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How to serve court documents
About service of documents
Serving a legal document on another party informs them of a legal application or court order made against them.
In general, parties will have to follow the Rules of Court, or the Family Justice Rules for Family Justice Courts (FJC) cases, and the respective court's practice directions if they are required to serve court documents on another party within Singapore:
- State Courts Practice Directions.
- Family Justice Courts Practice Directions.
- Supreme Court Practice Directions.
Tip
Some court applications may have specific rules to follow with regards to the service of documents.
Refer to the self-help guide for your topic for more information.
There are also rules for the service of documents into and out of Singapore. Refer to the following to find out more about the process:
Service process out of Singapore
Except for certain family proceedings, a party will need to obtain leave (permission) from the court before they can serve court documents on another party who is residing or working outside of Singapore (out of jurisdiction).
For cases governed by the Family Justice Rules 2014 (case commenced before 15 October 2024), leave is not required for service out of jurisdiction for proceedings under Part 10 of the Women's Charter if certain conditions are met.
For these cases, a party may serve the documents out of jurisdiction by personal service or by registered post. Refer to Rule 49 of the Family Justice Rules 2014 for more information.
For cases governed by the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 (cases commenced on or after 15 October 2024):
For non-probate family proceedings commenced by an originating application
Permission to serve out of Singapore is not required for Part 10 Women's Charter proceedings. Service of Part 10 Women's Charter proceedings can be done in the usual manner under Part 7 of the Family Justice Rules (General) 2024.
What you will need
Refer to the following to find out the documents to file to apply for leave.
If you are the party serving the documents on another party, you will have to file the following:
- An ex parte summons prepared in accordance with Form 5 of the Rules of Court.
- An affidavit in support of the summons prepared in accordance with Form 7 of the Rules of Court.
- You should refer to Order 11 of Rule 2 of the Rules of Court to find out what you should include in your affidavit.
Find out how to prepare an affidavit. If you are representing yourself and unsure of what to say, or need help preparing your affidavit, you should seek independent legal advice.
The courts are not able to provide legal advice or recommend lawyers. Find out where to get help.
For cases governed by the Family Justice Rules 2014 (cases commenced before 15 October
If you are the party serving the documents on another party, you will have to file the following:
- An ex parte summons prepared in accordance with Form 48 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015.
- An affidavit in support of the summons prepared in accordance with Form 69 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015.
- You should refer to Rule 312 of the Family Justice Rules 2014 to find out what you should include in your affidavit.
For non-probate family proceedings commenced by an originating application
File the Form: Summons for service out of jurisdiction (Form 80) (DOCX, 85 KB). This Form includes the supporting affidavit.
For probate proceedings
Service of documents filed in relation to proceedings commenced under the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024 is governed by Orders 7 and 8 of the Rules of Court 2021. Please refer to the procedures set out above for the Supreme Court and State Courts cases.
Find out how to prepare an affidavit. If you are representing yourself and unsure of what to say, or need help preparing your affidavit, you should seek independent legal advice.
The courts are not able to provide legal advice or recommend lawyers. Find out where to get help.
How to file
You may choose to file the documents personally or through a lawyer. If you are represented by a lawyer, the documents will be filed by your lawyer.
If you are representing yourself, you must file the documents through eLitigation at the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.
You must follow the Rules of Court, the relevant practice directions and the Family Justice Rules (for FJC cases) to prepare your documents before heading down personally to do the filing.
Estimated fees
Refer to the following to find out the possible fees for filing the documents. You may also refer to Appendix B of the Rules of Court 2014 for the full list of court fees.
- Magistrate's Court cases
- District Court cases
- Supreme Court cases
In addition to the fees listed in the table, there are also other fees payable to the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.
Document or service | Fees |
|---|---|
File the request for service of documents out of Singapore | $25 per party, per place of service |
Extract the Certificate of Process of Court | $10 |
File the summons for leave of court | $10 |
File the affidavit for leave of court | $1 per page subject to a minimum of $10 per affidavit |
eLitigation processing and transmission fees are payable in addition to the fees listed in the table.
Document or service | Fees |
|---|---|
File the request for service of documents out of Singapore | $50 per party, per place of service |
Extract the Certificate of Process of Court | $10 |
File the summons for leave of court | $20 |
File the affidavit for leave of court | $1 per page subject to a minimum of $10 per affidavit |
Refer to the following for the filing fees if your claim is up to $1 million. In addition to the fees listed in the table, there are also other fees payable to the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.
Document or service | Fees |
|---|---|
File the request for service of documents out of Singapore | $100 per party, per place of service |
Extract the Certificate of Process of Court | $20 |
File the summons for leave of court | $100 |
File the affidavit for leave of court | $2 per page subject to a minimum of $50 per affidavit |
Refer to the table for the filing fees if your claim is more than $1 million. eLitigation processing and transmission fees are payable in addition to the fees listed in the table.
Document or service | Fees |
|---|---|
File the request for service of documents out of Singapore | $200 per party, per place of service |
Extract the Certificate of Process of Court | $50 |
File the summons for leave of court | $200 |
File the affidavit for leave of court | $2 per page subject to a minimum of $50 per affidavit |
FJC cases governed by the Family Justice Rules 2024
Refer to the following to find out the possible fees for filing the documents.
For family proceedings under the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, refer to Third Schedule, Part 3.
For family proceedings under the Family Justice (Probate) Rules 2024, refer to Third Schedule, Part 3.
After you file
The court will inform you if there will be a hearing to decide whether to grant you leave to serve your documents out of jurisdiction. If the court grants you leave, you may proceed to serve your documents.
How the documents can be served depends on the foreign country in which the documents are being served:
If the foreign country has a Civil Procedure Convention with Singapore
If the foreign country has a Civil Procedure Convention with Singapore that provides for the service of documents, the documents may be served by one of the following diplomatic channels:
- Through the judicial authorities of the foreign country.
- Through a Singapore consular authority in the foreign country, subject to any provision of the Convention as to the nationality of persons who may be so served.
If the foreign country does not have a Civil Procedure Convention with Singapore
If the foreign country does not have a Civil Procedure Convention with Singapore that provides for the service of documents, the documents may be served by one of the following diplomatic channels:
- Through the government of the foreign country where that government is willing to effect service.
- Through a Singapore consular authority in the foreign country, except where service through such an authority is contrary to the law of the foreign country.
- By a method of service authorised by the law of the foreign country for service of documents commencing a legal action issued by that country.
Tip
It is preferable for service out of Singapore to be carried out through private agents in the foreign country, where possible.
You may file the following documents at the Registry of the respective court in which your case is heard:
- (For Supreme Court and State Courts cases) A Request for Service of Documents out of Singapore prepared in accordance with Form 9 of the Rules of Court.
The Request should be filed together with the following:
- Your court order for service of documents out of Singapore.
- Copies of the documents for service on the defendant.
- Copies of translations of the documents for service in the official language of the country in which service is to be effected (if applicable).
- A certification by the person making the translation that it is a correct translation.
- The certificate must contain a statement of that person's full name, address and qualifications for making the translation.
Note
As service out of Singapore through diplomatic channels may take some time, you are required to update the relevant authorities through the Registry as to whether service out of Singapore is still required.
You may choose to file the documents personally or through a lawyer. If you are represented by a lawyer, the documents will be filed by your lawyer.
If you are representing yourself, you must file the request through eLitigation at the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.
Service of foreign process into Singapore
A party in Singapore can be served documents in connection to pending proceedings before a court or tribunal of a foreign country. This is known as foreign process.
Foreign process can be served in the following ways:
Foreign process can be served through a court process server if it is in accordance with one of the following:
- A letter of request from a foreign court or tribunal.
- The letter of request is usually transmitted via official channels to Singapore's Minister of Law. If the Minister for Law approves the request, the letter will be forwarded to the court.
- The letter of request should be accompanied by 2 copies of the documents to be served (on the person) and 2 sets of translated copies of documents in English (if applicable).
- A letter of request issued by a consular or other authority of a foreign country with whom Singapore has a Civil Procedure Convention that provides for the service of documents.
- The letter of request should be accompanied by a copy of the documents to be served and
After service of the process, the court’s process server will provide an affidavit of service stating:
- The details of the service of process or attempts to effect service (where applicable).
- The outcome of the process.
- The costs incurred (if applicable).
For Supreme Court and State Courts cases, the registrar will also issue a certificate to certify the outcome of the process and the costs incurred to carry out the process.
For FJC cases, the court process server will issue the statement of costs.
Payment of such costs should be made to the registrar of the respective court.
For Supreme Court and State Courts cases, the service of documents can be effected in accordance with Order 10 and Order 62 of the Rules of Court 2014 as well as Paragraph 32 of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2013 or Paragraph 11 of the State Courts Practice Directions 2014.
If the service is effected by private means, such as via a lawyer or lawyer's clerk in Singapore, the registrar of the respective court will not issue a certificate certifying the outcome of the attempts at service.
Need help?
The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may want to get independent legal advice.
Find out moreResources
Legislation associated with this topic include:
- For Supreme Court and State Courts:
- Order 10, 11, 62 and 65 of the Rules of Court 2014.
- For FJC proceedings governed by the Family Justice Rules 2014:
- Part 18 Division 4 and Division 5 of the Family Justice Rules 2014.
- Part 18 Division 70 of the Family Justice Rules 2014.
- For FJC proceedings governed by the Family Justice Rules 2024:
- Part 7 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.
- Part 7, read with Orders 7 and 8 of the Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024.
Refer to:
- For Supreme Court: Part XIII of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2013 for electronic filing and service.
- For State Courts: Part XIII of the State Courts Practice Directions 2014 for electronic filing and service.
- For FJC: Part XIII of the FJC Practice Directions 2015 for the general procedure.
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