To ensure that a child can be returned to Singapore from another country or territory which is a party to the Hague Convention, all the following requirements must be met:

• Your child must be under 16 years old

• You must have "rights of custody" in relation to the child

• You must have been exercising rights of custody at the time your child was taken from Singapore

• Your child must have been habitually residing in Singapore immediately before he or she was taken overseas

• Your child must have been taken to or retained in a country which is a party to the Hague Convention

• Your child must have been wrongfully removed from Singapore or wrongfully retained in another Contracting State or territory which is a party to the Hague Convention without your prior consent or a court order

If all the above conditions are satisfied, you can request – through the judicial/administrative authorities – that the child be brought back to Singapore.

In some cases, the abducting parent will object to the child returning to Singapore. The relevant overseas Court will consider your reasons for objection. It is important to take action as soon as you discover that your child has been taken from Singapore or retained overseas.

Any delay in action may later be seen either as:

• A lack of concern about your child being overseas, or

• You having agreed to your child being overseas.