Civil Law Act 1909 - Singapore Statutes Online

Contracts of minors who have attained 18 years of age

35.—(1) Except as otherwise provided by this section or by any other written law, as from 1 March 2009, a contract entered into by a minor who has attained the age of 18 years shall have effect as if he were of full age.

[7/2009]

(2) Where a minor has, on 1 March 2009, already attained the age of 18 years, subsection (1) shall apply to him and to contracts entered into by him on and after that day.

[7/2009]

(3) Subsection (1) shall not affect or alter —

(a)	a minor’s lack of capacity to enter into contracts arising from reasons other than because of his age; or
(b)	the application of any provision in any other written law stipulating a requirement as to the attainment of a particular age for the purposes of that written law. [7/2009]

(4) The following contracts, if entered into by a minor who has attained the age of 18 years, shall not, by virtue of subsection (1), have effect as if he were of full age:

(a)

any contract for the sale, purchase, mortgage, assignment or settlement of any land, other than a contract for a lease of land not exceeding 3 years;

(b)

any contract for a lease of land for more than 3 years;

(c)

any contract whereby the minor’s beneficial interest under a trust is sold or otherwise transferred to another person, or pledged as a collateral for any purpose;

(d)

any contract for the settlement of —

(i)	any legal proceedings or action in respect of which the minor is, pursuant to any written law, considered to be a person under disability on account of his age; or
(ii)	any claim from which any such legal proceedings or action may arise. [7/2009]

(5) Subsection (1) does not entitle —

(a)	a trustee to pay money or deliver property to a minor who has attained the age of 18 years otherwise than in accordance with the terms of the trust; or
(b)	a minor who has attained the age of 18 years to enter into a contract whereby a trust is extinguished or the terms of a trust are varied, and any such contract entered into by the minor shall not, by virtue of that subsection, have effect as if the minor were of full age. [7/2009]

(6) Nothing in this section shall apply to or affect any contract that was made before 1 March 2009, and the law in force immediately before that day shall continue to apply in relation to such a contract as if this section had not been enacted.

[7/2009]

(7) Nothing in this section shall limit or affect the rule of law whereby a minor is not liable in tort for procuring a contract by means of fraudulent representations as to his own age or any other matter.

[7/2009]

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