Reliable Notary Public Services in Singapore
“Trust, but Verify.”
– Ronald Regan (Russian proverb: "Доверяй, но проверяй")
What Does a Notary Public in Singapore Do?
A Notary Public in Singapore is a licensed legal professional authorised to verify, authenticate, and certify documents for use overseas. Their role includes witnessing signatures, administering oaths, and certifying true copies of original documents. Notarial services are essential for legal transactions, business dealings, or immigration purposes where foreign authorities require verified documentation.
When Do You Need a Notary Public in Singapore?
You may need a Notary Public in Singapore when dealing with documents intended for use abroad, such as affidavits, statutory declarations, power of attorney, and certified copies of passports or academic certificates. These services are often required for international business agreements, property transactions, visa applications, and legal proceedings in foreign jurisdictions.
If you are looking for a list of Notary Public in Singapore, it is essential to choose a licensed professional who can properly notarise your documents in compliance with legal requirements.
How to Get Your Documents Notarised in Singapore
To get your documents notarised in Singapore, you must visit a licensed Notary Public with the original documents and any required supporting materials. The Notary Public will verify your identity, witness your signature if necessary, and affix their official seal. Certain documents may also require further authentication from the Singapore Academy of Law before they are accepted by foreign authorities.
Trusted Notary Public in Singapore
Bhavini S Law Practice offers comprehensive Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths services in Singapore. As a licensed Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths, we assist individuals, businesses, and corporations with a full range of notarial and commissioning needs, including document certification, witnessing signatures, administering oaths, and verifying affidavits. Our services ensure your documents meet the necessary legal requirements for both local and international use.
Our Notary Public & Commissioner for Oaths Services
Notary Public Services
Certification of original document as a true copy of original
We need to have sight of the original document for us to certify that the copy of the document is a true copy of the original.
You may assign a representative to produce the original to us for our certification if you are not able to attend personally.
For certification of official identification documents e.g. passport / driver’s license or NRIC, if you are not able to produce the document personally, we will arrange a video call with you to confirm your identity and that you have authorized your representative to produce the original to us.
Witnessing attestation of a document / Power of Attorney / Declaration
If you are required to sign the document in the presence of a Notary Public, you must come personally with your official identification and the document that needs to be attested.
Legalization
In some cases, the foreign entity may need you to legalize official documents or notarized documents.
The objective of legalization is to assure the authority in the foreign country that your document is genuine/authentic and can be safely relied upon. This may involve the Singapore Academy of Law [SAL], the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MFA] and/or the embassy of the country that you are sending your document to.
Typically, after the Notary Public witnesses the signing of a document / certifies it and prepares the Notarial Certificate, the document is sent to the SAL, which issues an Authentication Certificate, confirming that the Notary is licensed and lawfully practicing as one and that the signature on the Notarial Certificate is his/hers.
Where the foreign entity (usually a non-commonwealth country) requires you to ‘legalize’ the Notarial Certificate, in addition the above, the document will be brought to the MFA for further verification and its endorsement. Thereafter the foreign country’s Embassy/Consulate in Singapore verifies the endorsements by the SAL and the MFA and affixes its own endorsement, formally recognizing the document as legally effective for use in its country.
We can assist you in the entire process.
Commissioner for Oaths Services
A Commissioner for Oaths can administer oaths/affirmations in the case of affidavits or take declarations in the case of statutory declarations to be used in Singapore.
If you are involved in court proceedings in Singapore, in most cases you are required to sign the documents filed in the process (e.g. Affidavits) before a Commissioner for Oaths.
You are also required to sign a Statutory Declaration made under the Oath and Declarations Act 2000 to be used in Singapore before a Commissioner for Oaths.
As a licensed Commissioner for Oaths, we offer the following services:
Witnessing your attestation of a document in-person
You can make an appointment with us to meet our Commissioner for Oaths in person to sign your document.
You will have to produce your official identification as reflected in the document you will be signing e.g. NRIC.
The Commissioner will confirm your identification and ask if you have read the document and understood the contents before you sign it.
Witnessing your attestation of a document remotely via a “video link”
Our Commissioner for Oaths can also witness you signing the document remotely via Zoom, Teams, Google meet or WhatsApp video call.
You will have to show your official identification as reflected in the document you will be signing e.g. NRIC.
The Commissioner will confirm your identification and ask if you have read the document and understood the contents before you sign it.
You may sign the document electronically using a digital signature or ink-sign it on a printed copy.
You can only sign the document via video link if you are in physically present in Singapore.
Administer oaths / affirmations under Statutory Declarations.
A Statutory Declaration must be made in the form as prescribed by the relevant governing rules.
A Statutory Declaration can be made in person or remotely via video link.
Official Appointments & Credentials
Frequently Asked Questions About Notary Public & Commissioner for Oaths
I am required to sign a document before a Notary Public. Will you explain and provide legal advice to me on the content of the document?
No. As a Notary Public we will only verify your Identification document (e.g passport) as indicated in the document to confirm that you are the person required to sign the document and witness you signing the document. We will not advise you on the content of the document.
Is it a legal requirement for all notarized documents to be authenticated by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL)?
Yes. The notarisation of a document by the notary public is but one step in the whole chain of authentication towards legalisation of documents for use abroad.
Authentication of the signature of the notary public by the Singapore Academy of Law is also part of the legalisation process. At SAL, an officer appointed by the Senate will verify the authority (stamp of appointment) and signature of the Singapore notary public as stated in Notaries Public Rules and ensure that the notarised document is in compliance with the Notaries Public Rules.
With effect from 16 September 2021, a Notarial Certificate shall be deemed to be validly authenticated by the affixing of an Apostille to the back of the Notarial Certificate.
Is a notarised document without an SAL authentication certificate/Apostille valid for use overseas if the receiving authority does not require an Authentication Certificate / Apostille?
A notarised document without an authentication certificate/Apostille is INVALID for use overseas. Mandating authentication will ensure that all notarised documents originate from properly appointed notaries and are in compliance with the Notaries Public Rules.
It will also bring about greater certainty and standardisation of the legalisation process.
Is it mandatory to notarise ALL private documents (non-government issued) for use overseas?
The need for notarisation is determined entirely by the party receiving the documents.
There is no need for notarisation if parties to the transaction can mutually agree to dispense with it. However, if notarisation is desired, then these documents must be authenticated by the Singapore Academy of Law.
How many Notarial Certificates must be issued if I have more than one document or duplicates of the same document to be signed in front of a Notary? Can I have all the documents bundled under one Notarial Certificate?
Each document to be signed and witnessed by the Notary Public (even if it’s a duplicate) must be separately notarised and a separate notarial certificate must be issued and attached to each document. as provided under Rule 8 of the Notaries Public Rules (Cap 208, R1). The only exception applies for Certified True Copies i.e. you can bundle certified true copies of multiple documents under one Notarial Certificate, subject to the requirements of the embassy and recipient country.
What is the processing time for the authentication of the signature of a Notary Public at the SAL?
The processing time will depend on the number of documents being submitted for Authentication. The documents will be processed on-the-spot, over the counter.
Do I have to bring the notarized documents for authentication to the SAL or will your firm handle this?
We will bring the documents for authentication to the SAL for you at no additional cost.
I need the embassy / consular office to apostille the notarized documents. Will you help me with this?
Yes, we will assist you with the apostille requirements of the country you need to submit the notarized documents to after we have authenticated the notarized documents with the SAL. You can contact us to enquire about the fees for this service.
What are the fees charged by a Notary Public?
The information on fees charged by a Notary Public can be found in the fees schedule in the Notaries Public Rules.
What is the authentication fee for a Notarial Certificate charged by the Singapore Academy of Law?
$87.20 including GST (as of 15 March 2025).
What is Legalisation of document?
Legalisation is a process of document authentication observed by some governments. If you intend to use a document overseas then local authorities may require it to be legalised before it can be considered valid.
Can the Singapore Academy of Law legalise documents and what type of documents can they legalise?
Yes. You can get official Singapore documents legalised by asking SAL to confirm that the signature, stamp or seal is from a Singapore public official. You might need to do this if an official in another country has asked you to provide a Singapore document and they have said it must be legalised.
Each country has its own legalisation requirements determined by the type of document being legalised and its intended use. Legalisation requirements are determined only by the country where the document is going, not by SAL. As such requirements often change from time to time, please check with the recipient/local authorities/embassy of the country where your documents are to be used.
What documents can be signed before a Commissioner for Oaths?
A Commissioner for Oaths is authorised to administer oaths and affirmations and can witness the signing of documents that are to be filed in a Singapore Court such as Affidavits, or Statutory Declarations made under the Oaths and Declarations Act 2000.
Can I sign a document which is to be used overseas before a Commissioner for Oaths?
No, unless the foreign country permits you to sign the document before a Commissioner for oaths.
Can I sign my Affidavit remotely through a video call with your Commissioner for oaths?
If you are physically present in Singapore, you may arrange with us to sign your document via a “live” video link e.g. Zoom, Teams, GoogleMeet, WhatsApp video.