Apostille for China From Singapore, With Chinese Translation When Required

China acceded to the Apostille Convention on 8 March 2023, and it entered into force for China on 7 November 2023. From that date, an apostille for China from Singapore replaces the old Chinese Embassy legalisation step for Singapore public documents.

Before November 2023, a Singapore document went to SAL and then to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore for consular legalisation. That embassy step has fallen away for documents going to the mainland. The chain is now shorter: issuing agency or Notary Public, then SAL, then the document travels.

Three things the change did not do:

• It did not remove translation. Chinese authorities work in Chinese. China's own guidance tells applicants to check format, content, time limit and translation requirements with the receiving authority, and notes that an apostilled document can still be refused if those are not met.
• It did not cover Taiwan. Taiwan is not part of China's accession. Documents for Taiwan follow a separate route — ask us before you start.
• It did not change Hong Kong or Macao. The Convention already applied there and continues to. See our Hong Kong document apostille page.

If a Chinese agent or employer still tells you to "get the Chinese Embassy stamp", they may be working from pre-2023 instructions. Ask them to confirm in writing; in our experience the updated checklist usually says "apostille".

What SAL charges

At the time of writing, SAL charges S$10.70 to apostille a Singapore government document directly, and S$87.20 (incl. GST) to authenticate a notarised document. A translation that needs its own apostille is a notarised document, so it attracts its own S$87.20.

For a China work permit or residence application, the Singapore Police Force Certificate of Clearance (COC) is typically apostilled by SAL, and many receivers also want a Chinese translation that is itself notarised and apostilled. The result is two apostilled documents submitted together.

This is one of the most common China jobs we handle. A recent client needed exactly this: the COC translated into Chinese, the translator's declaration notarised, and apostilles on both the translation and the original. The client did not need to attend at any stage, because the only signature on the translation was the translator's.

Timing matters more for the COC than for any other document. Chinese work-permit offices commonly want a criminal record certificate issued within the last six months — some city guidance states this in terms. Apply for the COC close to your submission date, and allow for SAL and translation time within that window.

How the COC itself is issued and printed for SAL is covered on our police clearance certificate attestation page.

Chinese authorities ask for a Chinese translation because their officers review files in Chinese and must be able to rely on who produced the translation. A notarised translation gives them a named translator whose signature has been verified by a Notary Public and then by SAL.

The apostille on your original certifies only the signature and seal on that original. It says nothing about the translation next to it. A Chinese officer who receives an apostilled English document with an unsigned translation has no way to know who translated it or whether it is complete — hence the request for a translation that carries its own verification.

Not every receiver solves this the same way. What we see in practice:

The second and third rows are why we ask before translating. Paying for a notarised translation in Singapore is wasted if the Shanghai or Shenzhen office will only accept a translation sealed by a local company. General sequencing rules for translations across all countries are on our translation attestation service page.

Details that matter in a Chinese translation

• Simplified characters for mainland China, unless told otherwise.
• Your Chinese name — if you already have one on a Chinese visa, contract or residence permit, give it to us so the translation matches exactly.
• Stamps and seals on the original, including the apostille itself, are usually described in the translation. Ask whether your receiver wants the apostille certificate translated as well.

Beyond the COC, three document groups go to China from Singapore most often: university degrees for work permits, marriage certificates for family residence, and company documents for setting up or changing a Chinese entity. Each starts at a different point in the chain.

Degrees for a China work permit

An original degree from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD or a polytechnic is on SAL's direct list, so it can be apostilled without a notary; a notarised certified true copy is only needed if you prefer to keep the original. The degree route — including OpenCerts and digital degrees — is explained on our degree certificate attestation page.

China-specific point: some work-permit offices accept a degree verification from China's own academic credential body instead of, or alongside, an apostille. If your employer's HR team mentions this, ask whether you still need the apostille before paying for both.

Marriage certificates for spouse or dependant residence

A Singapore marriage certificate is a government document. SAL apostilles it directly, with no notary needed first — unless it is laminated or you only have a digital copy, which the marriage certificate attestation page covers. A Chinese translation is usually requested for the family residence file.

Company documents for Chinese company registration

A Singapore company investing in or changing a Chinese entity is commonly asked for its ACRA Business Profile or Certificate of Incorporation, board resolutions, and a director's identity documents. ACRA documents are certified by ACRA before SAL; resolutions are signed before a Notary Public, who checks the signatory's authority. Chinese market-regulation offices generally require a Chinese translation.

ACRA Business Profiles can now also receive an e-Apostille through SAL. Whether your Chinese receiver will accept an electronic apostille, or wants paper, is worth asking before you choose. The company side is covered in depth on our corporate document attestation page.

For China, the order that works for most receivers is: prepare the original correctly, translate it, have the translator's declaration notarised, then take both the original and the notarised translation to SAL for separate apostilles. Get your receiver's written checklist before the first step.

Here is how a typical China job runs, with who does each step:

Ranges above are typical, not promises. SAL sets its own processing time, and an issuing agency's certification can add days. How SAL handles each type of document is on our SAL apostille service page.

Documents to send us

• The original document, or the digital file if it was issued electronically
• Your passport and any Chinese name you already use
• The employer's, agent's or authority's checklist — screenshots of a WeChat message are fine
• For company documents: the ACRA Business Profile and the resolution or letter to be signed

Common reasons China files come back

• An embassy stamp was obtained when the checklist only wanted an apostille — no harm, but wasted cost and time.
• The translation carried no signature or seal the receiver could verify.
• The COC was more than six months old by the time it reached the permit office.
• Your name in Chinese differed from the name on an earlier Chinese visa.

When you do not need our China service

If the document is Chinese-issued and going to Singapore, the chain runs in China, not here. If the document is for Hong Kong, the rules are simpler — see our Hong Kong page. And if your receiver only asks for a plain copy, do not apostille anything.