All non-Muslim marriages contracted in Singapore must comply with the Women's Charter.A valid marriage must first be monogamous and solemnised at the Singapore Registry of Marriages or in accordance to the rites of a recognised religion e.g. a church wedding for the Christians.Legal requirements
The following requirements apply equally to men and women who intend to marry:
- Each party must be at least 21 years old, unless heis divorced, widowed, or his/her previous marriage was declared null and void;
- For a person under 21 years old, the consent of the parent/guardian or the High Court must be obtained beforehand/before signing up at the Registry of Marriages;
- Both parties must be unmarried;
- The parties must not be closely related that they fall within “prohibited proximity “. If they are, the Minister's licence must be obtained;
- One of the parties must have lived in Singapore for at least 15 days before applying to marry;
- A work permit holder and a Singapore citizen who wish to marry must obtain approval from the Ministry of Labour; and
- There is no other legal obstacle to the marriage.
Neither party can marry during a valid marriage. The offence of bigamy attracts a fine and imprisonment of up to 7 years.Q: What if the requirements for a marriage have not been met?
This question usually arises when a couple decides to go their separate ways.
If the marriage was not valid, for reasons that existed at the time of the purported “marriage”, the union between the man and the woman can be treated as “void” or “voidable”, and the grounds for a lawsuit of nullity may be pursued in court.
A void marriage is one that did not existed whereas a voidable marriage is considered valid till the termination by a judgment of nullity. See below for more on Nullity and void and voidable marriages.
Sep 08, 2008 - 03:38 PM
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