Located in Southeast Asia, Singapore has a reputation as one of the most popular destinations for Americans looking to get out of the country and move to a tropical location where they can really make their dollars stretch.
It is also a popular destination for people who are looking to avoid paying back debts that they have accrued. However, the government of Singapore is actually fairly easy to work with, as long as you are extremely careful to play by their rules.
Singapore: A Quick Overview
Singapore is a sovereign city-state that is located just north of the equator and directly south of Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It offers a unique blend of Chinese, Indian, Arab, European, and American cultures in a tropical climate.
It is a modern city with a booming economy and excellent public transportation, and with so many different cultures represented, the culinary scene offers an almost endless number of options to choose from.
Understanding Government Rules and Regulations in Singapore
Singapore is primarily governed by a legislative branch comprised of leaders that are elected to Parliament. Then the executive branch of the government features a prime minister and a president.
The legal system in Singapore is based on English Common Law, but there are a few unique twists in play. The most commonly referenced of those twists is the use of caning as a form of corporal punishment. However, this is usually reserved for only the most serious offenses.
Debt Collection in Singapore
When it comes to debt collection, Singapore is definitely not as difficult to deal with as some of the other places in Southeast Asia, but there are still a number of differences from what we are used to in dealing with debtors here in the United States.
One of the biggest differences is that it is perfectly legal for a debt collector to discuss an obligation with a debtor’s friends and family in Singapore. This can even be done over social media, assuming that the debt being discussed is legitimate.
It is still important for debt collectors to act in a respectable fashion in Singapore though, because it is very much illegal to threaten or intimidate a debtor. It is also illegal for any debt collector to impersonate a government official, and debt collectors are also prohibited from ganging up on a debtor in groups of five or more.
Maximizing Your Odds of Getting Paid
Whether you are collecting a debt that is owed directly to you or you are collecting a third party debt on behalf of someone else, the same rules apply to everyone operating in Singapore.
In order to make sure that you are maximizing your odds of actually recovering some of the money that is owed to you, it is always a good idea to align yourself with someone who has experience operating in this part of the world.
Even countries as advanced as Singapore have a plethora of cultural differences that make it hard to be sure that you are operating within the set rules and regulations. For that reason, it usually makes sense to align yourself with a debt collection agency to handle the collection on your behalf.
As we have seen in a number of different situations, it almost always pays to have an experienced agency operating on your behalf when it comes to international debt collections.
