Corporate Document Notarisation Services in Singapore

Overseas Bank or Partner Asking for Notarised Company Documents?

It usually arrives as a checklist: "certified and apostilled copies of the certificate of incorporation, business profile, board resolution and incumbency certificate". The deadline is tied to an account opening, a tender or a subsidiary registration, and nobody in the office is sure which document needs what.

A corporate-services firm recently sent us 31 pages of ACRA documents for one overseas filing. A company needed remittance letters certified for a bank in Korea.

The mistake that costs the most time is sending every document down the same route. In Singapore, there are two routes:

• Government-issued company documents (from ACRA) can usually be legalised by SAL directly, with no notary. That's cheaper and faster.
• Private company documents (resolutions, incumbency certificates, authorisation letters, POAs, agreements, copies of the constitution) must be notarised by a Singapore Notary Public before SAL will legalise them.

SAL itself says legalisation is not compulsory, and that the need for notarisation "is determined entirely by the party receiving the documents". So we start with your recipient's checklist, and we work out the cheapest valid route for each document before anyone signs anything.

Board and Shareholder Resolutions That Hold Up Abroad

Overseas banks and registries often want a resolution that authorises the transaction and names who may act for the company. To be accepted, it has to be signed by the right people and certified properly.

• Board (directors') resolutions approve things like opening an overseas bank account, appointing a representative, or signing a contract.
• Shareholder (members') resolutions cover decisions reserved for shareholders, such as changes to the constitution.

How a resolution is passed and who signs it depends on your company's constitution. Your company secretary will know whether directors can sign a written resolution. On the day, the Notary witnesses the signatures of the directors or officers present, or certifies a copy against the signed original, and issues a notarial certificate for SAL.

Tip: ask your recipient whether they want the original resolution notarised or a certified extract.

ACRA Business Profile, Incorporation or Good Standing, Apostilled

ACRA issues company information products through Bizfile, including the Business Profile and certificates confirming a company's incorporation or status. Recipients often call the second one a "certificate of good standing". These are issued digitally.

The direct route: no notary needed. SAL can apostille ACRA documents directly, as long as each page shows:

• ACRA's official endorsement (digital endorsement or ACRA logo)
• a QR code
• an authentication number
• the date of purchase

The document must also meet SAL's verification requirements. SAL requires printed copies of digital documents to be exact and complete, with a working QR code.

The e-Apostille option. For ACRA Business Profiles and Business Certificates (incorporation or registration) in the digital OpenAttestation format, SAL issues an e-Apostille, listed at S$10.70 each. Your recipient must accept an e-Apostille, so ask them first. Some banks still insist on paper. For the difference between the two, see how SAL's Apostille works.

When a notary is still involved. If your recipient wants something other than the ACRA document itself, such as a notarised copy bundled with a resolution, or a document that doesn't meet SAL's verification rules, the Notary can certify it first.

If all you need is an apostilled ACRA document, you may not need a notary at all, and we'll say so. What we add is the checking, SAL submission as your proxy, and courier to your recipient.

Certificate of Incumbency: Proving Who Runs Your Company

Foreign banks and counterparties often ask for a "certificate of incumbency", listing the directors, secretary, shareholders and authorised signatories. ACRA's product range doesn't include a document with that name, and we know of no Singapore authority that issues one.

There are two usual answers:

1. 1Use the ACRA Business Profile. It shows the company's officers and is often accepted as the local equivalent. It can go straight to SAL.
2. 2Prepare a company-issued incumbency certificate. Your company secretary drafts it on company letterhead, a director or the secretary signs it before the Notary, and SAL apostilles it. The ACRA Business Profile is often attached as support.

Ask your recipient which one they'll accept. If they have their own template, send it to us.

Authorisation Letters and Proof of Signing Authority

An authorisation letter lets a named person act for the company: collecting documents at an embassy, dealing with a government office, or signing for a delivery abroad. Foreign offices usually want the letter on company letterhead, signed by an authorised officer and notarised.

The Notary checks that the signer can bind the company. Expect to show:

• the signer's original passport or NRIC
• a current ACRA Business Profile showing their appointment
• a board resolution or other authority, where the letter goes beyond day-to-day matters

If an overseas party asks the Notary to verify signing authority specifically, send us their wording, because the notarial certificate can reflect it. For a formal appointment of a representative abroad, see our help with a company POA for an overseas representative.

Commercial Agreements and Export Documents Going Overseas

Agreements. Distributor, agency and other commercial agreements are often signed before a Notary when the other side, or a registry abroad, requires it. The Notary witnesses execution by your authorised signatories. Notarisation proves who signed. It doesn't review the commercial terms.

Export documents. Commercial invoices, certificates of origin and similar trade documents follow a different route. SAL legalises them after they have been endorsed by one of these approved bodies:

• Singapore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI)
• Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI)
• Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI)
• Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC)
• Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI)
• Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)

Commercial documents issued directly by a Singapore government agency, such as SFA, ACRA or MUIS, don't need a chamber endorsement. Documents for countries outside the Apostille Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, then usually need the embassy legalisation step after SAL. Always check with the receiving authority.

Directors Signing? We Come to Your Office

If directors need to sign, our Notary can come to your office, so your team doesn't lose half a day travelling. See how an on-site signing at your office works for several directors or a stack of documents.

1. 1Send your checklist. Include the recipient's list, the drafts and the destination country.
2. 2We map each document. You get a route for each (direct to SAL, notarise then SAL, or chamber then SAL), plus any embassy step, and one quote.
3. 3Sign in one sitting. The Notary meets each signatory, checks ID and authority, and certifies everything in one visit.
4. 4We complete SAL, the embassy and courier. Your contact person gets updates at each step.

Regular Company Work? Set Up a Business Account

Corporate secretarial firms, law firms and finance teams that send documents regularly can open a business account with us. Accounts include monthly invoicing and volume rates. You get one contact, a consistent checklist for each country you deal with, and invoicing in the company's name.

What it costs: typical examples

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.

The statutory notary fees are fixed by law and the same at every notary. Company execution and extra signatories carry their own statutory fees, which we list in your quote. Embassy and chamber fees are passed through at cost and shown separately. See our fee guide with worked examples.

How long it takes: a set of company documents is usually signed in one appointment. SAL processes documents over the counter on working days, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm. Embassy steps and courier add time that depends on the country. Your quote gives a realistic date: 1–2 working days.

Questions From Company Secretaries and Finance Teams