If you wish to adopt a child, you will have to ensure that you meet the following requirements for adoption in Singapore. If you wish to adopt a child from the People’s Republic of China, there are additional requirements and you have to comply with the laws in China.

Requirements

1. Residency Status
You and your spouse must be residents in Singapore to adopt, i.e. Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, or holders of Employment Pass, Dependant’s Pass or any other Pass which the Family Court deems as residents in Singapore. This is in accordance with Section 4(6) of the Adoption of Child Act (ACA).

2. Age
You and your spouse must be at least 25 years old and at least 21 years older than the child to be adopted. If you or your spouse is under 25 years old and/or less than 21 years older than the child, the adoption may be allowed if you or your spouse and the child are related by blood, or if there are other special circumstances justifying the adoption. This is in accordance with Section 4(2)(a)(i)(ii) of the ACA.

3. Maximum age gap between adopter and child
Both you and your spouse should not be more than 50 years older than the child. As an adoptive parent, you are responsible for providing education and protecting the welfare of your adopted child until he or she is independent. You must ensure that you have the physical and financial means to see the child through this journey.

4. Marital status
If you are a single male, you are not allowed to adopt a girl, unless there are special circumstances to justify the adoption. This is in accordance with Section 4(3) of the ACA. If you are married and intend to adopt alone, you must obtain the consent of your spouse. This is in accordance with Section 4(5) of the ACA.

You are also required to satisfy some criteria, for example, you need to apply for a Home Study Report and attend a compulsory pre-adoption briefing. For non-Singaporeans, you must also obtain endorsement from your home country through your embassy or High Commission.

** The above information is provided by the Ministry of Social & Family Development and the original report can be found here – https://www.msf.gov.sg/Adoption/Pages/Who-can-Adopt.aspx

For further understanding, please refer to our FAQs or refer to MSF’s adoption portal: Adopting a Singaporean or Permanent Resident child, adopting a child from the People’s Republic of China or a foreign child and adopting a step-child.  Better still, talk to us.

Call us at 64352933 or fill in the form below