\n<\/p>\n
The Syariah Court would also be able to deal with the consequences of a Muslim divorce obtained overseas.<\/p>\n
If either party is domiciled in Singapore or has lived here for at least three years before applying, the court could make financial orders as well as orders on the custody, care and control of, and access to, children.<\/p>\n
Currently, Muslim families who obtain a divorce overseas may have to begin separate proceedings in the High Court or Family Justice Courts. MCCY said the change is expected to save time and costs by allowing eligible families to start proceedings at the Syariah Court instead.<\/p>\n
Existing safeguards would remain. Applicants would first need the court’s permission, and the court would consider factors including whether Singapore is the appropriate jurisdiction to hear the case.<\/p>\n
The Bill also seeks to make clear that a child’s welfare is the Syariah Court\u2019s \u201cparamount consideration\u201d in matters involving children, formalising existing court practice.<\/p>\n
The court would also be empowered to make orders allowing or preventing a child under a custody, care or control order from being relocated outside Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For instance, it could allow a child to move overseas with a parent or stop a parent from taking the child out of the country.<\/p>\n
MCCY said the change responds to growing demand from transnational marriages and overseas work relocations. It is also meant to give Muslim families legal protections under Muslim law similar to those available under relevant provisions of the Women’s Charter.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the amendments build on earlier changes to the Muslim divorce process: mandatory marriage counselling in 2018, court therapeutic specialists in 2022 and the Child Representative Scheme in 2023. A co-mediation pilot began in 2025.<\/p>\n
The Bill would also introduce a minimum period of physical presence in Singapore before a Muslim marriage application can be made, when at least one party is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is to ensure foreigners marrying here have an established presence or a meaningful connection to the country, MCCY said.<\/p>\n
The Bill would formalise governance of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies, making oversight of the college a statutory function of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).<\/p>\n
The college would be legally recognised and given powers to award degrees, diplomas and certificates.<\/p>\n
The minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs would oversee selected administrative and financial matters, including access to the college’s financial records, appointments to its board of governors and approval of key decisions such as constitutional changes.<\/p>\n
The college, Singapore’s first Islamic college, is expected to welcome its first cohort in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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