Apostille Services in Singapore (SAL Apostille)

Document Refused Abroad for a Missing Apostille? Start Here

A document sent back from overseas costs you time, courier fees and sometimes a deadline. Usually one step was missing. These are the situations we hear about most:

• A graduate now living in Spain needs their NTU degree apostilled.
• A family needs a power of attorney signed and apostilled for a property matter in India.
• A couple needs their Singapore marriage certificate apostilled for a spouse visa in Italy.
• A company needs board documents or an ACRA business profile apostilled for a bank in Hong Kong.
• Someone wants an Apostille on a foreign birth certificate to use it in Singapore. That isn't how it works (see the last question below).

You don't need to go to SAL yourself. SAL allows a proxy to submit documents for you, and no authorisation letter is needed. We queue at SAL on your behalf, and if you live overseas we handle Singapore documents for clients living abroad from start to finish.

What an Apostille From the Singapore Academy of Law Actually Proves

Is SAL the same as an Apostille? No. SAL is Singapore's competent authority. The Apostille is the certificate it issues.

• Since 1 October 2019, every document notarised by a Singapore Notary Public must be authenticated by SAL. SAL says a notarised document without it is invalid for use overseas.
• Since 16 September 2021, when the Apostille Convention (the Hague Convention of 1961) came into force for Singapore, SAL authenticates by attaching an Apostille, whatever the destination.

An Apostille confirms that the signature, seal and capacity of the signer, such as the Notary Public, are genuine. It does not confirm that the content is correct. Anyone can check it. The receiving authority can verify Singapore notarial certificates issued from 1 October 2019, and Apostilles from 16 September 2021, on SAL's online register.

Apostille or Embassy Legalisation? Check Your Destination Country First

The destination country decides what you need, not SAL. Start here:

Country status checked: October 2026, against the HCCH Apostille Convention status table. Always confirm with the authority receiving your document. Some offices have their own extra rules.

Going to a non-member country? Read about the extra embassy step for non-member countries.

India is a common example. India's Ministry of External Affairs has said an apostilled document should be treated as legalised in India, with no further attestation. If you're sending a power of attorney for property or bank matters in India, your lawyer in India confirms any stamping and registration after it arrives.

From Notary to SAL Apostille: The Route Your Document Takes

For private documents, copies, signatures and foreign documents, the route has three or four steps:

1. 1Route check. Send us a photo, the destination country and any instructions. We confirm whether it needs a Notary, which kind of notarial act, and whether an embassy step follows.
2. 2Notarisation. A Singapore Notary Public witnesses your signature, certifies a copy or notarises a declaration, then issues a notarial certificate. If you need to sign, you must appear in person. Remote or video notarisation is not available for notaries in Singapore, so we come to you instead, with a notary visit to your home or office.
3. 3SAL Apostille. We take the document to the SAL counter as your proxy. SAL's fee is paid online by card, and SAL processes it over the counter.
4. 4Delivery. You get a scan first, then the original by hand in Singapore or by courier overseas. If an embassy step is needed, it comes before delivery.

Which documents need the Notary first? Anything that isn't a verifiable Singapore government document: powers of attorney, declarations, company resolutions, copies of ID, and foreign documents held in Singapore. SAL cannot legalise a foreign passport or birth certificate directly, but a Notary can certify a copy for SAL to apostille. See a notary-certified copy of your passport or ID.

Singapore Government Document? It May Go Straight to SAL

Here's something many providers won't tell you: some documents don't need a notary at all. SAL legalises verifiable Singapore government documents directly. These usually include:

• ICA birth certificates and death certificates, including printed digital birth certificates that meet SAL's printing and QR-code rules
• ROM and ROMM marriage certificates (the ceremonial certificate is not accepted)
• Singapore court documents
• ACRA documents such as the Business Profile and certificates of incorporation, when each page shows ACRA's endorsement, QR code, authentication number and date of purchase
• original, verifiable certificates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, the polytechnics and ITE

So why use us? We check whether your document qualifies before you pay for a notary you may not need. Then we print it as SAL requires, deal with the SAL counter and courier the result. Watch for these common problems:

• Digital documents must be printed as an exact copy, including headers, footers and borders, and the QR code must work.
• Laminated documents cannot be apostilled. Ask the issuing agency for a duplicate or an extract first.
• OpenCerts printouts are not treated as authentic by OpenCerts or by the universities. We check the right route for your digital certificate, such as using your physical degree scroll or a university-certified copy.

For the details on each document, see our pages on Singapore birth certificates, ROM and ROMM marriage certificates, university degrees and transcripts and company documents from ACRA.

Paper Apostille or e-Apostille: Ask Your Receiving Authority First

SAL issues two formats:

• Paper Apostille: attached to the physical document. This is still what most receiving authorities expect.
• e-Apostille: a digital Apostille. SAL issues e-Apostilles for ACRA Business Profiles and Business Certificates in OpenAttestation format. SAL also describes an e-Notarial Certificate with e-Apostille through participating Notary offices. It's valid only in digital form; a printout has no legal effect.

Ask the receiving authority which format it accepts before you choose. Some insist on paper. If they haven't said, tell us and we'll check with you.

Apostille Fees and How Quickly SAL Processes Them

Speed. SAL processes documents on the spot at its counter at The Adelphi, 1 Coleman Street #08-06, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm (closed weekends and public holidays). When your document is ready and the Notary is available, notarisation and the Apostille are usually completed within 1–2 working days. Embassy steps add time.

Fees.

The prices shown above are starting prices. Your final price depends on the document type, number of pages and destination country, and will be confirmed in a written quotation before any work begins.

Worked example: a certified copy of a one-page passport for use overseas costs S$10 + S$75 + S$87.20 = S$172.20 in statutory and SAL fees, plus our handling fee and any courier. For more examples, see how each notary and SAL fee adds up.

The statutory fees are the same at every notary. What differs is the service: whether someone checks your route, travels to you and runs to SAL for you. Your document is handled by our partner Singapore Notary Public, a senior lawyer appointed to practise as a Notary Public in Singapore.

Apostille Questions We Answer Every Week