Families in Singapore can claim compensation before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in India for death or injury in a road accident, mainly against the vehicle's insurer. Claimants sign the petition and affidavits before a Singapore notary with an apostille. Where the deceased earned in Singapore, properly proved income, often high by Indian standards, can significantly increase the award. File within six months.
- Document route
- Singapore notary public, then apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law
- Time difference
- Singapore is 2h30 ahead of IST all year
- Law
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, as amended in 2019
- Forum
- Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT)
Accident Compensation Claims from Singapore: how it works
Our team in India gathers the police file, site plan, post-mortem or hospital records and insurance details. Singapore income is proved with IRAS notices of assessment, IR8A forms, payslips and an employer letter, notarised and apostilled. The tribunal works out loss of dependency from proved income, future prospects, personal expenses and an age-based multiplier, and the Supreme Court has accepted foreign earnings in such calculations while sometimes adjusting the multiplier.
For Singapore families we usually file at the tribunal for the accident district, where the police and eyewitnesses can be summoned easily. Claimants in Singapore may be examined by video where allowed, and a relative in India can speak to the accident. Insurers often make offers at Lok Adalat once evidence is filed, and we assess each offer against the likely award. The amount is deposited and released into the claimants' NRO accounts for remittance to Singapore. Any amount kept in fixed deposit for a minor child is released when the child turns eighteen, and we apply for it at the right time.
What clients in Singapore should know
- IRAS notices of assessment and IR8A forms are the clearest proof of Singapore income; request them early.
- Compensation for loss of life or injury is not taxed as income in India, although interest the tribunal adds is.
- Singapore travel insurance does not replace the Indian claim against the vehicle's insurer.
Step by step from Singapore
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Singapore, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Singapore
Singapore notary public, then apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in Singapore where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Singapore. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Accident Compensation Claims, or see all services for clients in Singapore and the Disputes & Enforcement practice area.
Questions from clients in Singapore
Can we claim from Singapore for my father's death in Tamil Nadu?
Yes. All legal heirs can claim, signing before a Singapore notary with an apostille.
Will Singapore salary be accepted?
Yes, if properly proved; the tribunal converts it into rupees.
What is the time limit?
Six months from the accident under section 166(3).