All Posts by Shirley L.

About the Author

Get Notary, Legalisation & Verification Services Done By This Specialist In Singapore

Singapore

ABOUT THE NOTARY

Shirley was first admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court in Singapore as an Advocate and Solicitor in 1984 and has over 30 years of experience in the legal field. Shirley was appointed as a Notary Public and Commissioner For Oaths 20 years ago in 1996. Shirley is dedicated to offering efficient, reliable, professional and personalized advise in a very friendly manner. She is currently based in Raffles Place, Singapore.

Shirley speaks English, Tamil and Malay.

PURPOSE OF ENGAGING A NOTARY PUBLIC

A Notary Public in Singapore deals in the complete range of notarial services required by individuals and private businesses pertaining to documents for overseas use. The purpose of engaging a notary  public is to assist in defining the documents as authentic for their accurate usage and also certifying them as the original or true copies. Notarisation may also be needed when a person is involved in foreign litigation. Notaries Public are approved authorities and appointed by the Board of Commissioners for Oath and Public Notaries (“the Board”) who will assist in making sure that you have all documents for the service you require. They will ensure that your documents are legal, genuine and valid. Notary service is the expeditious way to deal with your documents in contentious and non-contentious matters. Notary practice is absolutely necessary in most countries as is it a pertinent act that will legalise and generate authentication for your documents.           

RESPONSIBILITIES OF NOTARY OF PUBLIC

Notary Public acting as impartial officers, notarise documents usually by witnessing, authenticating and certifying the execution of documents to be used in foreign countries. The primary duty of a Notary Public is to ensure that the documents are notarized which prevents fraud. It will also help to confirm that the person signing wasn’t compelled into doing so (e.g. through undue influence, coercion or duress, etc). Notaries Public and Commissioners For Oath can also certify copies of legal documents, administer oaths or affirmations. It is also the responsibility of the Notary Public to ensure the person who is signing the documents is present and produces a valid identification. The Notary Public will then officiate the signing and ensure that the documents are signed correctly. As a proof of notarisation, it is mandatory for a Notary Public to issue a notarial certificate with the notary seal thereon. Legalisation and Authentication will be applied in lieu of Apostille Certification.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

  • Evidence of identification (identity card, passport and/or other photo ID)
  • For certification of true copies please bring the ORIGINAL documents
  • For documents executed by a Company under a Common Seal or by its authorised Attorney :-
  • the relevant Company’s resolution authorizing the use of the Common Seal
  • the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association
  • the Attorney’s Power of Attorney

For any inquiries on the documents to be furnished, please do not hesitate to contact us.

COSTS OF NOTARY SERVICES

The Notary fees payable for various notarial services are prescribed by the Board. The Notary can charge fees for other related services including personal attendance. Additional fees are also payable for our services that are rendered in connection with Legalization and Authentication of documents other than the fees that are charged by the relevant authority, embassy and/or consulate.

APPOINTMENT

To make an appointment please contact :-

Ms.Shirley / Ms.Sherrie

Tel No : +6565325515 / (H/P : +6587173757)

Email : shirley@attorneys.com.sg

[Appointments at our office can be arranged in short notice from Monday to Friday during office hours so as to accommodate your needs and conveniences].

[Appointments can also be arranged at other times or elsewhere at your business place etc. Additional fees are applicable]. For more information, visit : http://notarycommissioner.com.sg

Responsibility of a Notary Public

Raffles Place

Documents are notarized to deter fraud and to ensure proper execution. It is the responsibility of the notary public to ensure that the signers have appeared before them and have produced proper identification. The Notary Public officiates at the signing and insures that the documents are signed correctly.

Commissioning Services

Raffles Place

What is the job of Commissioners of Oaths?

A Commissioner of Oaths is to administer oaths whereby a person signs a document under oath and the document is to be used in Singapore. This includes affirmation of affidavits or the evidence in question to be used in Singapore court or the statutory documents to be taken or received in Singapore. The Commissioner of Oaths takes care that the person standing before him/her has thoroughly read the document and is fully acquainted with the contents of thereof.

The charges payable to Commissioner for Oaths are also prescribed by the Board.

Oath, Affirmation, Affidavit and Statutory Declaration: A glance at their meanings

Oath: A swear or a vow on the subject of truth of statements or facts provided by the maker of oath.

Affirmation: It has almost same legal power as the oaths made by persons of different religions, like Hindu, Muslim or any other and is with respect to the oaths.

Affidavit: It is a written sworn statement or information of facts that is drafted by the deponent.

Statutory Declaration: It is the statement drafted to establish an entity or any statement to be true for the purpose of satisfying any legal proceedings or requirements. These statements are not vowed or sworn.

Why may one require the services of Commissioner of Oath and affirmations in Singapore?

 

The requirement of a Commissioner of Oath and affirmations may be required because of the following reasons:
1. If you are giving evidence or proof on the affidavit for any court or legal proceeding in Singapore.
2. If you are constituting a declaration, affirmations, examination, attestation or acknowledgement to be required for the purpose of registering the documents or for the purpose of the court proceedings.

Legalisation Services

Raffles Place

Legalisation in place of Appostille

Legalization is the process of proper authentication or screening of documents by the high commission, the embassy or the consulate (as the case may be) of the country in which the document is to be used after it is attested by a Notary Public in Singapore. It is the official confirmation of the originality of the documents, i.e. confirmation that the stamp, seal or the signature showing on the document is genuine. Hence, the document executed in Singapore for use, for instance in Dubai would be legalized by the UAE Embassy. In United States of America and many other countries, the process of legalization is also referred to as ‘Consularisation’.

This process of legalization can be a reason for delay in international transactions or litigation processes. Therefore, there is an international treaty, known as the Hague Convention, ‘Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, 1961’. Within this treaty, all documents, including the notary acts, which have been carried out in the province of the contracting state and which have to be produced in another contracting state do not need to be legalized. Rather, a simple certificate, called the ‘Apostille’ will be adequate for all the formalities. This certificate can be issued in the prescribed form from the competent authority of the state from where the document is derived or originated from.

However, Singapore is not a party to the Hague Convention. Hence in Singapore, legalization of the document has to be procured for certain documents to be used overseas.

Why Legalization is Important?

Legalization of documents is very important for business or personal matters where pertinent business related documents or personal documents required overseas are to be attested or certified as original or true copy. For this, a notary certificate issued and signed by the notary public is duly authenticated by the Singapore Academy of Law and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the receiving country’s high commission, embassy or consular office.

Process of Legalization

In Singapore legalization is a complete chain involving few steps. It is very important to follow each and every step properly to get the proper authentication of the documents.

1. Notarization
This is done by the notary public by signing on the document and issuing a Notarial Certificate and affixing the notary seal thereon. The notary public is to witness the signature of a person signing a document or certify a document as original or true copy.

2. Authentication:
This process is done by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) whereby the SAL confirms that the Notary Public is duly appointed by the Board.

3. Verification:
This is the third process under which the documents authenticated by the SAL are further presented before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking the documents forward for legalization process.

4. Legalization:
Finally, legalization, is done by the high commission, embassy or the consulate of the relevant country located in Singapore. The main aim of this process is another round of verification of the documents. Each high commission, embassy or consulate has its own requirements for legalization. Some may only require a fee while others may have some other requirements. The person submitting the documents for legalization has to check with that relevant body for its requirements.

This four step verification process is very crucial, especially when you have to deal with any cross-border legal or business related transactions. These processes give confirmation that the documents are thoroughly signed, stamped, verified and sealed by top levels of Singapore and the relevant body of the country where the documents are to be used.

Notary Services

Raffles Place

​Notary S​ervices In Singapore

A Notary Public in Singapore deals in the complete range of notarial services required by individuals and private businesses pertaining to documents for use overseas. A Notary Public is an Advocate and Solicitor with several years of experience and a good work profile and is appointed by the Board of Commissioners for Oath and Public Notaries (“the Board’).

A notary helps in defining the documents as authentic for their accurate usage and also certifies them as the original or true copies.

It is mandatory for a Notary Public to issue a notarial certificate when witnessing signatures or certifying documents as original or true copies. The Notary Public will sign all documents and affix the notary seal thereon.

Apart from this, they also help in obtaining public documents such as incorporation certificates, marriage certificates, birth certificates and business profiles.

Costs ​Of Notary ​Services

The fees payable for the various notarial services are fixed by the Singapore Academy of Law. The notary can charge an additional fee for other related services including personal attendance.

A Notary Public in Singapore deals in the complete range of notarial services required by individuals and private businesses pertaining to documents for use overseas. A Notary Public is an Advocate and Solicitor with several years of experience and a good work profile and is appointed by the Board of Commissioners for Oath and Public Notaries (“the Board’).A notary helps in defining the documents as authentic for their accurate usage and also certifies them as the original or true copies.It is mandatory for a Notary Public to issue a notarial certificate when witnessing signatures or certifying documents as original or true copies. The Notary Public will sign all documents and affix the notary seal thereon.Apart from this, they also help in obtaining public documents such as incorporation certificates, marriage certificates, birth certificates and business profiles.

Necessary Documents

1. Proof of identity

  • For individuals – passport or valid photo ID
  • For Companies – Constitution of Company; Resolution authorising affixing of the Common Seal; Proof of identity of signatory (passport or valid photo ID); Signatory’s authority to sign (including ACRA company profile or Power of Attorney)​

2. Original Documents to be notarised

3. For copies to be certified true, both the original documents

Assist With Legalisation

If a document has to be legalized, our team is able to assist with the 4 steps required for legalization of documents for a reasonable fee.