Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1975 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Orders Made by Courts Inreciprocating Countries
6. Registration in Singapore court of maintenance order made in reciprocating country
Feedback & supportThis section applies to a maintenance order made, whether before or after 3 May 1976, by a court in a reciprocating country, including such an order made by such a court which has been confirmed by a court in another reciprocating country but excluding a provisional order which has not been confirmed.
maintenance order
“maintenance order” means an order (however described) of the following descriptions:(a)an order (including an affiliation order or order consequent upon an affiliation order) which provides for the payment of a lump sum or the making of periodical payments —(i)by a man towards the maintenance of his wife or former wife; or(ii)by a person towards the maintenance of the person’s child; and(b)an affiliation order or order consequent upon an affiliation order, being an order which provides for the payment by a person adjudged, found or declared to be a child’s father of expenses incidental to the child’s birth or, where the child had died, of the child’s funeral expenses,and in the case of a maintenance order which has been varied, means that order as varied;
Where a certified copy of an order to which this section applies is received by the Minister from the responsible authority in a reciprocating country, and it appears to the Minister that the payer under the order is residing in Singapore, the Minister must send the copy of the order to the prescribed officer of the appropriate court.
certified copy
“certified copy”, in relation to an order of court, means a copy of the order certified by the proper officer of the court to be a true copy;
Where the prescribed officer of the appropriate court receives from the Minister a certified copy of an order to which this section applies, the prescribed officer must, subject to subsection (4), register the order in the prescribed manner in that court.
court
“court” includes any tribunal or person having power to make, confirm, enforce, vary or revoke a maintenance order that is enforceable by a civil court of competent jurisdiction;
Before registering an order under this section, an officer of a court must take such steps as the officer thinks fit to ascertain whether the payer under the order is residing within the jurisdiction of the court, and if after taking those steps the officer is satisfied that the payer is not so residing, the officer must return the certified copy of the order to the Minister with a statement giving such information as the officer possesses as to the whereabouts of the payer.
payer
“payer”, in relation to a maintenance order, means the person liable to make payments under the order;