A Notary Public in Singapore is usually a practising lawyer and has been appointed by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) in accordance with the Notaries Public Act and its internal guideline.

A Notary Public's duty is to attest deeds, contracts, and other instruments that are to be used abroad and to give a certificate of the due execution of such documents duly authenticated by his signature and notarial seal. Unlike a Cmmissioners for Oaths, a Notary Public is in a position to witness a document signed in front of him which is in a foreign language.

Notarisation or Notarization is the act of a Notary Public authenticated by his signature and Official Seal, certifying or attesting the due execution in his presence of a document such as a Deed, Agreement or other writing, or verifying some fact or thing of which the Notary Public has certain knowledge.

Notarisation ( notarization ) is normally relevant for documents that are intended for use in other countries be executed before a Notary Public before they are valid. It is generally not required for documents executed in Singapore for use in Singapore.

For document executed before a Notary Public for use in a foreign country, the Foreign Agency may require that the authority and signature of the Notary Public be sent to the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) for authentication.

At SAL, it will verify the authority and signature of the Singapore Notary Public and give a certificate to that effect. A fee is chargeable by SAL for issuing such Certificate.

For documents required to be legalised ( legalized ) by the government, please approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly.

All documents issued by the Singapore Government Departments (eg. Registry of Marriage Certificates, Birth Certificates and Educational Certificates from local government schools) in their original text will be directly legalised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

However, computer generated documents eg. Registrar of Marriage Search, Certificate of Making Decree Nisi Absolute, Adoption Petition, Business Profile from ACRA etc, must be certified by the issuing department first before presenting to MFA for legalisation ( legalization ).

Non-government documents (foreign / private / company documents) must be first referred to a Singapore Notary Public for notarisation and then to the Singapore Academy of Law (1 Supreme Court Lane, Level 4, Singapore 178879, Tel: 63324388 / Fax: 63344940) for certification before presenting documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for legalisation (legalization).

Commercial documents such as Invoices, Bills of Sales, Certificates of Origin, Fumigation certificates, etc should be certified or seen by any of the four Chambers of Commerce (International, Chinese, Indian & Malay) or the Singapore Manufacturers' Association before presenting to MFA for legalisation.

The Agency may require legalisation (or legalization) or authentication by the Embassy or Consulate located in the country of the Notary Public, of the country in which the document is to be used, i.e. it is the official attestation of the origins of a document.

For example, if a document executed in Singapore before a Singapore Notary Public for use in France would be legalised (legalized) by the French Embassy in Singapore.

Usually for non-Commonwealth countries, apart from verification by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), the document may also have to be sent to the Embassy or Consulate of that country for further certification or legalisation.

Read more: Legalisation by Embassy or Consulate

These are some of the important links and addresses for Notarisation (notarization) and Legalisation (legalization). Please check with repective departments as to their respective operating hours, and no representation is made as to the accuracy of the information contained in this page. Third parties' links are provided as a matter of convenience, and the copyright thereof belongs to the respective copyright owners.

Loh Eben Ong & Partners' Notarial Services:-

Website: www.law.com.sg/notary-public

Singapore Academy of Law (SAL):-

Address: 1 Supreme Court Lane, Level 4, Singapore 178879
Tel: (65) 6332 4388
Website: www.sal.org.sg
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Read more: Singapore Notarial Links & Addresses

General

We receive numerous enquiries for our Notarial Services, and some have requested for advice on the foreign authority or organisation's requirements.

In general, our Notary Public will provide his services within the ambit of Singapore law, and has no knowledge of the various foreign's authorities, organisations, institutions and entities' (the "foreign agency") requirements. Prior to approaching us, you should make due enquiries with the foreign agency to its requirements, its formats, and/or samples.

Read more: What should I do prior to engaging a Notary Public?