legal advice on name changing
- Thread starter fidzZzy
- Start date
Koala bear mummy
Member
Hi fidzZzy,
You certainly can change names, whether your own or your children. Procedure is to see a lawyer to do a "deed poll" ie a legal doc drawn up by the lawyers to state and announce name change and what the the new name is. Such preodure are usually quite fats, take probably around 2 weeks and does not cost alot. Probably a few hundred dollars one-time fee.
I am not sure about legal rights over kid if unmarried though..
Ottermum
Member
i've heard that if your child's below 1 year old you do not have to go to a lawyer right?
Correct me if i'm wrong...:001_302:
If below 1yo, no need to go lawyer, just go to ICA to update records. They will only give u an extract of the BC.
For above 1yo, you have to do a deed poll at the lawyer, then bring the deed poll and the new name to ICA to update the records. No new BC or extract will be issued. Your child will only get the NRIC with the new name when he/she turns 15yo. But for things that require the BC to be presented like pri sch registration, you will need to present both the deed poll & BC.
No need to wait very long for deed poll, can collect on the spot. The ICA changes also very fast, just wait for 15-30 min. If u r changing IC/Passport, then gotta wait a few days for them to make the doc. The lawyer I went to charged me approx. $100 for the deed poll.
For above 1yo, you have to do a deed poll at the lawyer, then bring the deed poll and the new name to ICA to update the records. No new BC or extract will be issued. Your child will only get the NRIC with the new name when he/she turns 15yo. But for things that require the BC to be presented like pri sch registration, you will need to present both the deed poll & BC.
No need to wait very long for deed poll, can collect on the spot. The ICA changes also very fast, just wait for 15-30 min. If u r changing IC/Passport, then gotta wait a few days for them to make the doc. The lawyer I went to charged me approx. $100 for the deed poll.
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Ting
Well-Known Member
if i rmb correctly, if your child is below 1 yo, u can obtain birth extract n change the name. if after 1 yo need deed poll.
Citizen Services »» Birth/Death Registration Can I change my child's name in the Birth Certificate? A request for an alteration of the child's name in the birth register can be accepted upon payment of the prescribed fees and before the child is one year old. This is provided that no certified extract of the birth register has been issued during this period. This alteration can only be done at Registry of Births at ICA Building. A birth extract, not a new birth certificate, will be issued reflecting the change of name.
and as long as u r the natural mother(or parent) of the child, u hv every single legal rights over your child, be it married or not.
Citizen Services »» Birth/Death Registration Can I change my child's name in the Birth Certificate? A request for an alteration of the child's name in the birth register can be accepted upon payment of the prescribed fees and before the child is one year old. This is provided that no certified extract of the birth register has been issued during this period. This alteration can only be done at Registry of Births at ICA Building. A birth extract, not a new birth certificate, will be issued reflecting the change of name.
and as long as u r the natural mother(or parent) of the child, u hv every single legal rights over your child, be it married or not.
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so what if i am a single mother and after few years the father suddenly comes and wants to claim his rights on the child. will a case be opened cos of that? can he get his claim?
tika
Active Member
Unsure whether you are muslim or not, but if you are, maybe the below excerpt might help...
The civil and syariah laws state that the welfare of the child is a paramount consideration. From the decided cases, physical custody is often granted to the mother as the Chief Justice has stressed the importance of the bonding relationship between mother and child. The court may either make an order for sole custody solely or for joint custody. In the case of joint custody, the care and control of the child is still with one parent, although the other parent will also be involved in the decisions related to the upbringing of the child. The parent who does not have custody i.e. usually the father is entitled to have access to the child, unless the mother can prove that abuse has taken on the child during the access period.
In Singapore, maintenance orders for Muslims are also within the jurisdiction of the civil Family Court. In the civil court, if both parents have their own incomes, then they both have the legal duty to provide maintenance for their child. The court would determine the proportion of each parent’s contribution for the child's maintenance. There is a High Court decision in a case where the mother earnings is very much higher than the father's earnings, and the court decided that a proportion of 2/3 of the child’s maintenance should be contributed by the mother.
The civil and syariah laws state that the welfare of the child is a paramount consideration. From the decided cases, physical custody is often granted to the mother as the Chief Justice has stressed the importance of the bonding relationship between mother and child. The court may either make an order for sole custody solely or for joint custody. In the case of joint custody, the care and control of the child is still with one parent, although the other parent will also be involved in the decisions related to the upbringing of the child. The parent who does not have custody i.e. usually the father is entitled to have access to the child, unless the mother can prove that abuse has taken on the child during the access period.
In Singapore, maintenance orders for Muslims are also within the jurisdiction of the civil Family Court. In the civil court, if both parents have their own incomes, then they both have the legal duty to provide maintenance for their child. The court would determine the proportion of each parent’s contribution for the child's maintenance. There is a High Court decision in a case where the mother earnings is very much higher than the father's earnings, and the court decided that a proportion of 2/3 of the child’s maintenance should be contributed by the mother.
Ting
Well-Known Member
if his name is alr on the BC meaning he is the natural father of the child. so,he does hv the rights to your child no matter what.
dun mind if i ask, he doesnt want the child now?
reason for asking is, if so, maybe u can get him to sign a declaration or something stating he doesnt want anything to do with the child? so that u can use it against him next time if he wants to fight for the child with u?
let's jz say dat he's totally uncontactable nw. nt helping financially n totally disregarding the child's welfare. so hw to get him to sign declaration in the first place. since the child's birth he has been non existent n mia, so cn i use dat against him?
Hi,
If he is contactable, and has not been contributing to the child since birth, his claim for custody of the child will most likely fail....
It is better now to keep receipts and document how he has always been missing and as a result causing hardship to yourself and your child, this will prevent him from ever gaining custody....
One thing to clarify with Ting as well....
You know the declaration to be signed by the father?
I did some more checks on the legality of the document and it appears that it's a grey area....
Legally, the father can still go to court to try to get custody of the child, but since he has signed a contract to give up care and custody, you can sue him for the breach of that contract....
You can also keep all receipts and a book of expenditure so you can use it together at the family court if the father tries such a stunt.... Plus you can sue him in court for the breach of contact....
This should keep most stupid men away....
Cheers,
Samuel
Hi Ting!!!!
Missed you guys yesterday.... Darrielle was really adorable! Pin can be best playmates with her.... bwahahahaha!
Maybe you could register your marriage first (!) Idea!
On a even more serious note, the adoption is the only way to relieve all rights and claims from the other parent. Best to do it ASAP....
Let's have a Christmas party with turkey, yesh?
Missed you guys yesterday.... Darrielle was really adorable! Pin can be best playmates with her.... bwahahahaha!
Maybe you could register your marriage first (!) Idea!
On a even more serious note, the adoption is the only way to relieve all rights and claims from the other parent. Best to do it ASAP....
Let's have a Christmas party with turkey, yesh?
i tot pin ur daughter?. why still nid to adopt her? dn mind me askin.
Ting
Well-Known Member
yes pin is my daughter.
i can choose to adopt her in 2 ways. either single /married.
if single, means after i adopt her singlely, i will be the sole parent, n my ex will hv no rights over at all, he cant even request to see her. (its like u give your child up for adoption, so u gv up the parental rights)
if married, meaning me n my bf were to get married n adopt pin as our child.
meaning, his name will be under the father's section in the new BC.
but bcos, me n my bf only hv plans to marry after his studies (from overseas) which is abt another 2-3 years time, so im considering if i wanna take the single adoption first then later when we marry, we re-adopt her again under married.
its a more troublesome process for me, but, in this case (if i adopt singly first) my ex wont be able to fight the custody from me in the future (if he decides to).
hope this clear your doubts n give u a better understanding..
but, the person at the service bureau mentioned to me that this is the first case they encountered, so she say i can try to apply first... so im still considering.
i can choose to adopt her in 2 ways. either single /married.
if single, means after i adopt her singlely, i will be the sole parent, n my ex will hv no rights over at all, he cant even request to see her. (its like u give your child up for adoption, so u gv up the parental rights)
if married, meaning me n my bf were to get married n adopt pin as our child.
meaning, his name will be under the father's section in the new BC.
but bcos, me n my bf only hv plans to marry after his studies (from overseas) which is abt another 2-3 years time, so im considering if i wanna take the single adoption first then later when we marry, we re-adopt her again under married.
its a more troublesome process for me, but, in this case (if i adopt singly first) my ex wont be able to fight the custody from me in the future (if he decides to).
hope this clear your doubts n give u a better understanding..
but, the person at the service bureau mentioned to me that this is the first case they encountered, so she say i can try to apply first... so im still considering.
were u n ur ex married before?
adopt means n get new bc? i tot bc after 1 yr cnt change one.
but to do that, do u need the consent of the father?
n if u do, wat if he's uncontactable?
can we still go ahead with the adoption process?
Ting
Well-Known Member
no, i wasnt married to him. 
from what i know, n asked, adoption means u need to "disown" your child then adopt him as your own.
thru adoption, BC can be changed. diff process. they probably issue u a new BC with the new parents name (ie, u n your new husband, or the new parents adopt the child)
to do this, the consent of father can be needed or not.
meaning, if u do not hv, or cant contact the father, u need to apply for a dissention (i think its this word) of consent.
in other words, meaning u cant get hold of the father, so u apply this n inform the court.
but, u need to prove how far u went to "search" for the father, ie, he changed contact u cant find him,he changed address etc.
i would think the consent of father will make things easier.
from what i know, n asked, adoption means u need to "disown" your child then adopt him as your own.
thru adoption, BC can be changed. diff process. they probably issue u a new BC with the new parents name (ie, u n your new husband, or the new parents adopt the child)
to do this, the consent of father can be needed or not.
meaning, if u do not hv, or cant contact the father, u need to apply for a dissention (i think its this word) of consent.
in other words, meaning u cant get hold of the father, so u apply this n inform the court.
but, u need to prove how far u went to "search" for the father, ie, he changed contact u cant find him,he changed address etc.
i would think the consent of father will make things easier.
ouh ok... nw i hv a clearer view abt adoption.no, i wasnt married to him.
from what i know, n asked, adoption means you need to "disown" your child then adopt him as your own.
thru adoption, BC can be changed. diff process. they probably issue you a new BC with the new parents name (ie, you n your new husband, or the new parents adopt the child)
to do this, the consent of father can be needed or not.
meaning, if you do not have, or cant contact the father, you need to apply for a dissention (i think its this word) of consent.
in other words, meaning you cant get hold of the father, so you apply this n inform the court.
but, you need to prove how far you went to "search" for the father, ie, he changed contact you cant find him,he changed address etc.
i would think the consent of father will make things easier.
but wat abt getting the deed poll thing? do u noe if i will still nid to get consent from the non-existent father?