Certified True Copy Service in Singapore: Notary-Certified Copies Accepted Abroad

An overseas office asks for a certified true copy when it wants proof that a copy matches a genuine original without taking the original itself. In Singapore, three different bodies can produce one, and the right choice depends on the document and where it is going.

Requests usually come from foreign banks opening accounts for Singapore residents, overseas universities, visa and residency offices, and foreign companies onboarding a Singapore director. A certified true copy in Singapore made by a Commissioner for Oaths or a local lawyer may satisfy a Singapore office, but for a document leaving the country the notary's certificate is what SAL can authenticate.

Before you order, ask the receiver two things: whether a certified copy is acceptable in place of the original, and whether the copy needs an apostille or embassy stamp. Those two answers set the whole price.

Identity documents are the classic case for a certified copy, because you cannot post your passport or NRIC abroad. The notary sees the original, compares it with a clean copy, certifies the copy, and hands the original back at the same appointment.

For identity copies:

• Copy every page the receiver names. Foreign banks often want the photo page and the signature page; some want every visa page.
• Colour or black and white? Follow the receiver. If they say nothing, a clear colour copy is safest.
• Match the details. If your name is spelled differently in your passport and on your account application, fix that first; a certified copy will faithfully reproduce the mismatch.
• Foreign licences and IDs. A notary can certify a copy of a foreign driving licence or ID card you hold, because the certificate confirms only that the copy matches the original seen. Whether the foreign authority accepts it is for that authority.

NRIC and FIN copies carry personal data. We collect only the pages needed, send them by the channel you choose, and do not retain extra copies beyond our notarial record. Ask us about our data-handling practice if your employer requires it.

Graduates usually certify copies of degrees and transcripts when a university or employer abroad wants proof but not the scroll itself. A notary-certified copy keeps your original safe at home. It is a choice, not a requirement: SAL legalises original certificates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, the polytechnics, ITE and NIEC directly, so send the original if the receiver wants it. GCE certificates are different, because SEAB certifies no copies; see our school certificate page.

Practical points specific to academic documents:

• Bundle where you can. SAL allows several certified true copies to be bundled under one notarial certificate, so a scroll, a transcript and an NRIC copy for the same application can sometimes share one certificate and one S$87.20 SAL fee. Ask us whether your receiver accepts a bundle.
• Sealed transcripts. If the receiver wants a transcript in the university's sealed envelope, do not open it for copying. Order a second transcript for certification.
• Double-sided pages. Copy both sides of any page with printing, stamps or a hologram on the back.
• Private college awards. If your degree was awarded by an overseas university through a college in Singapore, the certified copy only proves the copy matches; any full legalisation belongs to the awarding country. See our degree attestation page.

Certified copies are for proof of documents, not recognition. Whether a foreign authority treats your qualification as equivalent is a separate decision it makes.

When your original only exists as a digital file, there is no paper original for the notary to compare. What is possible depends on how the file can be verified at source, so we assess it case by case before you book.

The common situations:

• Singapore government documents issued digitally (ICA birth extracts, SPF Certificates of Clearance, ROM duplicates) usually do not need a notary copy at all. SAL legalises them directly as printouts that reproduce every page, header and footer. See our birth certificate and marriage certificate pages.
• OpenCerts and verifiable PDF degrees can often be checked against the issuer's verification service. Whether our notary can certify a printout, or whether you need a certification letter from the university, depends on the file and the receiver; the options are on our degree attestation page.
• Company-issued PDFs (employment letters, bank remittance advices) usually need the issuing company's authorised officer to sign a paper version, or a declaration before the notary.

A client once asked, "Will it make a difference if I send the original hard copy?" For a digital document the answer is that the "original" is the verifiable file, and the route is built around it.

Usually yes, if the copy is going abroad and the receiver needs to rely on it. SAL's position is that a notarised document without its authentication is considered invalid, so most certified copies for overseas use receive SAL's apostille.

Embassies differ on copies. Some attest notary-certified copies; others want the original with SAL's apostille. Ask before you pay for a copy that may not be accepted. The chain itself is explained on our SAL apostille and embassy attestation pages.

What it costs: from S$189 per certified true copy, including the notary fee and SAL's S$87.20 per notarised certificate at the time of writing. An embassy step, where needed, is from S$99 per document plus the embassy fee at cost, and delivery is from S$12. 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.