Singapore
Common law
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Singapore is a common-law country. It inherited English law, and its courts today use a mix of English and local decisions. It has a written Constitution and a separate Syariah Court for Muslim family law.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of Singapore, the highest law
- Acts of Parliament
- Case law (precedent), from Singapore and other common-law countries
- Muslim law, for Muslim family matters
The main courts
- The Supreme Court: the Court of Appeal and the High Court
- State Courts for smaller civil and criminal cases
- The Syariah Court, for Muslim family matters
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree from an approved university, a bar course (Part B), and a practice training period, followed by admission by the Supreme Court. Lawyers from some abroad can take a separate qualifying route.
What may surprise you
- Singapore ended appeals to the Privy Council in 1994, so the Court of Appeal now has the last word.
- Courts follow English cases but are free to depart from them.
- The legal profession is united: advocates and solicitors.
- Commercial courts and arbitration are central to Singapore's role as a regional dispute-resolution hub.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Singapore as: Common law, Muslim. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Singapore, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
