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Step 5: Submitting Adoption Application to Court

How to Adopt a Child in Singapore

a. Prospective adopters adopting a child (foreign or Singaporean) must submit an application to the Family Justice Courts via your lawyer or through Crimson Logic if you are a litigant-in-person.  Do ensure that you have completed the payment of the GIA fees to MSF before filing the adoption application with the Family Justice Courts. 

b. Prospective adopters adopting a foreign child should file an application to the Family Justice Court within 3 weeks of DP issuance. Applicants who fail to do so may have the DP terminated.

c. The GIA has a duty to safeguard the welfare of the child involved in adoption proceedings. The GIA assesses each adoption application and prepares an affidavit on the GIA’s findings relevant to the adoption, including but not limited to, the applicants’ suitability to adopt.

d. Prior to filing your application, you are to pay a GIA fee of $250 per Child, in order to proceed. If you are adopting a state care child, kindly contact https://go.gov.sg/adoptionenquiries for the GIA fees payable. If you have not made payment for the GIA fees yet, kindly follow the step-by-step guide in the table below.


i. The current GIA fee of $250 was put in place more than 20 years ago and does not reflect the intensity and resources required to undertake a GIA assessment. Thus, the fee payable to the GIA will be progressively increased, with the first increase from $250 to $750 taking effect from 1 April 2026. Further increases to the GIA fee will take place in 2029 and 2032. 

ii. Additional fees will also be charged for appeals by prospective adopters to the GIA, e.g. in the event of an unfavourable adoption suitability assessment.  

 
For SC/PR children adoption application 
1. Please visit the new myMSF Portal at go.gov.sg/mymsfportal to submit the GIA Fee Payment form. 
2. Thereafter, use the following QR code to make payment (scan via your bank app). 
Adoption SGQR

i. Indicate the Child’s name and FIN/ID no. in the comment section 
ii. Email the evidence of GIA fee payment to MSF_adoption@msf.gov.sg by attaching the screenshot of the transaction reference number and transaction date. 

For foreign children adoption application 

1. Use the following QR code to make payment (scan via your bank app).  

Adoption SGQR

i. Indicate the Child’s name and FIN/ID no. in the comment section 
ii. Email the evidence of GIA fee payment to MSF_adoption@msf.gov.sg by attaching the screenshot of the transaction reference number and transaction date.   

 

e. Please see the required documents to file your application to Court.

i. For applications filed before 15 October 2024, please see the required documents under the Adoption of Children Act 1939. 

ii. For applications filed on or after 15 October 2024, please see the required documents under the Adoption of Children Act 2022. 

f. Once the Court has accepted your application and grants the Order of Court, an MSF officer will contact you in 4 to 8 weeks from the date the Order of Court is filed. The officer will and advise you on the next steps pertaining to the GIA's social investigation as required by the Court. 

g. Follow-up interviews, home visits and calls will be made based on the contact information detailed in your ASA.

h. Upon the completion of the GIA's social investigation, the GIA's affidavit will be submitted sent to your lawyer or you (if you are a litigant-in-person).to the Family Justice Court. Should there be complexities identified in your application, this process may take longer than 9 months.

i. You or your lawyer is required to submit the GIA's affidavit to the Family Court within 2 weeks and apply for a hearing date thereafter. 


Note:

  • If you file your adoption application to the Family Justice Court from 15 October 2024 onwards, you are no longer required to apply for the Guardian-in-Adoption's (GIA) "consent" with MSF.
  • If you wish to declare any material changes to the GIA, please inform the MSF officer in charge of your case.