How do I get a divorce if my spouse is overseas or I do not know where I can find him/her?

You can still file for a divorce, however the process for service of documents and subsequent proceedings will be slightly different. If you know the address of a defendant who lives overseas, you will need to apply to the court for an order to serve the papers outside of Singapore. A law firm in that country will then have to be engaged to serve the papers on the defendant.

If you do not know where the defendant is and all you have is a contact number or email address, you can apply to the court for substituted service by way of text message, social media, or email (depending on which would be effective in bringing the documents to the defendant’s attention). If you do not have any means of contacting the defendant and nor any information on his/her address, you can apply for dispensation of service.

When a defendant does not respond to proceedings and continues to be absent throughout the proceedings, the court will still hear your case and can make orders in his/her absence. The court’s decisions will be made based on the evidence that is available before it, and based on what is fair and just under the law.