Singapore Expats

Hi all,

My wife is expecting a son in November and we are hoping for some advice on whether to register him as a Singaporean (wife nationality) or British citizen (my nationality).

We are currently living in the UK and the baby will be born here however we are going to be moving back to Singapore in about 2 years.

We are aware of the national service for boys and so are nearly decided on British citizenship however we are concerned about schooling and visas on return to Singapore.

Does anyone have any advice on public vs private schooling (costs and entry etc)?
What would be his visa entry requirements with his mother being Singaporean if we take a British passport? - i guess 2 issues here visa as a child and then at 18.
If we decide on one passport and later wanted to change to the other how easy is that?

Thanks in advance for your help!
James.

Depends on a lot of factors.

1. Do you wish to enrol your son in international or local schools in Singapore? Not having Singaporean citizenship means that he might find it tougher to get into a local school. International Schools are expensive here in Singapore.
2. Will your wife be working in Singapore? She will not be entitled to tax benefits if her children are not Singaporean, plus the other child benefits Singaporeans enjoy.

The research I did a few years ago if I remember clearly, states that if you are British by descent, your children can always apply for British citizenship in the future without much problem. So it might be better to simply get Singapore citizenship since the British govt seems more tolerant and forgiving of such matters.

National service is not really something you have to worry about at this stage (1. It might not even exist 16 years later who knows? 2. If your son enjoys being in Singapore and being Singaporean, no harm going to NS - of course I have only daughters so it's easy for me to say this)

However, within the 2 years your son is in the UK, he might not be entitled to certain local benefits if he's not British? (not sure about this aspect)

RedRidingHood wrote: However, within the 2 years your son is in the UK, he might not be entitled to certain local benefits if he's not British? (not sure about this aspect)

It's best not to start debating benefits entitlement in the UK

You are right, though, in that in my own check years ago, my son can apply for British Passport at any time based on my own status. He's technically a citizen of sorts already even whilst not born in the UK, just currently without a passport.

You don't need a passport to be a citizen so by birth right in the UK and being registered with "Births, Marriages & Deaths" the boy is already British and will be automatically given a NI number. The only point in question is whether to travel out on a UK passport, a SG one...... or both.

Up to, I think ~16yrs, children are allowed dual citizenship but must renounce one. At 16yrs it is possible the boy will be in the best position to decide for himself, weighing up NS, benefits etc. and knowing that by renouncing SG citizenship might, even then, be a sure fire way of not being allowed back in to work some years later. It's a long time off but one sure point in the near future is that getting into a local government school as a foreigner is only getting harder each year.

The magic number is 21, not 16. Males cannot renounce until NS has been completed. If they do a runner, they will never be allowed to step foot in Singapore again (and could even be picked up in transit if found out).