Singapore has a Supreme Court, made up of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, State Courts for lower-value claims, and the Singapore International Commercial Court for international commercial disputes. International arbitration is governed by the International Arbitration Act 1994, based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, and Singapore has applied the New York Convention since 19 November 1986 on a reciprocity basis. Mediated settlements can be enforced under the Singapore Convention on Mediation, and foreign judgments can be registered from countries named by gazetted order or under the Hague Choice of Court Convention.
Courts
The Supreme Court consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, which has an Appellate Division and a General Division. The General Division hears civil claims above S$250,000; District Courts hear claims above S$60,000 up to S$250,000 and Magistrates' Courts claims up to S$60,000, while the Small Claims Tribunals take listed claims up to S$20,000, or S$30,000 by written consent.
The SICC, a division of the General Division established in 2015, hears claims of an international and commercial nature before international and local judges. It can take a case where the parties have agreed in writing to its jurisdiction, or on transfer from the General Division, and registered foreign lawyers can generally act in offshore cases. SICC judgments are enforced like other Supreme Court judgments.123
Arbitration
The International Arbitration Act 1994 governs international commercial arbitration on the basis of the UNCITRAL Model Law and gives effect to the New York Convention; the Arbitration Act 2001 covers Singapore-seated arbitrations outside Part 2 of the International Arbitration Act. SIAC's current rules are understood to be the SIAC Rules 2025, for arbitrations commenced from 1 January 2025, but this could not be confirmed on SIAC's site.
Singapore acceded to the New York Convention on 21 August 1986, in force from 19 November 1986, and applies it on a reciprocity basis. Singapore awards are enforceable in other contracting states, and awards made in other contracting states are enforceable in Singapore.4567
Mediation and enforcing foreign judgments
The Singapore Convention on Mediation entered into force for Singapore on 12 September 2020. Under the Singapore Convention on Mediation Act 2020, the High Court can record a qualifying international settlement agreement as an order of court; abroad, enforcement depends on the other state being a party.
Under the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act 1959, judgments from countries to which the Act has been extended by gazetted order can be registered in the General Division within 6 years, including non-money judgments where enforcement is just and convenient. Judgments of a chosen court under an exclusive choice of court agreement can be enforced under the Choice of Court Agreements Act 2016, which implements the 2005 Hague Convention. When contracting with Singapore counterparties, arbitration often gives wider enforceability than a foreign court clause.891011
| Option | Legal basis | Cross-border enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore courts / SICC | Supreme Court and State Courts; SICC within the General Division | Registration in countries covered by reciprocal arrangements or in Hague Choice of Court Convention states |
| International arbitration (e.g. SIAC) | International Arbitration Act 1994 (UNCITRAL Model Law) | New York Convention states |
| Mediation | Singapore Convention on Mediation Act 2020 | States party to the Singapore Convention on Mediation |
Documents usually needed
- Dispute resolution clause naming seat, rules and institution, or court jurisdiction
- Written SICC jurisdiction agreement where the SICC is chosen
- Certified copy of the award or judgment and the underlying agreement for enforcement
- Evidence of the foreign court's jurisdiction and finality of a judgment
- Mediated settlement agreement signed by the parties and evidence of the mediation
Common mistakes
- Choosing a foreign court clause without checking whether its judgments can be registered in Singapore.
- Using pathological arbitration clauses that fail to name a seat or institution clearly.
- Assuming the SICC has jurisdiction without a written jurisdiction agreement or a transfer.
- Missing the 6-year window for registering a foreign judgment.
- Not checking which edition of the SIAC Rules will govern an arbitration started under an older clause.
When the business crosses borders
- Singapore-seated awards are enforceable in New York Convention states, and Singapore applies the Convention to awards made in other contracting states.
- Mediated settlements are enforceable only in states party to the Singapore Convention on Mediation; the UNCITRAL status page listed 25 parties when checked, so check the counterparty's country.
- Judgments from countries not covered by a gazetted order or the Hague Choice of Court Convention cannot be registered and need separate proceedings in Singapore.
Questions businesses ask
Will a Singapore arbitral award be enforceable abroad?
Generally yes in New York Convention states. Singapore has applied the Convention since 19 November 1986, subject to local grounds for refusal.7
Which court hears a commercial claim in Singapore?
Claims above S$250,000 go to the General Division of the High Court, claims above S$60,000 up to S$250,000 to the District Courts and smaller claims to the Magistrates' Courts. International commercial disputes can go to the SICC by written agreement or transfer.23
Can a foreign court judgment be enforced in Singapore?
Judgments from countries to which the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act 1959 has been extended can be registered within 6 years, and judgments of courts chosen under exclusive choice of court agreements may qualify under the Choice of Court Agreements Act 2016. Other judgments need separate proceedings.1011
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional in Singapore before you rely on them.
- The SIAC Rules 2025 and their transitional provisions could not be confirmed; SIAC's website could not be reached.
- The current list of countries covered by gazetted orders under the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, and the 2023 transfer of Commonwealth judgments into that Act, were not confirmed.
- The procedure for enforcing judgments from non-covered countries (a fresh action on the judgment) was not confirmed on an official page.
- Singapore International Mediation Centre procedures were not confirmed.
- Court fees, timelines and limitation periods were not researched.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
The Supreme Court of Singapore is made up of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, which comprises the Appellate Division and the General Division; the SICC sits within the General Division. The State Courts and Family Justice Courts are separate court structures.
Re-checked. The earlier reference to the Rules of Court 2021 in scope was removed because it was not confirmed on the page.
The General Division of the High Court hears civil claims above S$250,000; District Courts hear civil claims above S$60,000 and up to S$250,000, and Magistrates' Courts claims up to S$60,000. District Courts can hear road traffic accident and industrial accident personal injury claims up to S$500,000. Small Claims Tribunals hear listed claims up to S$20,000, or S$30,000 if both parties consent in writing.
The S$250,000 General Division threshold is also stated on the Supreme Court structure page.
The Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), established in 2015, is a division of the General Division of the High Court that hears claims of an international and commercial nature before a panel of international and local judges. It can hear a case where the parties have submitted to its jurisdiction under a written jurisdiction agreement (which raises a rebuttable presumption that the case is international and commercial), or on transfer from the General Division. Registered foreign lawyers can generally act in offshore cases. SICC judgments are enforced like other Supreme Court judgments.
Jurisdiction, transfer, foreign-lawyer and enforcement points confirmed on the SICC FAQs page.
The International Arbitration Act 1994 provides for the conduct of international commercial arbitrations based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and gives effect to the New York Convention. Current text is the 2020 Revised Edition, in operation from 31 December 2021.
Re-checked. The domestic regime is now a separate claim (sg-disputes-g02). The point that parties to a domestic arbitration can opt into the International Arbitration Act was not confirmed and was removed from scope.
The Arbitration Act 2001 applies to any arbitration where the place of arbitration is Singapore and Part 2 of the International Arbitration Act 1994 does not apply. Current text is the 2020 Revised Edition, in operation from 31 December 2021.
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) administers arbitrations under the SIAC Rules 2025, which apply to arbitrations commenced on or after 1 January 2025. Earlier arbitration agreements referring to SIAC Rules are generally administered under the edition in force when the arbitration starts, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Still unconfirmed. In October 2026 siac.org.sg and www.siac.org.sg returned fetch errors and the host refused connections. The statement is from prior knowledge and must be checked against the SIAC Rules 2025 before publication.
Singapore acceded to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards on 21 August 1986, with entry into force on 19 November 1986, and applies it on the basis of reciprocity. Under the reciprocity declaration Singapore applies the Convention only to awards made in the territory of another contracting state.
The New York Convention contracting-states list also shows accession on 21 August 1986 and the reciprocity declaration.
Singapore signed the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Convention on Mediation) on 7 August 2019, ratified it on 25 February 2020, and it entered into force for Singapore on 12 September 2020. When checked, the UNCITRAL status page listed 25 parties; some have entry-into-force dates still to come. Enforcement abroad depends on the other state being a party.
Corrected: the page gives Singapore's entry-into-force date; the general entry-into-force date is not stated on it.
The Singapore Convention on Mediation Act 2020 gives effect to the Singapore Convention on Mediation, and the High Court may grant permission to record a qualifying international settlement agreement as an order of court. The court may refuse an application on the grounds set out in section 7; current text is the 2020 Revised Edition, in operation from 31 December 2021.
Under the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act 1959, the Minister may by order in the Gazette extend the registration regime to a foreign country where substantial reciprocity is assured, and a judgment creditor may apply to the General Division of the High Court to register a covered judgment within 6 years of the judgment. Covers money and non-money judgments, including consent judgments and judicial settlements; non-money judgments are registered only where enforcement is just and convenient, or for a monetary equivalent. Foreign judgments that can be registered cannot be enforced otherwise (section 7).
Corrected and narrowed. The 1 March 2023 transfer of Commonwealth judgments into this Act, and the need for a fresh common-law action on judgments from non-gazetted countries, were not stated on the page and are not claimed. The Choice of Court Agreements Act 2016 is now a separate claim (sg-disputes-g04).
The Choice of Court Agreements Act 2016 gives effect to the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements of 30 June 2005, providing for recognition and enforcement in Singapore of judgments of a chosen court of another contracting state under an exclusive choice of court agreement in civil or commercial matters. Subject to exclusions in sections 9 and 10. Singapore courts' judgments are in turn enforceable in contracting states where the Convention is in force.
The Judiciary's Enforcement of SICC Judgments page confirms Singapore is a contracting state to the 2005 Hague Convention.
Questions on this topic
11 statements on courts, arbitration, mediation and enforcement in Singapore, 1 not yet checked against a source
