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The sheriff and bailiffs: roles and responsibilities

Find out who the sheriff and bailiffs are, their roles and responsibilities and how you can identify one when they carry out their duties.

About the sheriff and bailiffs

The Registrar of the Supreme Court is the Sheriff of Singapore. Bailiffs are officers who are empowered under the Sheriff's authority to handle enforcement proceedings commenced by parties.

This includes executing and carrying into effect all Writs of Distress, Writs of Execution and court orders. Writs of Execution include the following:

The Sheriff's Office deals with enforcement proceedings in the Supreme Court.
The Bailiffs Section deals with enforcement proceedings in the State Courts.

Roles and responsibilities

Under the authority of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act and State Courts Act, the officers from the Sheriff's Office and Bailiffs Section may enter the premises of the party against whom the Writ of Execution is made (the execution debtor) when executing the enforcement proceedings. For WSS cases, the sheriff or bailiff may also seize the assets or property of the execution debtor.

If it is identified that the assets or property belonging to the execution debtor to be seized is in the premises of a third party that does not belong to the execution debtor, the officers from the Sheriff's Office and Bailiffs Section may enter the third party premises to execute the enforcement proceedings.

After the assets or property has been seized, the party who enforced the judgment (the execution creditor) may file a request for the sheriff or bailiffs to arrange for their sale by public auction.

Find out more about the auction process on File a request for an auction sale of seized property.

How to identify an officer

Court officers from the Sheriff's Office and Bailiffs Section will carry a warrant identification card and a badge, and may wear a bailiff's vest when carrying out the enforcement proceedings.

Contact information

You may contact the following:

(For Supreme Court cases) Sheriff's office: email supct_sheriff@judiciary.gov.sg or call 6587 8423 during office hours.
(For State Courts cases) Bailiffs Section: call 6587 8423 during office hours or write to us.

Resources

Legislation associated with this topic include:

Division 2 of Part VI of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act.
Section 15 and 16 of the State Courts Act.

Under the authority of the State Courts Act, the registrar may authorise a solicitor or a person employed by a solicitor to exercise the powers and perform the duties of a bailiff.

The authorised bailiffs do not belong to the State Courts Bailiffs Section and judgment creditors may engage them for the purpose of executing a writ of seizure and sale for movable property or a writ of distress. The judgment creditors are liable to the authorised bailiff they engage for any costs arising from such appointment.

There are currently no available authorised bailiffs to be engaged.