Notaries Public. Commissioners for Oaths
Notarisation is a process performed by a Notary Public, who is usually a senior lawyer appointed by Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), to verify the authenticity of documents or the identity of those signing them. This process is often required for documents intended for use overseas.
One of the most common services provided by a Notary Public in Singapore is certifying that a document is a true copy of the original. In order for the Notary Public to do that, the originals like identity documents or educational certificates must be produced.
For documents which are digitally generated such as e-statements from banks, utilities or telco bills, the Notary Public may require the owner of the documents to log in to the respective portals to show the digital versions of the documents to be authenticated.
The document to be signed must be prepared and brought to the Notary Public’s office for signing in the presence of the Notary Public. The document must be completed with all blanks filled up.
During the signing process, the Notary Public will need to:
For documents in foreign languages, the Notary Public would have to ensure that the signer can either read and understand the foreign language, has read the translation of the document to be signed, or has had the contents of the document interpreted to the signer.
Upon completion of the notarisation process, the Notary Public will issue a Notarial Certificate which can only be generated from the portal maintained by the Singapore Academy of Law after payment by the Notary Public of S$87.20 (inclusive of 9% Goods and Services Tax) to the Singapore Academy of Law.
The Notary Public will then attach the Notarial Certificate to the notarised documents in the manner prescribed by the Singapore Academy of Law. The Notarial Certificate is only valid after the whole set of notarised documents is brought to the office of the Singapore Academy of Law for authentication and an authentication certificate (Apostille) is pasted on the reverse side of the Notarial Certificate.
It is mandatory for the Notary Public to issue a Notarial Certificate for each document attested. As such, the fee of S$87.20 payable to the Singapore Academy of Law is applicable for each document notarised. If a document is signed in duplicate, then the same fee is payable for each copy of the document signed.
For documents to be submitted to countries which are members of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention), no further legalisation at the foreign embassy of the receiving country may be required. For countries which are not members of the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention, the notarised documents may have to be brought to the embassy for legalisation.
The fees payable to a Notary Public are prescribed by the Notary Public Rules (Part II of First Schedule).
Each document notarised will incur:
In addition, the Notary Public may charge the prescribed fees for witnessing, certifying as true copies, etc. The Notary Public may also charge reasonable fees for other work such as translation, interpretation and travelling time, which are not prescribed.
At Hoh Law Corporation, we offer comprehensive notary services in Singapore tailored to individuals and businesses. Contact us at 6553 4800 today to learn more.
While a Notary Public may be a qualified lawyer, the act of notarisation does not entail the provision of legal advice.
As notarisation is usually done in respect of documents or transactions to be carried out in foreign jurisdictions, the Notary Public may not be qualified to give legal advice in that particular foreign jurisdiction.
A Notary Public can refuse to notarise a document if:
Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public
Documents: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
Disclaimer: Statements in this article are not to be construed as legal advice, and are meant for general information only. The writer and/or Hoh Law Corporation shall not be responsible or liable for any errors, mistakes, or misinterpretation of any statements found herein.
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