The man, 46, and his long-term partner carried out the process in the US at a cost of $200,000 (£159,000), as surrogacy is illegal in Singapore.

He tried to legally adopt the child but the bid was rejected last year, leaving him with no legal parental rights.

Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Singapore and gay sex is illegal.

The four-year-old child is considered illegitimate in the eyes of the law as the surrogate mother and biological father are not married.

The mother - who waived all her rights under the surrogacy deal - is also foreign, making the child ineligible to automatically qualify for Singaporean citizenship. The egg donor has never been identified.

The father was left with no legal rights parental, though was allowed to make decisions on the child's behalf.

The 46-year-old, who has been in a relationship with another Singaporean man for about 13 years, will have sole parental rights of the child when an adoption takes place.

Under Singapore law, children can be adopted by singles or by married couples. However, as the man cannot legally marry his partner - he would have to file his adoption as an individual.

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