Divorce in Singapore: Grounds and the Six Facts

The single ground for divorce

Singapore does not offer a menu of legal grounds for divorce. Under section 95(2) of the Women’s Charter 1961, there is exactly one: that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The court grants a divorce only if it is satisfied of that, that it is just and reasonable to do so, and section 95(3) requires the court to dismiss the application if the ground is not made out.

Because the ground is fixed, the real question in every divorce is evidential: how do you prove the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The Women’s Charter answers that with a closed list of six facts. Establishing any one of them establishes the ground.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified advocate and solicitor about your situation. Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

The six facts (section 95A(1))

Since 1 July 2024, all six facts are set out together in section 95A(1)(a) to (f). Before that date, five facts sat in the old section 95(3); the 2024 restructure moved them into section 95A and added a sixth. The facts are:

• Adultery, s95A(1)(a). The other spouse has committed adultery and the applicant finds it intolerable to live with them.

• Unreasonable behaviour, s95A(1)(b). The other spouse has behaved in such a way that the applicant cannot reasonably be expected to live with them.

• Desertion, s95A(1)(c). The other spouse has deserted the applicant for a continuous period of at least 2 years.

• Separation with consent, s95A(1)(d). The couple have lived apart for a continuous period of at least 3 years and the other spouse consents to the divorce.

• Separation without consent, s95A(1)(e). The couple have lived apart for a continuous period of at least 4 years, in which case consent is not needed.

• Mutual agreement, s95A(1)(f). Both spouses agree that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. This is Divorce by Mutual Agreement, the no-fault route added in 2024.

Only one fact is needed. The first three are fault-based and the next two rest on separation; the sixth removes the need to attribute blame at all. Because it changes the whole tenor of a filing, Divorce by Mutual Agreement is covered in its own guide: Divorce by Mutual Agreement in Singapore.

The six-month cohabitation trap

The adultery and behaviour facts carry a timing rule that catches people who reconcile briefly. For adultery (s95A(2)), if the couple continue living together for more than 6 months after the applicant learns of the adultery, the applicant may not rely on that act of adultery at all. A period of 6 months or less is ignored, so a short attempt at reconciliation does not by itself defeat the fact.

A comparable rule applies to the behaviour fact (s95A(3)) and to the separation and desertion facts (s95A(4) to (5)). The practical point is that living together again after the event, for more than six months, can close off the fact a person was planning to rely on.

The three-year rule (section 94)

Separate from the grounds is a timing bar on the marriage itself. Under section 94(1), no application for divorce may be filed until 3 years have passed since the date of the marriage. This applies regardless of which of the six facts a person intends to rely on.

The court may permit an earlier application under section 94(2), but only on a narrow basis: that the case is one of exceptional hardship suffered by the applicant, or exceptional depravity on the part of the other spouse. This is a high threshold and is not met by ordinary marital difficulty.

Who can use the Singapore courts (section 93)

There is also a jurisdiction gate. Under section 93, the Singapore courts can hear a divorce only if one party is domiciled in Singapore at the start of proceedings, or has been habitually resident in Singapore for a period of 3 years immediately before filing. A couple with no such connection to Singapore may not be able to divorce here.

What about prenuptial agreements

A prenuptial agreement does not fix the outcome of a Singapore divorce. When the court later divides matrimonial assets, section 112(2)(e) of the Women’s Charter lists any agreement made in contemplation of divorce as one of the circumstances it must consider, but the leading case, TQ v TR and another appeal [2009] SGCA 6, holds that such an agreement is not automatically binding. It is a factor whose weight depends on the facts, and terms affecting a child’s maintenance or custody carry little or no weight if they are not in the child’s best interests. How assets and maintenance are actually decided is covered in the custody and maintenance guide.

Next steps

Establishing the ground is only the start. Once a fact is available, the divorce moves through two stages, covered in the divorce process, step by step, and the arrangements for children and money are decided as ancillary matters. For the wider picture, see the family law in Singapore section.