Skip the SAL Counter and the Embassy Queue
You do not have to attend the Singapore Academy of Law yourself. SAL accepts submissions by a proxy without an authorisation letter, and most embassies accept agents under their own rules, so the counter visits can be handled entirely for you.
SAL's counter at 1 Coleman Street, #08-06 The Adelphi, is open 9:00am to 4:30pm on weekdays, and documents are processed there and then rather than left for later collection. That suits a coordinator who knows exactly what is being requested, since SAL does not act on notes or phone instructions attached to the documents.
Embassies are less uniform. Each sets its own submission days, collection windows and agent rules; the Royal Thai Embassy, for example, takes submissions Monday to Thursday mornings and releases them in an afternoon window. Our document attestation pickup service in Singapore is built around those timetables so your day is not.
What We Submit and Collect on Your Behalf
We handle every counter visit in the Singapore part of the chain, plus the transport between them. You provide the documents and any authorisation a particular office asks for.
| Where | What we do | What you provide |
|---|---|---|
| Your home or office | Collect originals against a signed receipt | The documents, and a contact at pickup |
| Our Notary Public | Deliver documents for certification; book your signing | Your in-person attendance to sign, if signing is needed |
| Chamber of Commerce | Lodge invoices and certificates of origin | The commercial documents to be certified |
| Singapore Academy of Law | Submit, pay SAL fees at cost, collect the apostille | Nothing further |
| Destination embassy in Singapore | Lodge, pay embassy fees at cost, collect | An authorisation letter and passport copy if the embassy requires them |
| Return | Deliver by hand or tracked courier within Singapore | A delivery address and recipient |
What we do not do: the destination country's foreign ministry step, which happens abroad, and applying to Singapore agencies for records that only you are entitled to request (more on that below).
Worth knowing
The One Step We Cannot Do for You: Signing Before the Notary
No one can sign before a notary on your behalf. The notary must see you, check your original ID and confirm you understand what you are signing, so any document that needs your signature requires you in person.
That is a legal requirement, not a service gap, and it protects you: a POA or declaration witnessed without you present would not survive scrutiny abroad.
What we can do is make the signing as short as possible:
- Come to us once. We pre-check the document so the appointment is only the signing.
- Or we come to you. A mobile notary can witness your signature at home, at work or in hospital, and our courier takes the document straight on to SAL.
- Company signatories can sign together in one visit to your office.
If you hold a valid power of attorney for someone else, you may sign in that capacity where the document and the receiver allow it. Our notarisation page explains what to bring.
How Your Originals Are Tracked: Receipts, Photos and Hand-Offs
Your originals are logged at every change of hands, and you receive the record. Clients worry most about losing an irreplaceable certificate, so our process is designed to show where it is at each stage.
- At pickup: we list each document and page count on a receipt signed by both sides, and send you photos.
- In transit: documents travel flat in a sealed, labelled envelope, never folded, stapled or stamped by us. A stray stamp on an original can count as an alteration at SAL.
- At each counter: we message you when a document is lodged and again when it is collected, with a photo of the new stamp.
- At return: you sign for the documents, or receive a tracked courier number.
- Personal data: copies of passports and NRICs are kept only as long as the job requires, in line with our PDPA practice.
You can ask for a status update at any point on WhatsApp. If an embassy asks for something extra mid-process, we tell you the same day and explain what it means for the timeline.
Getting Certified Copies From ICA, ROM and Your University
Many Singapore records are now issued digitally and applied for online by the person entitled to them, so we usually cannot request them for you. You apply, forward us the file, and we print it exactly for SAL. Universities differ, and some allow an authorised proxy.
| Source | How it works now | Our part |
|---|---|---|
| ICA birth or death extract | Digital only since 27 March 2023; S$40 at the time of writing. A birth extract is applied for online by the holder (aged 21 or over), a parent, a legal guardian or a solicitor, usually within six working days; a death extract by a close family member (parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, spouse, sibling) or legal guardian of the deceased, or their solicitor, usually within one week | Print the downloaded extract in full and submit it to SAL |
| ROM duplicate or extract of marriage certificate | Issued as a digital copy (S$50 at the time of writing); ROM search results also digital | Print and submit; a search result may need ROM certification first |
| University scroll or certification letter | Varies. NUS, for example, allows proxy collection of scrolls by appointment and issues certification letters free | Collect as your authorised proxy where the university permits it |
| ACRA Business Profile | Bought online by the company | Print the ACRA-issued copy for SAL, or use SAL's e-Apostille if the receiver accepts it |
For digital documents, the printout must reproduce every page with its headers, footers and page numbers; a cropped or reformatted print will be refused. Details for birth records are on our birth certificate page, and for OpenCerts degrees on our degree attestation page.
Collection Areas and Delivery Times
We collect and deliver anywhere on mainland Singapore, including homes, offices, condominiums with security desks, hospitals and hotels. Timing depends on your area and on which counters the job involves.
| Service | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Standard pickup | Next working day after booking, 10am–1pm or 2pm–6pm |
| Priority handling | Same working day (11am cut-off) or next working day, for notarisation and SAL apostille only |
| SAL round trip | Processed at the counter on the day we submit |
| Embassy round trip | Set by the embassy; we collect in its release window |
| Return delivery within Singapore | 1–2 working days after the last stamp |
Pricing: pickup from S$12 and delivery from S$12 per order; SAL and embassy fees at cost. Priority handling is +S$29 per document for the next working day or +S$49 per document for the same working day (11am cut-off), for notarisation and SAL apostille only; embassies work to their own timelines. 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.
We will not promise "within 12 hours" when an embassy is involved. What we can promise is that the Singapore-side steps are done without delay on our part, and that you are told immediately if an outside counter slows down.
Pickup Service Questions
Can someone submit my documents to SAL for me?
Yes. SAL accepts submissions by a proxy, and for SAL an authorisation letter is not required. We submit, pay the SAL fee at cost and collect the result.
Will I need to visit the embassy in person?
Usually not. Most embassies accept an agent, sometimes with your authorisation letter and passport copy. If an embassy requires you in person, we tell you before you book.
Is my original safe with you?
Every hand-off is receipted and photographed, and documents travel sealed and flat. You can ask where they are at any time.
Can you collect from my office and deliver to my home?
Yes. Give us both addresses and a contact at each end when you book.
Can you apply for my ICA birth extract for me?
No. ICA extracts are applied for online by the holder, a parent, a guardian or a solicitor. Once you forward us the file, we handle the rest.
What if the embassy asks for something extra?
We tell you the same day, explain the request and, where we can, prepare the extra item for you.
Can you courier documents overseas after attestation?
Ask us when you book. Within Singapore we deliver by hand or tracked courier; overseas delivery is quoted separately.
Related services
Disclaimer: We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. Acceptance of documents and processing times are decided by SAL, the embassy and the receiving authority. Fees and rules are stated as of the "Last verified" date and may change. Last verified: 1 October 2026.