Adopting a child in Singapore - Criteria, documents & costs

According to the Family Justice Courts of Singapore, the duration for most adoption applications tend to be lesser 6 months. The following are the adoption agencies that work with the Ministry of Social and Family Development: TOUCH Family Services Ltd (official website), Fei Yue Community Services (official website), Lutheran Community Care Services (official website) and Apkim Centre For Social Services (ACOSS) (official website).

Prerequisites

Before adopting a child, there are a few prerequisites for the parties involved.

Adopted Singaporean child

In Singapore, the adopted child has to fulfil the following requirements for them to be adopted.

Age	Citizenship
< 21 years old	Singapore Citizen Singapore Permanent Resident

Adoptive parents

In order to be able to adopt, potential adoptive parents have to fulfil the following requirements.

Age	Citizenship	Marital status
> 25 years old > 21 years older than the adopted child < 50 years older than the adopted child	At least one person in the couple should be the following: Singapore Citizen Singapore Permanent Resident Employment Pass holder	Singles Married couples Unmarried males cannot adopt a girl

From 3 January 2014 onwards, British Nationals are not allowed to adopt a child in Singapore. For individuals belonging to other European Union nations, they will need to complete a Letter of Support for EU nationals.

Home Study Report (HSR)

Potential adopters can find a child to adopt through personal connections (as long as they fulfil the prerequisites). Alternatively, they can find a child under State Care through MSF.

Potential parents must pass a home study before they can access the information of the children from MSF's affiliated adoption agencies.

	Fee (SGD)	Register	Notes
Home Study Report	$1,500	TOUCH Family Services Ltd Fei Yue Community Services Lutheran Community Care Services Apkim Centre For Social Services	The HSR is valid for 2 years and can only be used for 1 adopted child.

Adopting a stepchild

Singapore citizens that want to adopt their stepchild can apply through MSF to have their Home Study Report (HSR) waived. The adopters will need to submit the following documents:

• NRIC
• Marriage certificate
• Child's birth certificate
• Child's travel documents (if they are overseas)

Those who are adopting their child born out of wedlock can also waive the HSR if they submit the necessary documents (stated above) on top of DNA tests to prove the paternity.

Pre & post-adoption workshops

The adoption agencies that work with MSF conduct workshops and programmes to help new adoptive parents. Pre- and post-adoption programmes are available at all 4 agencies.

Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB)

The pre-adoption briefing is the compulsory first-step for potential adoptive parents. Both spouses are encouraged to attend the briefing together.

Location	Duration	Fee (SGD)	Register	Notes
TOUCH Family Services Ltd Fei Yue Community Services	2.5 hours	$50 / person	Online registration	Available in English, Mandarin and Malay. This is a compulsory pre-adoption workshop.

Disclosure workshop (Post-adoption)

Adoptive parents can attend a Disclosure Workshop which will guide them in breaking the news to their adopted children. This workshop is available at TOUCH Family Services Ltd and Fei Yue Community Services.

Location	Duration	Fee (SGD)	Register	Notes
TOUCH Family Services Ltd Fei Yue Community Services	2.5 hours	$50 / person	Online registration	This is an optional post-adoption workshop.

Adopting a foreign child (Excluding PRC)

The following are the documents needed for adopting a non-Singaporean child.

Letter of Support

For non-Singapore Citizens who want to adopt a foreign child, they must get approval from their home country. The Letter of Support is needed before the Home Study can commence.

Location	Registration	Notes
Respective embassies or High Commissions	Application form	This is compulsory for foreigners who want to adopt a foreign child in Singapore.

Home Study Report (HSR)

Potential adoptive parents must pass their HSR before applying for the Dependant's Pass.

	Fee (SGD)	Register	Notes
Home Study Report	$1,500	TOUCH Family Services Ltd Fei Yue Community Services Lutheran Community Care Services Apkim Centre For Social Services	The HSR is valid for 2 years and can only be used for 1 adopted child.

Dependant's pass

If the child is not a Singapore citizen in any form, the adoptive parents will have to apply for a Dependant's Pass. This should be done after the Home Study Report (HSR).

	Fee(s) (SGD)	Register	Duration	Notes
Dependant's pass	$360	Online registration	3 weeks (online registration)	The HSR is valid for 2 years and can only be used for 1 adopted child.

Successful applicants need to put down a S$1,000 - S$2,000 security deposit on the collection day. This will be refunded 2 months after the child is adopted.

Applying to the Family Courts

Potential adopters can submit an application to the Family Courts personally or through a lawyer. The adoption forms can be assessed on the website (Family Justice Courts website).

Receiving an affidavit

Potential adopters will be interviewed by a Child Welfare Officer (CWO) from MSF. There will also be a home visit. The responses collected will be used to prepare an affidavit. The adopters have to submit the affidavit to the Family Courts no later than 2 weeks after receiving it.

The Family Courts will assess the adoption application based on these findings. The affidavit is needed to receive the date for the court hearing.

Requesting for a Guardian-In-Adoption (GIA)

The Court will appoint a Guardian-In-Adoption (GIA) for the child. The potential adopter or their lawyer will need to request for the Director of Social Welfare to be the GIA. These are the documents needed:

Documents	Fee(s)	Deliver & deposit	Notes
Date of Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB) Originating summons of adoption (Form) Adoption statement (Form) Affidavit Consent for adoption by the relevant parties NRIC of the potential adopters Marriage certificate of potential adopters Birth certificate of the child that they want to adopt	$250 per application	Child Welfare, Child Protective Service (10th floor) MSF Drop Box, MSF Building Level 1	The cheque should be made payable to ‘AG/MSF’. The documents have to be sealed in an envelope.

• Date of Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB)
• Originating summons of adoption (Form)
• Adoption statement (Form)
• Affidavit
• Consent for adoption by the relevant parties
• NRIC of the potential adopters
• Marriage certificate of potential adopters
• Birth certificate of the child that they want to adopt
• GIA fee of $250 per adoption application. The cheque should be made payable to ‘AG/MSF’.

The documents have to be sealed in an envelope addressed to Child Welfare, Child Protective Service (10th floor) and deposited at the MSF Drop Box which is located at MSF Building Level 1.

Court hearing

It is compulsory for the adopter and/or their lawyer to attend the hearing. If the Family Courts grants the Adoption Order, they will inform the Registry of Births & Deaths and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to issue a new birth certificate for the child, which the adopters will be informed to collect.

If the Court dismisses the application, the child will have to be returned to the original family.

Adopting a PRC child

The adoption process for PRC children is more stringent as there are requirements from both Singapore and PRC (People’s Republic of China). This arrangement was agreed upon by the Singapore and Chinese government to prevent people from selling their babies, in the name of giving it up for adoption. As of 2019, only TOUCH Family Services Ltd (official website) and Fei Yue Community Services (official website) are registered with MSF to provide adoption for PRC children.

Eligibility

To be eligible for child adoption, potential adopters have to fulfil the following requirements set by the China Centre for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA):

Criteria	Description
Citizenship	At least one of the adopter couple should be either a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident.
Age	The couple must be above 29 years old but below 50 years old.* The couple must be more than 21 years older than the child to be adopted.* *In the case that the adopters want to adopt a special needs child, they have to be above 29 years old but below 55 years old.
Marriage	The adopters must be a couple of a male and a female with a stable marriage. The adopters should not have more than 2 past marriages.* There should be a maximum of 5 children in the household. *In the case that one adopter has a past marriage, the existing marriage must be ongoing for at least 5 years.
Finances	The adopters must have a minimum annual household income of US$10,000. The value of their net assets should be more than US$80,0000
Education	The adopters must have at least an 'A' Level Certificate or an ITE Certificate
Others	The adopters must have good mental and physical health. They must not have any criminal records pertaining to child abuse, sexual offences, and substance abuse. They must undergo a minimum of 12 hours of training from a registered adoption centre. The must obtain 3 reference letters from either their children* or teachers of their children. *Only in the case that the children are above 18 years old.

Contacting relevant agencies

Approach the agencies which work with MSF and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of PRC regarding the adoption of children from PRC. The agency will determine the adopter's eligibility and contact CCCWA.

The agency will then submit the application to CCCWA. A fee will be incurred for additional translation and administrative works.

Finding a child to adopt

Upon successful application, the agency will inform the potential adopters of a child who is able to be adopted. The adopters will have to accept the child chosen by CCCWA and can only reject during special circumstances such as medical conditions. The adopters will need to travel to China to legalise the adoption and bring the child to Singapore.

Applying to the Family Courts for the adoption

Potential adopters can first submit an application to the Family Courts which can be done personally or through a lawyer. The adoption forms used by the Family Justice Courts can be assessed on the website (Family Justice Courts website).

Requesting for a Guardian-In-Adoption (GIA)

The Court will appoint a Guardian-In-Adoption (GIA) for the child. The potential adopter or their lawyer will need to request for the Director of Social Welfare to be the GIA. This can be done by submitting the following documents:

• Date of Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB)
• Originating summons of adoption
• Adoption statement
• Affidavit in support of the originating summons
• Consent for adoption by the relevant parties
• NRIC of the potential adopters
• Marriage certificate of potential adopters
• Birth certificate of the child that they want to adopt
• GIA fee of $250 per adoption application. (The cheque should be made payable to ‘AG/MSF’.
• Home Study Report

These documents have to be sealed in an envelope addressed to Child Welfare, Child Protective Service (10th floor) and deposit it at the MSF Drop Box which is located at MSF Building Level 1.

Receiving an affidavit

Potential adopters will be scheduled interviews conducted by a Child Welfare Officer (CWO) from MSF. Questions relating to the adopter’s family, inclusive of a home visit, and the child’s status and situation will be asked during the interview. The responses collected will be used to prepare an affidavit, an assessment on the adoption application based on the findings of the interviews, for the Family Courts.

After receiving the affidavit, the adopter and their lawyer have to submit it to the Family Courts, no later than 2 weeks after receiving it. This is to receive the date for the court hearing.

Court hearing

It is compulsory for the adopter and/or their lawyer to attend the hearing. If the Family Courts grants the Adoption Order, they will inform the Registry of Births & Deaths and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to issue a new birth certificate for the child, which the adopters will be informed to collect. The adopters will also need to submit a copy of the child’s new Singapore birth certificate to MSF to obtain their security deposit refund.

For those who want to apply for Singapore Citizenship for the adopted child, they need to apply to ICA through a separate procedure.

If the Court dismisses the application, the child will have to be returned to the original family. They will also need to cancel the Dependant’s Pass by returning it to the MSF.

Post placement reports

The CCCWA requires the adoptive parents to submit post placement reports through the relevant Singapore agency. From 1 January 2015 onwards, adoptive parents are required to complete 6 post placement reports throughout the span of 5 years. The reports are to be submitted at the 6th month, the 1st year, and the 5th year upon successful adoption registration in China.