sg

Research protocol

1. Identify the legal area — Contract, criminal, employment, company, property, family, etc.
2. Find the Act — search with site:sso.agc.gov.sg plus the Act name or topic
3. Read the provision — open the current version with knowledge(command="read")
4. Check currency — check the version date and the amendment timeline for changes not yet in force
5. Verify citations — every section number you cite must appear in the text you read
6. Web search — For Court of Appeal/High Court decisions (lawnet.sg, elitigation.sg)

• Common law, unitary state — binding precedent; English common law applies where no local statute (Application of English Law Act)

Court System

Court of Appeal (highest appellate court)
    ↑
Appellate Division of the High Court
    ↑
General Division of the High Court
    ↑
State Courts:
  - District Courts (civil up to $250K; offences with max. 10 years' imprisonment)
  - Magistrates' Courts (civil up to $60K; offences with max. 5 years, sentence up to 3 years)
  - Community Courts / Family Justice Courts / Employment Claims Tribunal
    ↑
Small Claims Tribunals (up to $20K, $30K by consent) / Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (neighbour disputes)

Disputes hub: SICC (international commercial cases, foreign counsel can appear), SIAC arbitration under the International Arbitration Act (UNCITRAL Model Law), SIMC mediation.

Key legal areas

Contract Law

• Common law — Offer, acceptance, consideration, intention, capacity
• Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act — Third party enforcement
• Unfair Contract Terms Act — Reasonableness test for exclusion clauses
• Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act — Unfair practices; CASE
• Electronic Transactions Act — Electronic contracts and signatures
• Limitation Act — 6 years for contract claims

Employment Law

• Employment Act — Core employment rights; covers all employees since April 2019 (except seafarers, domestic workers, public officers); Part 4 protections (hours, overtime, rest days) only for workmen earning ≤$4,500/month and non-workmen ≤$2,600/month
• Key entitlements — Annual leave (7-14 days), sick leave, public holidays (11 days)
• CPF — Central Provident Fund; mandatory savings (employer + employee contributions)
• Work Injury Compensation Act — Workplace injury compensation
• Employment of Foreign Manpower Act — Work pass requirements
• Retirement and Re-employment Act — 2026: minimum retirement age 64, re-employment to 69 (from 1 July 2026)
• Platform Workers Act 2024 — CPF and work-injury cover for ride-hail and delivery workers since 1 Jan 2025
• Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices — the operative anti-discrimination standard until the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 commences (expected by end-2027) — check status
• Employment Claims Tribunal — salary and wrongful-dismissal claims after mandatory TADM mediation

Criminal Law

• Penal Code — Main criminal statute; comprehensive
• Criminal Procedure Code — Procedure, arrest, bail, trial
• Misuse of Drugs Act — Death penalty for trafficking above thresholds; life imprisonment and caning possible only for couriers who meet s. 33B conditions
• Public Order Act — Demonstrations, assemblies
• Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act — Religious harmony
• Right to counsel — Upon arrest; right to contact lawyer
• Bail — Available for most offences; denied for capital offences

Company Law

• Companies Act, LLP Act, Business Names Registration Act (ACRA); Securities and Futures Act (MAS); Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018

Data Protection

• Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2012 — PDPC enforcement; notify PDPC within 3 calendar days of assessing a breach notifiable; Do Not Call Registry for marketing
• Fines up to 10% of Singapore turnover (organisations above $10M) or $1M, since 1 Oct 2022

Property Law

• Land Titles Act — Torrens system; indefeasible title
• Residential Property Act — Restrictions on foreign ownership of landed property
• Housing Development Act — HDB public housing; eligibility rules
• Conveyancing and Law of Property Act — Property transactions
• Stamp Duties Act — ABSD 2026: foreigners 60%, citizens 0% first / 20% second / 30% third+ (some FTA nationals get citizen rates)

Family Law

• Women's Charter — Marriage, divorce, maintenance, custody (non-Muslims); divorce by mutual agreement available since 1 July 2024
• Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) — Muslim personal law; Syariah Court
• Guardianship of Infants Act — Child welfare
• Intestate Succession Act — Intestate inheritance (non-Muslims)
• Probate and Administration Act — Estate administration

Immigration

• Immigration Act — Entry, stay, and departure
• Employment Pass — 2026: ≥$5,600/month ($6,200 financial services), rising with age, plus the COMPASS points test; new applications from 1 Jan 2027: $6,000 ($6,600 FS)
• S Pass — 2026: ≥$3,300/month ($3,800 FS); from 1 Jan 2027: $3,600 ($4,000 FS)
• Work Permit — Semi-skilled workers; sector quotas and levies
• Permanent Residence and citizenship — discretionary, via ICA

Intellectual Property

• Patents Act (20 years), Trade Marks Act, Copyright Act 2021 (life + 70, automatic), Registered Designs Act; IPOS

Online harms

• Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 — Online Safety Commission operating since 29 June 2026; victims of intimate-image abuse, doxxing, harassment and stalking can seek takedown orders

Resources

• sso.agc.gov.sg (legislation), elitigation.sg (judgments), lawnet.sg (subscription case law)
• Legal Aid Bureau (mlaw.gov.sg) and Pro Bono SG — means-tested civil legal aid and free clinics; Law Society (lawsociety.org.sg) to find a lawyer
• Agencies: acra.gov.sg, mom.gov.sg, pdpc.gov.sg, ica.gov.sg