LEGAL
Why do vehicles here bear a suffix on their license plates?
Why do Singapore registered vehicles have a suffix on the license plate? What purpose does it serve since the digits following a prefix is unique to each vehicle?
We made an enquiry with the LTA, who made the following response:
"According to the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules, all motor vehicles registered on or after 8th February 1972 shall carry vehicle license plates with registration number suffixed with a letter of the alphabet, which serves as an official reference.
"They are important in identifying vehicles for enforcement and emergency activities or other contingent conditions.
"For more information on license plate registration, LTA's 'One Motoring' website may also be useful to you."
"According to the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules, all motor vehicles registered on or after 8th February 1972 shall carry vehicle license plates with registration number suffixed with a letter of the alphabet, which serves as an official reference.
"They are important in identifying vehicles for enforcement and emergency activities or other contingent conditions.
"For more information on license plate registration, LTA's 'One Motoring' website may also be useful to you."
Can I will my HDB flat to my sister's son?
Can I will my HDB flat to my sister's son?
A crucial point in determining this would be the type of HDB ownership, whether it is Joint or Tenancy-in-common.
From the HDB website:
"A joint-tenancy is a form of ownership where all co-owners have an equal interest in the flat, regardless of the individual owner's contribution to buy the flat.
"In joint-tenancy, there is a right of survivorship. This means that upon the death of a joint-tenant, his/her interest in the flat will automatically be passed to the remaining co-owner(s), regardless of whether the deceased joint-tenant has left behind a Will.
"Tenancy-in-common on the other hand, is a form of ownership where each co-owner holds a separate and definite share in the flat. However, all the co-owners are entitled live in the whole flat regardless of their share in the property.
"There is no right of survivorship in tenancy-in-common. The deceased's interest in the flat does not pass on automatically to the remaining co-owner(s). Upon the death of a tenant-in-common, the deceased's interest in the flat will be distributed according to his Will (if any) or according to the provisions of the Intestate Succession Act.
In the case of tenancy-in-common, the presence of a will is also a determining factor.
According to an article from AsiaOne:
"If you die without a will, your flat will go to your estate under the laws of intestacy. In other words, your wife and children, if any, will inherit the said flat, in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act Cap 146."
Finally, conditions also apply for the person inheriting the flat or the estate. The person must:
- be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR), - be at least 21 years old, and, - satisfy HDB's prevailing eligibility rules and conditions to own a flat
One option would be to contact the HDB to enquire further as to your specific situation. Another would be to seek qualified legal counsel.
From the HDB website:
"A joint-tenancy is a form of ownership where all co-owners have an equal interest in the flat, regardless of the individual owner's contribution to buy the flat.
"In joint-tenancy, there is a right of survivorship. This means that upon the death of a joint-tenant, his/her interest in the flat will automatically be passed to the remaining co-owner(s), regardless of whether the deceased joint-tenant has left behind a Will.
"Tenancy-in-common on the other hand, is a form of ownership where each co-owner holds a separate and definite share in the flat. However, all the co-owners are entitled live in the whole flat regardless of their share in the property.
"There is no right of survivorship in tenancy-in-common. The deceased's interest in the flat does not pass on automatically to the remaining co-owner(s). Upon the death of a tenant-in-common, the deceased's interest in the flat will be distributed according to his Will (if any) or according to the provisions of the Intestate Succession Act.
In the case of tenancy-in-common, the presence of a will is also a determining factor.
According to an article from AsiaOne:
"If you die without a will, your flat will go to your estate under the laws of intestacy. In other words, your wife and children, if any, will inherit the said flat, in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act Cap 146."
Finally, conditions also apply for the person inheriting the flat or the estate. The person must:
- be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR), - be at least 21 years old, and, - satisfy HDB's prevailing eligibility rules and conditions to own a flat
One option would be to contact the HDB to enquire further as to your specific situation. Another would be to seek qualified legal counsel.
I divorced 8 years ago. Can I use 'single' when my marital status is asked instead of 'divorced'?
I divorced 8 years ago. Can I use 'single' when my marital status is asked instead of 'divorced'? How long must I carry the title 'divorced'?
After searching through the Law Society website and other related law websites, there appear to be no laws in Singapore which state that after a stipulated time, a person who has divorced will have their marital status changed to single.
According to the Registry of Marriages website, even marriages which have been annulled are still in the records of the Registry of Marriages as 'The law does not allow for original marriage records to be altered.'
Here is some further information about the definitions of marital status according to the Department of Statistics. The Department of Statistics uses these definitions for its data collection purpose:
- If a person’s marital status is 'single', it means that the person has never been married.
- If a person’s marital status is 'divorced', it refers to a person whose marriage(s) has/have been legally dissolved and who has not remarried.
- If a marriage has been annulled, the legal procedures have been completed that invalidates a marriage, and he/she is conferred the status of never having been married to each other from the time when the judgment of nullity is granted. As such, their marital status is reverted to the status before the annulled marriage took place (which could be ‘single’, ‘divorced’ or ‘widowed’, depending on the previous legal marital status).
Source: www.singstat.gov.sg
Please note that the above should not be construed as professional legal advice. You may also consider contacting the family court hotline at Tel: 6435 5485
According to the Registry of Marriages website, even marriages which have been annulled are still in the records of the Registry of Marriages as 'The law does not allow for original marriage records to be altered.'
Here is some further information about the definitions of marital status according to the Department of Statistics. The Department of Statistics uses these definitions for its data collection purpose:
- If a person’s marital status is 'single', it means that the person has never been married.
- If a person’s marital status is 'divorced', it refers to a person whose marriage(s) has/have been legally dissolved and who has not remarried.
- If a marriage has been annulled, the legal procedures have been completed that invalidates a marriage, and he/she is conferred the status of never having been married to each other from the time when the judgment of nullity is granted. As such, their marital status is reverted to the status before the annulled marriage took place (which could be ‘single’, ‘divorced’ or ‘widowed’, depending on the previous legal marital status).
Source: www.singstat.gov.sg
Please note that the above should not be construed as professional legal advice. You may also consider contacting the family court hotline at Tel: 6435 5485