How do I sue someone in Singapore?
Answered from official Singapore sources and the reported court record, as of — recomputed live.
Civil claims in Singapore run through a tiered court system, matched to the value and subject of the dispute. A claim typically starts with a letter of demand, then an originating claim and pleadings, and, if it is not resolved, proceeds to trial, judgment, and a costs order.
What the question is really asking
"How to sue someone" is really a question about the civil justice process — how a private dispute is brought before a court and decided. In Singapore, civil claims are heard by a tiered structure of courts, and which court hears a matter turns on the value and subject of the claim: the Small Claims Tribunals handle low-value prescribed disputes, the Magistrates' and District Courts hear larger claims, and the General Division of the High Court takes the highest-value or more complex matters. Matching the dispute to the right forum is the first practical step.
The sequence that follows is broadly consistent and is governed by the Rules of Court. A claim usually opens with a letter of demand, giving the other side a chance to respond before proceedings begin. If it is not resolved, the claimant files an originating claim and a statement of the claim; the defendant files a defence; the parties exchange relevant documents and evidence; and, where the dispute still stands, the matter proceeds to trial and judgment. The court then deals with the incidence of costs between the parties.
Reported judgments do not record what any party paid its own lawyer, but they do record, objectively, which firms and counsel appeared in civil matters and what the courts decided — including the costs the courts ordered one party to pay another. That is the factual side of how disputes actually run and who does this work, as distinct from any estimate of a private fee.
Official sources & how it works
The instruments and public records that govern the answer, each with its source and the year it describes.
The rules of civil procedure governing how claims are commenced and conducted in the Singapore courts — originating processes, pleadings, evidence, trial, and costs.
Source: Rules of Court 2021 (Singapore) · as of 2021
The tiered civil courts below the High Court. Small Claims Tribunals hear prescribed disputes up to S$20,000 (or S$30,000 by consent); the Magistrates' Courts hear claims up to S$60,000 and the District Courts up to S$250,000, above which the General Division of the High Court has jurisdiction.
Source: State Courts of Singapore · as of 2026
Which court hears a civil claim in Singapore?
The value and subject of the claim determine the forum: the Small Claims Tribunals hear low-value prescribed disputes, the Magistrates' and District Courts hear larger claims, and the General Division of the High Court hears the highest-value or more complex matters. The court structure, and the value bands that separate the courts, are set by statute and the Rules of Court.
What are the main stages of a civil suit?
A claim usually opens with a letter of demand, followed by an originating claim and statement of claim, the defendant's defence, the exchange of documents and evidence, and, if the dispute is not resolved, trial and judgment. After deciding the claim, the court deals with the incidence of costs between the parties.
Does the losing party pay the winner's costs?
Singapore follows the general rule that costs follow the event, so a court may order the unsuccessful party to pay a portion of the successful party's legal costs, assessed on a party-and-party basis. Those court-ordered costs are distinct from the fee a client pays its own lawyer, and the reported record shows only the former.
Explore the court record
This is one part of what the reported record shows about how lawyers and litigation work in Singapore.
- For who actually appears in reported civil cases and what the courts recorded, see Civil Procedure Lawyers in Singapore: The Court Record.
- For what the reported record shows about the money side of a case — the costs courts ordered between parties — read What Singapore Courts Actually Awarded in Costs.
Methodology & disclaimer
This page explains the question factually from cited Singapore legislation, official public records and the reported Supreme Court court record. It describes how a process or requirement works in general; it does not tell any particular person what to do, is not a recommendation of any lawyer or firm, and is not legal advice. How a specific matter should be handled depends on its facts and is a question for a qualified lawyer.