Singaporean nationality law

Singapore nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Singapore nationality. The primary law governing nationality requirements is the Constitution of Singapore, which came into force on 9 August 1965.

Individuals born to at least one Singapore citizen parent can apply for citizenship at birth, regardless of where the birth occurred. The application has to be submitted within one year of the child’s birth. Otherwise, a letter of explanation is required for the delay in submission. The father (who has a lawful marriage at time of child's birth) or mother is a Singapore citizen has to complete an additional Annex form to the application declaring their residence period in Singapore. Birth in Singapore by itself does not make a child eligible for citizenship. Foreign nationals may become Singapore citizens after completing a residence requirement (normally 10 years) and renouncing any previous nationalities. Holding another nationality concurrently is generally disallowed and there are many paths for a Singapore citizen to lose their citizenship should they acquire another nationality.

Singapore was briefly a constituent part of Malaysia and local residents were Malaysian citizens from 1963 to 1965. Prior to this, Singapore was a colony of the British Empire and municipal citizens were British subjects. Although the country gained independence in 1965 and Singaporeans no longer hold Malaysian nor British nationality, they continue to hold favoured status in the United Kingdom; as Commonwealth citizens, Singapore citizens are eligible to vote in UK elections and serve in public office there.^{[citation needed]}