Personal Protection Orders (PPOs) in Singapore: a plain guide for when home feels unsafe

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Last reviewed: 1 November 2026

In short: To apply for a Personal Protection Order (PPO) in Singapore, you can start a draft online through iFAMS, but you finish the application in person at the Family Protection Centre at the Family Justice Courts or at a Protection Specialist Centre. You don’t need a lawyer. If you need protection quickly, ask for an Expedited Order when you apply.

If you’re reading this, something at home probably doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s shouting that turns into shoving, or threats. Maybe it’s your child or your elderly parent who is being hurt.

You’re not overreacting by looking this up, and you don’t need to have everything figured out before you reach out. This guide explains, one step at a time, what the law in Singapore offers when someone in your family is hurting you or someone you care about.

What counts as family violence?

A lot of people think “violence” only means hitting. The law is wider than that. Family violence can include:

  • physical harm, like hitting, pushing or choking;
  • sexual abuse; and
  • emotional or psychological abuse, like threats, intimidation, or behaviour meant to frighten or distress you.

It can be one incident or a pattern over time. You don’t need visible bruises to ask for protection. What matters is what has happened, and whether it’s likely to happen again.

Who can a PPO protect you from?

A PPO is about violence within the family. The Family Justice Courts say you can apply against:

  • your husband or wife, or your ex-husband or ex-wife;
  • your father or mother;
  • your brothers or sisters;
  • your father-in-law or mother-in-law;
  • your child, including an adopted child or stepchild; and
  • another relative the court considers should be treated as family in your situation.

There are limits. The courts’ guide says you can’t use this route against a boyfriend or girlfriend you’re not married to, or against former in-laws. If that’s you, please still call 999 if you’re in danger, or call NAVH. There are other kinds of help, and a lawyer can talk you through them.

Who can apply for a PPO?

If you’re 18 or older, you can apply to protect yourself. You can also apply for:

  • your children under 18;
  • a child under 18, if you’re a family member, their guardian, or the person looking after them; or
  • a family member who lacks mental capacity (for example, as their donee or deputy, or the person caring for them).

In some situations, a Protector can also apply. Protectors are officers appointed by MSF’s Director-General of Social Welfare.

What orders can the Family Justice Courts make?

Here are the main family violence orders, in plain words.

What is a Personal Protection Order (PPO)?

This is the main order. It tells the other person not to commit family violence against you (or the person you’re protecting). Breaking it is a crime.

What is a Domestic Exclusion Order (DEO)?

Sometimes the hardest part is that you share a home. A Domestic Exclusion Order (DEO) can keep the other person out of the home, or out of part of it. It’s made together with a PPO.

What are a Stay Away Order and a No Contact Order?

The court can also order the other person to stay away from certain places, like your workplace or your child’s school. Or it can order them to have no contact with you, including by phone or messages.

What are counselling and treatment orders?

The court can order the other person to go for counselling or another programme. It can include you and your children too. The court can do this even if you didn’t ask for it, and it usually fixes a review some months later to see how things are going. In suitable cases, the court can also order the other person to get psychiatric treatment.

What is an Expedited Order, and when can I get one?

A full PPO hearing takes time. If you need protection quickly, you can ask for an Expedited Order when you apply for a PPO. It’s a temporary order, and it can cover a PPO, a DEO, a Stay Away Order or a No Contact Order.

  • It starts working once it’s served on the other person. The courts’ guide says that’s the next working day at the earliest.
  • It lasts up to 28 days, or until the hearing starts if that’s sooner, unless the court extends it.

Separately, in urgent cases, a Protector can issue an Emergency Order without going to court first. It’s short, usually 14 days. If you’re in that kind of situation, NAVH is a good first call.

How do I apply for a PPO in Singapore? Step by step

You don’t need a lawyer to apply. Here’s roughly how it goes.

Step 1: Start the application

You have two options:

  1. Online first. Start a draft through the courts’ online system (iFAMS), then go in person to finish it, or
  2. In person. Go straight to the Family Protection Centre (Level 1, Family Justice Courts, Havelock Square), or to a Protection Specialist Centre: PAVE, TRANS SAFE Centre or Care Corner Project StART.

Either way, you’ll need to go in person to finish the application. A court family specialist (or, at a Protection Specialist Centre, a social worker) will talk with you one-to-one first, including about your safety. The courts say this takes about 30 to 45 minutes, not counting waiting time.

Step 2: What to bring

  • Your NRIC or passport.
  • Details of the latest incident and earlier ones: dates, times, places, what happened, any injuries.
  • How you’re related to the other person.
  • What you’re asking the court for (a PPO only, or a PPO with a DEO, a Stay Away Order, and so on).
  • Any police reports or medical reports you have.

Please be truthful and careful. Knowingly putting false statements in your application is a serious offence.

Step 3: The judge looks at your application

A duty judge will look at it. If everything’s in order, the judge may approve it without seeing you, or may ask you some questions, sometimes by video. The judge can also decide whether to grant an Expedited Order.

Step 4: The summons and the first court date (“mention”)

If your application goes ahead, the court issues a summons to the other person, telling them to come to court on a date called a “mention”. At the mention, they say whether they agree to the order.

  • If they agree, the court can make the PPO (and any other orders) if it’s satisfied the order is needed to protect you.
  • If they don’t agree, the case goes to a hearing. Before that, both sides are told to get their documents ready, like police and medical reports, photos, recordings and messages. Anything not in English needs an official translation.

Please turn up. If you don’t, your case may be struck off. If the other person doesn’t, the court may issue a warrant of arrest or carry on without them.

Step 5: The hearing

Each side gives their evidence and can ask the other side questions. The judge will make the order if satisfied that family violence has happened or is likely to happen, and that the order is needed to keep the person applying safe.

What happens if someone breaks a PPO?

Breaking a PPO, an Expedited Order or the related orders is a crime. Call the Police and report it. Penalties include a fine of up to $10,000, jail of up to 12 months, or both. They can be heavier in some repeat cases.

How can I stay safe while a PPO application is going on?

Court orders matter, but your safety today matters most.

  • Keep a small “go bag” somewhere safe: IC or passport, some cash, medication, a phone charger, copies of important documents.
  • Keep a record. Write down dates and what happened. Keep photos and messages somewhere the other person can’t get to.
  • See a doctor if you’re hurt, and ask for a medical report.
  • Tell someone you trust.
  • Know your numbers: 999 for emergencies (or SMS 70999), and 1800-777-0000 for NAVH (24 hours).

If you’re also thinking about divorce, you can deal with safety first. A PPO is a separate application from a divorce. When you’re ready, have a look at Where do I even start?, Filing for divorce or How do I tell my spouse I want a divorce? If children are involved, see Children and custody.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer to apply for a PPO?

No. Many people apply on their own, and court staff and family specialists will guide you through the process. Some people choose to get legal advice, especially if the other side disagrees and there’s going to be a hearing. The courts also point people to the Community Legal Clinic and the Legal Aid Bureau.

Can I get a PPO against my boyfriend or girlfriend?

Not if you’re not married to them. A PPO only covers family members: a spouse or ex-spouse, parents, brothers or sisters, parents-in-law, children (including adopted children and stepchildren), or another relative the court treats as family. If you’re in danger, please still call 999. NAVH can talk you through other options.

What is the difference between a PPO and an Expedited Order?

A PPO is the main order. The court makes it if it’s satisfied that family violence has happened or is likely to happen, and that the order is needed to protect you. An Expedited Order is a temporary order you can ask for when you apply. It starts once it’s served on the other person and lasts up to 28 days, or until the hearing starts if that’s sooner, unless the court extends it.

Does my spouse get told I applied?

Yes. If your application goes ahead, the other person is given a summons and must come to court. If you’re worried about what happens when they find out, tell the court family specialist, and ask about an Expedited Order and about keeping safe.

How long does a PPO last?

A PPO starts from the day the court makes it. The court can make it with no end date, or for a fixed period. If things change later, you, the other person or a Protector can ask the court to change, pause or cancel it. Any Domestic Exclusion, Stay Away or No Contact Order made with it ends when the PPO ends. Counselling orders and treatment orders can each last up to 36 months. An Expedited Order lasts up to 28 days unless the court extends it.

Can I withdraw my PPO application later?

The courts’ guide says that if you change your mind, you can withdraw at the next court date. Please think it through with someone you trust, especially if the other person is pressuring you to withdraw.

Is my identity protected?

Generally, yes. The law makes it an offence to publish anything that could identify a person protected by these orders.

I’m Muslim. Do I go to the Syariah Court for a PPO?

No. Protection from family violence is dealt with by the Family Justice Courts, whatever your religion. See our Muslim divorce guide for how the two courts fit together.

Where can I get help with family violence in Singapore?

This page gives general information about Singapore law and court procedure as at the “Last reviewed” date above. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not make you a client of M/s Maurice Lee & Tan or create a lawyer–client relationship. Laws, court rules, forms and fees change, and every family’s situation is different, so please get advice on your own circumstances before you act (or decide not to act). Links to court and government websites are given for convenience; those sites are responsible for their own content. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call the Police at 999.

M/s Maurice Lee & Tan, WhatsApp +65 8023 5221