Adoption/Criteria-for-adoption-of-a-PRC-child

Resources:
Baby Bonus Scheme: http://www.babybonus.gov.sg/bbss/html/index.html

Government-Paid Adoption Leave: http://www.ecitizen.gov.sg/Topics/Pages/Adoption-leave-How-to-apply.aspx

Child Care Services: https://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/home/CCLS_Home.jsp