Notarial Services – Legalisation, Authentication, Attestation and Certification

Steps To Submitting Official Documents in China and Singapore.

Do you have official documents from Singapore that need to be presented in China or are you submitting document from China to authorities in Singapore?

Are you confused by the numerous advice available in the internet regarding the submission of such official documents?

How can you be sure that your documents are accepted in Singapore and China?

With transactions and exchange between China and Singapore surging to an all-time high, it is inevitable that you will be required to submit official documents during one of your many activities. These can be official documents like marriage certificates, birth certificates, educational qualifications, business registration etc.

Often, these submissions are time-sensitive and if done wrongly, it can mean going through the whole tedious application all over again or even a rejection. You want to make sure that you are working with the right parties, going through the authorised channels and submitted correct and complete documents in order to avoid any disappointment or missed opportunities.

We have compiled some information to help you get organised and to ensure that your efforts are not futile. This information is an extract from the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.

For documents executed in China and for use in proceedings in Singapore, please see below procedure.

The Singapore Embassy provides notarial services in connection with the legalisation of documents covering transactions between parties in two or more countries.

The notarial services include legalisation and authentication of documents, attestation and certification of signatures and stamps.

1. Bring the documents to a local Notary Public for legalisation. A Notarial Certificate is issued accordingly;
2. The documents are then to be presented to the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) of the province or municipality for attestation;
3. After the attestation by FAO, the documents should then be presented to the Singapore Mission for endorsement. For documents sent to the Singapore Embassy for notarisation, please submit them through the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For documents executed in Singapore and for use in proceedings in China, please see below procedure.

Legalisation of Singapore Government Documents (eg. Registry of Marriage Certificates, Birth Certificates and Educational Certificates from local government schools)

1. Bring the documents issued by the Singapore Government Departments in their original text to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for legalisation. However, computer generated documents eg. Registrar of Marriage Search, Certificate of Making Decree Nisi Absolute, Adoption Petition, Business Profile from ACRA etc, must be certified by the issuing department first before presenting to MFA for legalisation. For legalisation of true copies, please present the photocopy together with the original document for verification;
2. After the legalisation by MFA, the documents should then be brought to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore for authentication. For more details, visit the website of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore.

Legalisation of Non-Government Documents (foreign / private / company documents):

1. Bring the Non-government documents to Notary Public (any law firm offering notarial services) to be notarised. A Notarial Certificate is issued accordingly;
2. The documents are then to be certified by the Singapore Academy of Law located at: 1 Supreme Court Lane, Level 6, Singapore 178879, (Telephone: 63324388, Fax: 63344940);
3. Bring the documents to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for legalisation. Please note that commercial documents such as Invoices, Bills of Sales, Certificates of Origin, Fumigation certificates, etc should be certified or seen by any of the four Chambers of Commerce (International, Chinese, Indian & Malay) or the Singapore Manufacturers’ Association before presenting to MFA for legalisation;
4. After the legalisation by MFA, the documents should then be brought to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore for authentication. For more details, visit the website of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore.

*Source: https://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/beijing/consular_services/notarial_services.html

In the above situation, please note the language requirement for the two countries. In Singapore, a certified English translation is required. For China, a certified translation in Simplified Chinese is required. Once your documents have been translated, you will require notarization of the said documents before proceeding to the notarial services mentioned above.

With our ISO 17100 certification and more than 20 years of translation experience, our translations are accepted and recognised. To facilitate the notarization process, we also work with a panel of notary public.

Contact us now at +65 6570 0138 or fill up our web inquiry form immediately. We are ready to share our experience with you.