Certified True Copy Services in Singapore

Asked for a "Certified True Copy"? What Overseas Authorities Mean by It

When a bank, university or visa office abroad asks for a certified true copy, it wants proof that your copy matches a real original, confirmed by someone it can trust. For documents used outside Singapore, that person is a Notary Public. Some overseas forms say "notarize a copy". In Singapore, it means the same thing. A Commissioner for Oaths can't do it: Singapore's courts state that Commissioners for Oaths are not authorised to sign documents for use in foreign countries.

People usually come to us because:

• an overseas bank wants a certified copy of their passport
• a university or employer abroad wants certified copies before confirming an offer
• they're converting a driving licence in another country
• they're sorting out documents for a parent, spouse or child

How a certified true copy is made, step by step

1. 1Send us a photo. A phone photo of the document and the authority's instructions is enough. We confirm the route and send an itemised quote.
2. 2Show the Notary your original. Book a Notary visit at your home or arrange on-site certification at your office. The Notary compares each copy with the original, then signs, seals and issues a notarial certificate. Your original goes straight back to you.
3. 3SAL adds the Apostille. Since 16 September 2021, SAL has authenticated notarised documents by adding an Apostille (how the SAL Apostille works). If you'd rather not queue, we take it to SAL and courier it back. SAL accepts a proxy and processes documents on the spot.
4. 4Embassy, only if needed. If your destination isn't in the Apostille Convention, such as Malaysia, the UAE or Qatar, the document usually also needs the extra embassy step for non-Apostille countries. Vietnam joined the Convention on 11 September 2026, and Thailand joins on 28 February 2027. Always check with the receiving authority.

What to bring

• the original document (the Notary can't certify from a photocopy or scan)
• your passport or NRIC, so the Notary can confirm who you are
• the authority's instructions: which pages, any required wording, paper or e-Apostille
• a note of the language if it isn't in English

Certified Copy of Your Passport: Photo Page, All Pages or True Likeness

Overseas authorities ask for passport copies in three ways. Sending the wrong one gets applications sent back, so ask before you book:

• Photo (bio-data) page only. Common for bank accounts and company checks.
• All pages, or all used pages. Some visa and residency offices want your full travel history. Each extra page adds a small statutory per-page fee.
• True likeness. Some authorities want the Notary to confirm that a photograph is a true likeness of you. You must attend in person for this.

Foreign passports are welcome. SAL can't legalise a foreign passport by itself, so a notarised copy is the usual route. An expired passport can still be copied and certified, but whether it's acceptable is the receiving authority's decision.

NRIC and FIN Certified Copies, Handled Securely

Under Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) says organisations may collect NRIC numbers or copies only where the law requires it, or where it's necessary to verify identity to a high degree of fidelity. FIN, Work Permit and birth certificate numbers get the same care.

When you ask us to certify your own NRIC, FIN, Employment Pass, S Pass, Dependant's Pass or LTVP card:

• Please don't upload your NRIC to our form or WhatsApp. The Notary examines the card in person.
• We never keep your physical card. It's checked and handed straight back to you.
• Certified copies go only to you, or to the person or address you name.
• Working scans are deleted within 3 days of completing your job.

Tip: ask the overseas body whether a passport copy will do instead. It keeps your NRIC out of circulation.

Certified Copy of Your Driving Licence for Use Abroad

Licence conversion offices and insurers abroad often want a certified copy. We certify Singapore and foreign licences. Bring the physical licence and ask whether they need both sides. A licence that isn't in English may also need to be translated and notarised for the overseas authority before it's accepted.

If you hold your licence only in digital form, tell us before booking. A Notary can only certify a copy against an original they can examine, so we'll check what's possible first.

Birth, Marriage or Degree Certificate? Each Has Its Own Route

Here's the honest part: many Singapore government documents don't need a notary at all. SAL legalises verifiable Singapore public documents directly, including ICA birth certificates, Registry of Marriages (ROM) and ROMM marriage certificates, and court documents. It also legalises original, verifiable certificates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, the polytechnics and ITE.

For those, we won't sell you a notarisation you don't need. We check the document qualifies, print digital versions exactly as SAL requires, submit it for you and courier it. Two SAL rules catch people out: it needs the original, not a copy, and it can't apostille a laminated document.

A Notary is still needed for foreign certificates, private documents, copies and signed declarations. Each of these has its own page:

• birth certificates, Singapore-issued or foreign
• ROM, ROMM and overseas marriage certificates
• degrees, transcripts and school certificates
• proving you're single for a wedding abroad

Only Have a Digital Copy? What Can and Can't Be Certified

Digital documents are our most common question. The answer depends on who issued them.

• Singapore government e-documents with a QR code, such as digital birth certificates, usually go straight to SAL as a printout. SAL says the print must be an exact reproduction, the QR code must work, and you should not ask for a certified-copy stamp on it.
• OpenCerts certificates can't be certified from a printout. OpenCerts itself says printed certificates are not to be considered authentic. We check the right route for your digital certificate instead, such as your physical certificate or a copy certified by your university.
• Bank e-statements and other PDFs are case by case. The Notary must be satisfied the printout is genuine, so we check how it can be verified before we quote, and we never promise acceptance in advance.

What a Certified True Copy Really Costs: A Worked Example

Notary fees are fixed by law and are the same at every notary in Singapore. SAL sets its own fee. Only the service layer differs between providers: visit, handling and courier fees. We quote ours in writing before you book.

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.

Example: a one-page passport copy for an overseas bank = S$10 + S$75 + S$87.20 = S$172.20 in statutory and SAL fees, and our document check is free. Add our visit fee (from S$99) if the Notary comes to you. For more cases, see our full breakdown of statutory, SAL and visit fees.

How long it takes. Certification happens during your appointment. SAL processes documents over the counter at The Adelphi, 1 Coleman Street #08-06, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm. Our usual turnaround, from appointment to apostilled copy, is 1–2 working days. Embassy steps add time we can't control. Checked October 2026.

Who certifies your copies. Your certification is done by our partner Singapore Notary Public, a senior lawyer appointed to practise as a Notary Public in Singapore. Read how we work with our partner Notary Public. The Notary's details appear on every notarial certificate, and anyone can check a Singapore notarial certificate or Apostille on SAL's online register.

Certified True Copy Questions