Frequently Asked Questions

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The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (“the Act”) seeks to offer temporary relief to businesses and individuals who are unable to perform their contractual obligations due on or after 1 February 2020 because of COVID-19.
 
 
The Act covers relevant contractual obligations that are to be performed on or after 1 February 2020, for contracts that were entered into before 25 March 2020.
 
To check if you are eligible for relief and the type of relief that applies, please refer to our webpages on the Types of Contract Covered by the Act, FAQs, and online self-assessment tool.
 
If you require relief for a contract that is covered by the Act, and you have been unable to come to an agreement with the other party or parties to the contract, you can serve a Notification for Relief.
 
Information on other support measures and advisories can be found below: 
  • IRAS - Support measures and tax guidance (including property tax rebates)
  • MAS - Support measures for individuals and SMEs (including property loans and credit card debts)
  • MOM - Support programmes and schemes for employers and self-employed persons
  • MSF - Support for Singaporeans affected by COVID-19
  • Support Go Where - Grants, funds and packages for individuals
 

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You can contact all our departments and officers (including the Insolvency Office, the Public Trustee's Office, the Legal Aid Bureau, the Community Mediation Centre and the Legal Services Regulatory Authority) via the Ministry of Law's online enquiry form (you can submit up to 30MB of documents in Step 4 of the form).

Sending us your enquiry or documents via the online form will help us to better track your enquiry and ensure that it is dealt with promptly.  Please be assured that we will forward your enquiry to the relevant case officer or team as necessary.  We will reply within 3 to 14 working days, depending on the complexity of your enquiry.

You can also visit us at:
 
Ministry of Law Services Centre
45 Maxwell Road
#07-11 The URA Centre (East Wing)
Singapore 069118
(Nearest MRT stations: Tanjong Pagar (EW15) and Chinatown (NE4/DT19))
Tel: 1800 225 5529 or +65 6225 5529 (for overseas callers) 
Website: http://www.mlaw.gov.sg/

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday:
8.30 am to 5.00 pm
(Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)

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Bankrupts who wish to travel overseas should submit their travel application at least 14 days before their intended date of travel at our website (under 'Individual Insolvency' -> 'Insolvent Person's Portal').

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For the Public Trustee's Office to assist in the distribution of a deceased person's un-nominated CPF monies and/or estate (e.g. bank balances, shares, transfer of vehicle), please submit an online application via the eService :
 
- For un-nominated CPF monies, please select Administration of CPF/ Baby Bonus / Edusave / PSEA Monies
- For estate, please select Administration of Deceased Estate (Assets other than CPF / Baby Bonus / Edusave / PSEA Monies)
 

Answer

The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (“the Act”) seeks to offer temporary relief to businesses and individuals who are unable to perform their contractual obligations due on or after 1 February 2020 because of COVID-19.
 
The Act covers relevant contractual obligations that are to be performed on or after 1 February 2020, for contracts that were entered into before 25 March 2020.
 
Please refer to our webpages on the Types of Contract Covered by the Act, FAQs, and online self-assessment tool.
 
If the contract is one that is covered under the Act, and the parties to the contract have been unable to come to an agreement, the party seeking relief will first need to serve a Notification for Relief on the other party or parties to the contract.
 
After the Notification for Relief has been served, any party to the contract can submit an Application for an Assessor’s Determination.
 
Currently, an Application for an Assessor's Determination can be submitted at no cost. 

Most Popular Questions

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The Official Assignee will not freeze the debtor's bank account, as he was not adjudged a bankrupt.     

However the bank may choose to do so in order to protect its own interests upon learning of the debtor's DRS status.

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 A debtor on the DRS is not restricted from owning a vehicle.

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When a bankruptcy application is made to the High Court ("Court") and the debts owed do not exceed $150,000, the Court may refer the debtor to the Insolvency Office ("IO") for the Official Assignee ("OA") to assess the debtor's eligibility and suitability for the DRS. If the debtor satisfies the qualifying criteria and the OA assesses him to be suitable for the DRS, the OA will assist the debtor to devise a DRP. The Introductory Video summarises the DRS assessment process.

Click here to view the Introductory Video.

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The DRS can terminate in one of the following ways:

1) Upon the death of a debtor
2) Upon completion of DRS
3) Upon failure from the scheme
4) Upon being issued with a Certificate of Inapplicability when a debtor's liabilities exceed $150,000 after the commencement of his DRS plan.

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The answers to many of the enquiries that the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) receives can be found by referring to the relevant legislation, our webpages, FAQs, LSRA e-Services user guide, and sample application forms available on the LSRA e-Services.

If you are unable to find the information you require, you can submit an enquiry via our enquiry form. It usually takes 3-5 working days for us to reply to simple queries, and up to 14 working days for more complex queries. 

Please note that LSRA does not give legal advice or generally accommodate meeting requests. We will assist you and respond to the issues you wish to discuss via our enquiry form. You may visit our website for more details.