FirstDate dating pilot by GovTech raises age limit to 45

The service is now open to unmarried public officers aged 21 to 45.

Published Oct 21, 2026, 04:40 PM

Updated Oct 21, 2026, 04:40 PM

GovTech has raised FirstDate’s age limit to 45. The dating pilot is still for unmarried public officers aged 21 and above, including widowed or divorced people.

The current sign-up round opened on Oct 20 and closes on Oct 26. In the earlier round, results were released on Oct 6 after applications closed on Oct 2.

FirstDate uses Singpass, a questionnaire and the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm. Users see a profile, compatibility score and note, then have three days to accept before contact details are shared.

SINGAPORE - Public officers aged up to 45 can now sign up for FirstDate, a matchmaking pilot by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) .

The initiative was initially limited to those aged 21 to 35.

The service is now open to unmarried public officers aged 21 to 45, including those who are widowed or divorced. Applications for the current round, which opened on Oct 20, close on Oct 26.

The Straits Times has contacted GovTech for comment.

In the last round of matching, results came out on Oct 6, after applications closed on Oct 2. ST has also asked GovTech how many people applied in the first round and how many met their matches in person.

Some expressed concern on online forum Reddit that there some unmarried but engaged individuals may sign up, and some participants have been “ghosted” or ignored.

Users see their suggested match’s profile information, compatibility score and personal note - but not their photos - before deciding whether to connect. Both have three days to accept. Contact details are shared only after mutual acceptance.

Participants can indicate their preferred age range.

GovTech had told ST on Oct 1 that it initially focused on those aged 21 to 35 because this group is expected to be most likely to be actively dating and interested. A defined age range would also allow testing with a more focused group, the agency said.

The pilot began on Sept 29 after originating as an idea at GovTech’s annual hackathon. Its team wanted to test whether emphasising shared values and preferences, with fewer matches at a time, would encourage users to give each introduction more consideration.

GovTech previously said participants would not be matched with colleagues from the same agency.

Participants sign in using Singpass and complete a questionnaire about their interests, habits, values and preferences. FirstDate uses the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm, a mathematical approach that pairs participants based on their preferences. Users may receive one match per cycle, though a match is not guaranteed.

Matched participants receive an SMS and have three days to decide whether to connect. Contact details are shared only if both accept.

Shermaine Ang is a journalist at The Straits Times, covering social issues in Singapore.

Dating/Relationships

GovTech/Government Technology Agency

该服务现已向 21 至 45 岁的未婚公职人员开放。

发布于2026年10月21日下午4:40

更新于2026年10月21日下午4:40

GovTech已将FirstDate的年龄限制提高至45岁。该约会试点项目仍面向21岁及以上的未婚公务员，包括丧偶或离异人士。

本轮报名于10月20日开始，10月26日结束。上一轮报名于10月2日截止，结果于10月6日公布。

FirstDate 使用 Singpass、问卷调查和 Gale-Shapley 稳定婚姻算法。用户可以看到个人资料、匹配度评分和备注，然后有三天时间考虑是否接受，之后才会分享联系方式。

新加坡——年龄不超过 45 岁的公务员现在可以注册 FirstDate，这是政府科技局 (GovTech) 推出的婚恋交友试点项目。

该计划最初仅限于 21 至 35 岁的人群。

该服务现面向21至45岁的未婚公职人员开放，包括丧偶或离异人士。本轮申请于10月20日开始，将于10月26日截止。

《海峡时报》已联系政府科技局征求意见。

上一轮匹配结果于10月6日公布，而申请截止日期为10月2日。《海峡时报》还询问了政府科技局，第一轮有多少人申请，以及有多少人与匹配对象进行了面对面的交流。

一些网友在Reddit论坛上表达了担忧，认为可能会有一些未婚但已订婚的人注册，而且一些参与者被“冷落”或忽视了。

用户在决定是否建立联系之前，可以看到推荐对象的个人资料、匹配度评分和个人简介，但看不到照片。双方有三天时间考虑是否接受。只有在双方都接受邀请后，才会分享联系方式。

参与者可以注明他们偏好的年龄范围。

政府科技局（GovTech）10月1日告诉《海峡时报》，他们最初将目标人群锁定在21至35岁之间，因为预计这一群体最有可能积极约会并对此感兴趣。该机构表示，设定明确的年龄范围也有助于进行更有针对性的测试。

该试点项目于9月29日启动，其创意源于GovTech的年度黑客马拉松。项目团队希望测试，通过强调共同价值观和偏好，并减少每次匹配的人数，是否能鼓励用户对每次介绍都进行更深入的考虑。

政府科技局此前曾表示，参与者不会与同一机构的同事配对。

参与者使用Singpass登录，并填写一份关于兴趣、习惯、价值观和偏好的问卷。FirstDate采用Gale-Shapley稳定婚姻算法，这是一种根据参与者偏好进行配对的数学方法。用户每个周期可能会获得一次匹配机会，但并不保证一定能匹配成功。

匹配成功的参与者会收到短信，并有三天时间决定是否建立联系。只有双方都同意后才会分享联系方式。

Shermaine Ang是《海峡时报》的记者，负责报道新加坡的社会问题。

约会/恋爱关系

政府科技局/政府技术局