A Singaporean woman living in the United States (US) recently sparked discussion online after wondering whether she should register her newborn son for Singapore citizenship, a decision that would make him liable for National Service (NS) in the future.
Posting on the subreddit r/askSingapore on 14 Oct, the mother — who goes by u/indecisivekopi — asked:
Overseas Singaporeans, would you register a son for citizenship?
Her post quickly gained traction, drawing a flood of personal stories and strong opinions from fellow Singaporeans both at home and abroad.
Overseas Singaporeans, would you register a son for citizenship?
byu/indecisive-kopi inaskSingapore
The original poster (OP) shared that she already has a daughter with dual citizenship, and her newborn son was born in the US.
However, Singaporeans are only able to keep their dual citizenship until the age of 21, at which point they will be given a choice to renounce or keep their citizenship.
The OP admitted she was torn about whether to register him as a Singaporean citizen, knowing it would tie him to the mandatory two years of NS.
She said she wanted to give her son flexibility of choice, but worried about how well he could assimilate into local life if the family never moved back to Singapore.
Source: dinopix on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
Her biggest concern, she added, was whether he would be able to handle the rigours of NS without local family support.
Addressing Singaporean Redditors, particularly overseas men who had served NS and overseas parents, she asked them to share their experiences and “anything good” that came out of the decision to serve NS.
In the thread, some Redditors shared uplifting stories of overseas-born Singaporean men who embraced NS and even grew stronger or more disciplined from the experience.
One commenter recalled knowing an overseas-born Singaporean who took to NS like ducks to water.
“He described how much he loved it,” the netizen said. “Seems his fellow men…found him an amusing oddity and took him under their wing.”
Source: Reddit
Some even boasted about their NS days after returning to the United Kingdom (UK) or US.
Source: Reddit
Another netizen shared about a friend who had become a Singaporean Permanent Resident (PR) and sent his two sons to NS. Both later became fitness enthusiasts.
Source: Reddit
Others, however, offered a more pragmatic take.
One commenter said that if the mother had no plans to return to Singapore, it might not be worth registering her son at all, as he would not reap any benefits from the citizenship.
Source: Reddit
“Do not do it. Your son…will be a stranger to Singapore,” another Redditor wrote bluntly, adding that there are no benefits for him to become a Singapore citizen given the OP’s circumstances.
Source: Reddit
Speaking to MS News, the mother, a 31-year-old news editor, said she firmly believes NS is necessary for Singapore’s defence.
However, she empathises with the men “who must give two years of their lives to serve”, adding that their sacrifice was “often underappreciated”.
Her spouse, who is not Singaporean, was also unsure how to advise her, having never gone through NS himself.
She acknowledged that Singapore citizenship would give her son valuable opportunities later in life, but noted that the ban on dual citizenship was a major drawback.
She also expressed concern about his son assimilating in Singapore while navigating the military system that he may not have wanted for himself.
However, she felt that the Singapore government “cares for its citizens more than the US”.
Objectively, the SG government is doing a better job for its people than the American one.
The OP explained that she had applied for dual citizenship for her daughter so that the girl could decide for herself when she’s older, without being bound by the obligations of NS.
When asked whether the family would ever return to Singapore, the OP told MS News that the “option is always on the table”.
It’s hard to predict what the U.S. or Singapore will look like in 18 years
While she’s still undecided, she said she was grateful for the thoughtful responses — many of which gave her new perspectives to consider.
Also read: NSFs to get up to S$75 increase in allowance from 1 July, fourth allowance increment in 10 years
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Featured image adapted from dinopix on Canva and Gramicidin on Flickr.