Someone overseas has asked you to get a document “notarised” and has not explained what that means. A university wants a certified copy of your degree. A bank in another country will not accept a power of attorney unless a notary watched you sign it.
This guide covers what notarisation actually is in Singapore, the step that comes after it, what it costs, and how to find a Notary Public.
One thing up front, because it saves you time: A.W. Law does not hold a Notary Public appointment. We are not the firm to notarise your document. We have written this guide because a large share of the people searching for it do not actually need a notary, or need something else as well, and nobody explains the difference before they have paid for the wrong thing.
What a Notary Public in Singapore actually does
A Notary Public is a practising advocate and solicitor appointed under the Notaries Public Act 1959 by the Board of Directors of the Singapore Academy of Law. The appointment requires a substantial minimum period of standing at the Bar, so most practising lawyers in Singapore are not notaries, and plenty of firms do not have one.
The reason the role exists: a registry in another country has no way to verify a Singapore signature. It relies on the notary’s certificate and seal instead.
The work falls into a few kinds:
- Witnessing a signature. You sign in front of the notary, who confirms your identity. Common for powers of attorney, property documents, and consents used abroad.
- Certified true copies. The notary sees the original and certifies the copy matches, so you keep your degree certificate rather than posting it overseas.
- Certifying company documents. Board resolutions, incorporation papers, and signing authority for a foreign transaction.
- Notarial certificates on facts. Confirming, for example, that a document was executed on a particular date.
To find one, use the Singapore Academy of Law’s directory of appointed Notaries Public rather than searching generally, since a firm advertising “notarisation” may be arranging it through someone else.
The step after notarisation, which people forget
Notarisation alone is often not enough. What the destination country needs depends on whether it belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention.
Singapore joined the Convention in September 2021. For member countries, the Academy of Law issues a single apostille and that is the end of it. For countries outside the Convention, you need Academy authentication and then legalisation at that country’s embassy in Singapore.
Getting this wrong is the usual reason a document comes back rejected. Before you pay for anything, ask the overseas body two questions: does it need an apostille, and does it need embassy legalisation. If they cannot say, check whether the destination is a Convention member.
Notary Public or Commissioner for Oaths?
These get confused constantly, and the distinction is simple.
| Notary Public | Commissioner for Oaths | |
|---|---|---|
| Document goes | Overseas | Stays in Singapore |
| Typical use | Power of attorney abroad, foreign registry filings, overseas company documents | Affidavit for a Singapore court case, statutory declaration for a government agency |
| Recognition | International | Singapore only |
If your document is for the Family Justice Courts, the State Courts, or a Singapore government agency, you do not need a notary. You need a Commissioner for Oaths, which is a much more common appointment and considerably cheaper.
What it costs, and what you can skip
Notarial fees run roughly S$80 to S$200 per document. The Academy’s apostille or authentication fee is separate. Embassy legalisation carries its own fee and varies widely by country.
Two ways people overpay:
- Buying the whole chain when the document never leaves Singapore. A local employer or school asking for a “certified copy” usually wants a lawyer’s certification, not a notarial certificate with an apostille attached.
- Legalising at an embassy when an apostille would have done. Since September 2021 that extra step is unnecessary for Convention countries, but plenty of overseas instructions still ask for it out of habit.
Two rules that save a wasted trip
Bring the original. A scan or photocopy is not enough for a notary who has to certify against the original.
Do not sign it in advance. The whole point is that the notary witnesses your signature. If you have already signed, the document normally has to be re-executed.
What notarisation does not do
A notary confirms who signed and that they signed. Nothing about the contents. If the document is a power of attorney over your property, a deed affecting real money, or a consent about your children, the notary is not checking whether it is a sensible thing to sign. Several times a year someone signs a broadly drafted power of attorney over an overseas property, properly notarised, and discovers later what they actually gave away.
If the substance matters, have it looked at separately. This is where we can help, and it is usually the real need behind the search:
- Powers of attorney. If the document concerns your own affairs in Singapore rather than a one-off transaction abroad, the instrument you probably want is a Lasting Power of Attorney, which works quite differently and is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
- Overseas property or assets in an estate. Our estate planning page covers how foreign assets sit alongside a Singapore will.
- Documents in a name that has changed. If your papers are in an old name, a deed poll usually has to come first, or the overseas body will reject the mismatch.
- Anything connected to a cross-border dispute. See cross-border disputes.
We will not notarise your document. But if you are not sure what you are being asked to sign, the 10-minute Discovery Session is free and you will get a straight answer on whether it needs a second look.
