What an Apostille From the Singapore Academy of Law Certifies
An apostille from SAL certifies that the signature, seal and capacity of the Singapore official or notary on your document are genuine. It says nothing about whether the contents are true, and it does not guarantee that the receiver will accept the document.
SAL has been Singapore's Competent Authority under the Hague Apostille Convention since 16 September 2021. Since then it attaches an apostille certificate to every document it legalises, whatever the destination. For a Convention country, that certificate completes the process. For a non-Convention country, it is simply SAL's part of a longer chain.
When clients ask "Do I need the SAL seal?", this is usually what the receiver means: a Singapore document with SAL's apostille attached.
Apostille or Embassy Attestation? Deciding by Destination Country
Check the destination first. If it is a party to the Apostille Convention, the SAL apostille is normally all you need; if it is not, the document continues to that country's embassy after SAL, and usually its foreign ministry after arrival.
| Destination | What to order | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| India, UK, Australia, Japan, South Korea, EU states, Hong Kong | Apostille only | Confirm any translation requirement with the receiver; see our India POA, South Korea and Hong Kong pages |
| Saudi Arabia (since Dec 2022), China (Nov 2023), Canada (Jan 2024), Bangladesh (Mar 2025), Vietnam (Sep 2026) | Apostille, with written confirmation from the receiver | Some offices still ask for older steps while they adjust; see our Saudi Arabia and China pages |
| UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq | Apostille is not enough — embassy attestation needed | Full route on our embassy attestation page |
| Thailand | Embassy route until 28 February 2027, then apostille | See our Thailand page |
Three questions settle almost every case:
- Which country, and which office there? A ministry, a bank and a university in the same country can have different rules.
- Is that country a Convention party today? We check the HCCH status table, because recent joiners change the answer.
- Has the receiver asked for anything beyond an apostille? If they mention an embassy stamp, a translation or an original rather than a copy, get it in writing.
"No apostille unless necessary" is the right instinct: if the document stays in Singapore, you need neither SAL nor an embassy.
Documents SAL Apostilles Directly, and Those That Must See a Notary First
SAL apostilles Singapore public documents directly, but it can only authenticate private documents after a Singapore Notary Public has notarised them. Two further groups need their issuer or a Chamber of Commerce to act first.
| Document group | Examples | Route to the apostille |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore public documents | Birth and marriage certificates, court documents | Directly to SAL |
| Local educational certificates on SAL's list | Original, verifiable certificates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, the polytechnics, ITE and NIEC | Directly to SAL |
| Computer-generated government records | ROM search results, ACRA Business Profiles, Certificate of Making Decree Nisi Absolute | Certified by the issuing department, then SAL |
| Private documents | Private-school certificates, POAs, declarations, company resolutions, letters; GCE certificates (usually as a notarised copy, confirmed case by case) | Notarised by a Singapore Notary Public, then SAL |
| Commercial documents | Invoices, certificates of origin, bills of sale, fumigation certificates | A Singapore Chamber of Commerce or the SMF, then SAL |
SAL can also photocopy a document at its counter and legalise the photocopy, which helps with a laminated certificate if the receiver accepts a copy. Copies of private documents are certified by a notary instead (see our certified true copy service). Signing formalities are explained on our notarisation page.
Worth knowing
Five Reasons SAL Turns a Document Away at the Counter
Most rejections at SAL come from the physical state of the document, not its content. These five problems account for most of the documents we see sent back.
- It is laminated. SAL cannot affix an apostille to a laminated document. The fix is an extract or certified copy from the issuing agency; SAL's current FAQ also says it can photocopy a laminated document and legalise the copy, but ask your receiver whether that copy will be accepted.
- Someone else has stamped it. Stamps from anyone other than the issuing agency count as alterations. A school's "sighted" chop or a bank's received stamp on an original can disqualify it.
- It is not in English. Text must be in English, or bilingual with English as one of the languages.
- The first step is missing. A private document without a notarial certificate, or a computer-generated record not certified by its issuer, cannot be accepted.
- The printout does not match the digital original. Digitally issued documents are presented as printouts, and the printout must reproduce every page with its headers, footers and page numbers. SAL does not print for you.
SAL also does not act on instructions sent by phone, email or a note left with the document. Whoever submits must know what is being requested, which is part of what we handle.
e-Apostille or Paper Apostille: Which One Will Your Receiver Accept?
Choose an e-Apostille only when your receiver has confirmed they accept it; otherwise order the paper apostille. Both carry SAL's authority, but many receivers still expect a physical document.
SAL's e-Apostille currently covers two routes:
- ACRA Business Profiles and Business Certificates issued in OpenAttestation format from 4 March 2023, uploaded online (S$10.70 each). See our corporate document page.
- Notarised documents, where the e-Notarial Certificate and e-Apostille are requested at the Notary Public's office, not at SAL.
Where the paper apostille still wins: banks and registries that want an original on file (we have seen Korean banks insist on paper for company letters), and every non-Convention embassy, which needs a physical chain to stamp. SAL itself advises checking that your recipient accepts the e-Apostille before you use it.
Transparent fees
SAL Apostille Fees: S$10.70 vs S$87.20 Explained
The two SAL fees reflect the two routes. A Singapore public document is legalised directly for S$10.70; a notarised document carries an S$87.20 authentication fee (including GST), paid upfront at the notary's office. Our prices below already include the relevant SAL fee, so nothing is added on top for SAL.
| Service | Starting price (at the time of writing) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| SAL apostille, Singapore public document | From S$29 per document | Pre-check, submission and collection; SAL's S$10.70 included |
| ACRA e-Apostille | From S$29 per document | Online submission of an OpenAttestation Business Profile or Certificate; SAL's S$10.70 included |
| Copy of a laminated certificate made at the SAL counter | From S$29 per document, plus S$1.07 | SAL charges S$11.77 (S$10.70 legalisation + S$1.07 photocopying); the S$1.07 is passed on at cost |
| Notarisation + SAL apostille, certified true copy | From S$189 per document | Notarial certificate and SAL's S$87.20 authentication included |
| Notarisation + SAL apostille, signed document (POA, declaration, affidavit, company document) | From S$219 per declaration | Signing before our notary and SAL's S$87.20 authentication included |
| Priority for notarisation + SAL apostille | +S$29 per document next working day; +S$49 per document same working day (11am cut-off) | Faster SAL submission and return |
| Pickup and delivery | From S$12 each | Collection from and return to any Singapore address |
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.
SAL fees are non-refundable, so a document rejected at the counter costs money as well as time.
How we handle an apostille job
- You send a photo; we confirm the route and quote.
- Private documents are notarised by our Notary Public (you attend, or we visit).
- We submit at SAL's counter, where documents are processed on the spot.
- We return the apostilled document by hand or courier.
Worth knowing
Why SAL Cannot Apostille a Foreign Birth or Marriage Certificate
An apostille can only be issued by the country that issued the document. SAL has authority over Singapore signatures and seals, so a birth certificate from Egypt, India or the Philippines must be authenticated in that country, even if you live in Singapore.
We regularly receive requests to apostille a foreign certificate at SAL. The answer is always no, and anyone offering to do it through a Singapore notary is selling something the receiver is likely to reject: the notary and SAL would be authenticating the notary's signature, not the foreign registrar's.
What we can do is explain the issuing country's route and, where a receiver accepts it, arrange a notarised translation made in Singapore. The same rule catches degrees awarded by overseas universities through private colleges here; see our degree attestation page.
Apostille Questions We Answer Every Week
Do I have to go to SAL in person?
Normally not. You would only need to attend if verifying the document requires your own Singpass or email login. SAL accepts submissions by a proxy and does not require an authorisation letter for this. We submit and collect on your behalf.
Is an apostille enough for the UAE?
No. The UAE is not a Convention party, so after SAL the document needs the UAE Embassy in Singapore and then the UAE foreign ministry. See our embassy attestation page.
How long does SAL take to apostille a document?
SAL processes documents over the counter at the time of submission. The time that matters is the preparation before it, such as notarisation or issuer certification.
Can SAL apostille my OpenCerts degree?
Not as a bare digital file. SAL legalises original NUS, NTU and other listed university certificates directly, so the paper scroll is usually the simplest route; the options when you only hold the digital version are on our degree attestation page.
Do you need the original, or will a scan do?
SAL legalises originals, or printouts for documents issued digitally. A scan is enough for us to check the route and quote.
Can one apostille cover several documents?
Each document is legalised separately. Only certified true copies can be bundled under one notarial certificate.
My certificate has English on the back. Do I still need a translation?
For SAL, bilingual with English is acceptable. Whether the destination wants a translation into its own language is a separate question for the receiver.
Related services
Disclaimer: We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. Whether an apostilled document is accepted is decided by the receiving authority. Fees and rules are stated as of the "Last verified" date and may change. Last verified: 1 October 2026.