When a loved one has lost mental capacity

The LPA can only be activated when the Donor has been certified by a medical practitioner to have lost mental capacity. For a sample of the medical report, please visit the official website of the Office of the Public Guardian. For medical reports which are issued in Singapore, the medical report must be issued by a certified medical practitioner registered with the Singapore Medical Council. For medical reports issued outside of Singapore, the medical report must be translated into English by a certified translator if the report is issued in a language other than English.

To be able to exercise authority under the LPA with us, you will need to provide us with the medical report as well as the electronic LPA obtained via the Office of the Public Guardian Online dashboard, together with any other supporting documents as we may require.

The lost of the Donor's medical capacity may be temporary or permanent and the medical report presented to us must clearly state the nature of the Donor's condition (i.e. whether temporary or permanent). If the condition is expressly stated to be temporary, the date of the medical report must be made within the last six months at the time of presentment to us.

A Court-Appointed Deputy is someone appointed by the court to make certain decisions on behalf of a person who lacks mental capacity (referred to as P) and has not made an LPA. A Deputy may be authorised by the court to make decisions relating to personal welfare and/or property and affairs. A Deputy may be a family member, next-of-kin or close friend.

To be appointed as a Deputy, the applicant must be above 21 years of age and must apply to and obtain a court order from the Family Courts.

For more information on how to apply to be a Deputy (including the simplified and standard application processes), please visit the official website of the Singapore Courts.

Once you have obtained the medical report and LPA, or Court Order, please book an appointment at selected branches as indicated below.

The processing time for account(s) closure will vary according to the type and number of accounts held.

Note: Once the Bank is notified of the loss of mental capacity of the account holder, all operations of the account(s) may be restricted (including withdrawals).

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

• Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
• Identity Document(s) of appointed Deputy/Donee(s) (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms. We may request for additional documents or exercise special handling depending on the account type, where required.

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holders must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

• Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
• Identity Document(s) of appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holder(s) (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holders will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms. We may request for additional documents or exercise special handling depending on the account type, where required.

A new Deputy/Donee Account will be set up for appointed Deputy/Donee(s) to manage the account. The account is usually named as such: 

Deputy of <XXX> or Donee of <XXX>, whereby XXX is the name of the Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order).

We will need all appointed Deputy/Donee(s) to be present in person with the following documents:

• Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
• Identity Document(s) of all Deputy/Donee(s) and Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order). (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)
• Proof of Residential Address of Deputy/Donee(s) and Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order). This is applicable to foreigners only.

As part of continual efforts to serve customers better, we are centralising the opening and/or closing of accounts that require special handling at specific branch locations. By making prior appointments, this helps to provide customers with a more seamless and efficient service experience. Please book an appointment at one of the above selected branches.