Corporate Power of Attorney Notarisation Services in Singapore

Appointing a Representative Overseas? Your Company POA Must Be Signed Right

A company power of attorney (POA) is how a Singapore company gives a named person or firm abroad the legal authority to act in its name. Common reasons we see:

• registering a branch, subsidiary or representative office overseas
• appointing a local agent or distributor to deal with licences, customs or tenders
• authorising a lawyer abroad to file documents, appear in court or register trademarks
• letting a local manager open or operate a bank account for the company
• signing or registering a property lease or purchase abroad

A recent example: a director who needed a company POA for a representative in Thailand, signed at the company's own premises. Another company asked us to send a Notary to its Science Park office so a director could sign without leaving the building.

What goes wrong is rarely the POA wording. It's usually the proof behind the signature: the overseas office wants evidence that the person who signed could bind the company. If that proof is missing, the document comes back, and your project waits. So we check signing authority before the appointment, not after.

For POAs that individuals sign for personal matters, see personal POAs for property, banking and family matters.

Which Director Can Sign, and What the Notary Will Check

The Notary Public certifies two things: who signed, and that they signed on behalf of the company with authority to do so. Expect the Notary to ask for:

• the signing director's original passport or NRIC
• a current ACRA Business Profile showing the director's appointment
• the board resolution approving the POA and naming who may sign it
• the company's constitution, if the resolution or the foreign office relies on it
• the company seal, if your company still uses one and the foreign office expects it

Singapore companies no longer have to use a common seal. Under section 41B of the Companies Act, a company can execute a document without a seal, typically signed by two directors, a director and the company secretary, or one director whose signature is witnessed. Some overseas offices still expect a particular signing format, such as two signatures or a seal. Check the signing block in your draft against what the receiving office asked for.

We look at these papers before we book, so the Notary can sign off on the day. If something is missing, we tell you what to prepare. We don't wait for the appointment to find out.

Does Your Company POA Need a Board Resolution Behind It?

In most cases, yes. A board resolution approves the POA, names the attorney and the powers, and authorises a named director or officer to sign. Many foreign authorities ask to see it, and the Notary often relies on it to confirm authority.

Whether your directors can pass the resolution in writing, and who must sign it, depends on your company's constitution. Your company secretary will know. If the overseas office wants the resolution itself notarised and apostilled too, we can do both documents in the same appointment. See our help with notarising board resolutions and ACRA documents.

Quick checklist before signing day:

• the final POA draft from your lawyer or agent abroad, printed as instructed
• the board resolution, signed as your constitution requires
• a current ACRA Business Profile
• each signatory's original passport or NRIC
• the company seal, if you use one
• the name and address of your attorney abroad, spelt as on their ID

Signed at Your Office Without Pulling Directors Out of Meetings

Your directors' time is expensive. Our Notary can come to your office, so they only need to step out for a few minutes. See how an on-site signing at your office works if several directors or documents are involved.

1. 1Send the draft and supporting papers. Email the POA, the resolution and the Business Profile. We check signing authority and the destination route.
2. 2Get a clear quote. Statutory fees, SAL, any embassy fee, our visit fee and courier, itemised on one company invoice.
3. 3Sign at your office. The Notary meets each signatory, checks ID, witnesses the signatures and issues the notarial certificate.
4. 4We complete the chain. SAL Apostille, embassy legalisation where needed, and tracked courier to your attorney, with updates to your contact person.

What it costs: one director signs one company POA, Apostille country

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 fees are fixed by law and the same at every notary. A different statutory scale applies when a company executes a document (from S$150), and extra signatories add fees. Your quote lists every item. See our notary fee guide.

Legalising a Company POA for Thailand, Vietnam, the UAE and Beyond

Every notarised POA goes to SAL for an Apostille. What happens next depends on the destination country, as checked in October 2026:

Requirements are set by the receiving authority and can change, so check with your lawyer or agent abroad too. For the embassy steps, see our consular legalisation service. If you just need the Apostille, here's how SAL authenticates notarised documents.

Legalisation times for embassies vary, and we never promise an embassy's timeline. We do tell you honestly what we see and keep you updated.

Corporate POA Questions From Directors and Company Secretaries