Can you engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore? If you are thinking of engaging a government divorce lawyer Singapore, you are probably thinking about qualifying for legal aid.
Government divorce lawyer Singapore
In general, you may only engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore if you are:
- A Singapore citizen or PR (permanent resident) in Singapore; and
- You satisfy the Means Test and Merits Test.
Means test to engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore
To engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore, you would have to fulfil certain financial eligibility criteria.
As at now, you may only be considered for the engagement of a government divorce lawyer Singapore if you have a disposable income of less than S$10,000 a year and a disposal capital of less than S$10,000.
Disposable income = your income minus
- S$6,000 per year for each person totally or partially dependant on you;
- S$6,000 per year for yourself;
- Not exceeding S$20,000 per year for rent; and
- Your CPF contributions.
For example, you may:
- Earn S$50,000 per year;
- You spend S$6,000 per year on your expenses;
- One of your parents is dependent on you (S$6,000);
- You pay rent of S$12,000 per year; and
- Your CPF contributions is S$10,000.
In this case, you do not qualify for legal aid, as your disposal income is $14,000 per year (S$50,000 – S$6,000 – S$6,000 – $S$12,000 – S$10,000).
Disposable capital = the property which you have or which you are entitled to, including your clothes, furniture and savings.
Merits test to engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore
Even if you satisfy the means test, it does not mean that you qualify for legal aid. You have to show good reason to bring/ defend your case under the law.
See: “Do I qualify for legal aid?” www.mlaw.gov.sg, seen as at 19 May 2017
Understandably, it is difficult to meet the criteria to engage a government divorce lawyer Singapore. For instance, most people would have possession more than S$10,000.
Nonetheless, we offer divorce packages that are extremely affordable. For a simple uncontested divorce, the full amount that you pay is going to be S$1200 net!
Contact us today if you wish to proceed with divorce Singapore, but do not qualify for a government divorce lawyer Singapore!
You may also be interested to read more about:
2. Annulment (Nullity) of Marriage
5. Maintenance Issues (Alimony)
