Twelve Mistakes That Get Singapore Notarised and Commissioned Documents Rejected

Signing in advance. The professional must see you sign or hear you swear. A document signed at home cannot be witnessed, and asking the professional to certify a signature they did not see is asking them to breach their duties. Leave every signature and initial field blank unless the office tells you otherwise.

Booking the wrong appointment type. A Commissioner for Oaths is for oaths and affirmations on documents used in Singapore. A Notary Public is for notarial acts, usually for documents going overseas. Court commissioners cannot sign documents for foreign use. Choosing the closer office over the right appointment is the most expensive shortcut in this list.

Not asking the recipient what it wants. “Please get this certified” can mean a certified true copy, a witnessed signature, a sworn declaration, a notarial certificate or an apostille. Ask the recipient for its exact requirement in writing and bring that instruction with you.

Using the wrong version of the document. Recipients frequently supply a template. Editing the template, using an old version, or retyping it with small changes can lead to rejection even when the substance is identical. Use the current template exactly as supplied.

Names that do not match. The name on the document must match the identity document presented. A missing middle name, a different order of names, a maiden name, or a different transliteration will be questioned by the professional and, if not resolved, by the recipient. If the document must show a different name, tell the office beforehand so the discrepancy can be addressed properly.

Expired or inadequate identification. Bring a current government-issued photo identification, usually a passport for overseas documents or a national identity card for Singapore documents. A photograph of an identification on a phone, an expired document or a work pass alone may not be accepted. Ask the office which identification it requires.

The wrong person attending. Only the person named as the signer or deponent can sign or swear. A spouse, assistant or colleague cannot attend on someone’s behalf without a separate, properly executed authority, and even then only where the document allows an attorney to sign.

Missing or unmarked exhibits. An affidavit or declaration that refers to attachments must have every attachment present, in the order referred to, so the professional can mark them. A missing exhibit means the document cannot be completed, and the fee schedules charge per exhibit, so the count also affects the quote.

Blank fields and incomplete schedules. Dates, addresses, amounts and names left blank for “later” make the document incomplete at the time of witnessing. Complete every field before the appointment, or agree with the office which fields will be completed in front of the professional.

Copies presented without originals. A certified true copy requires the original to be compared. Photocopies of photocopies, screenshots and emailed scans cannot be certified as true copies of an original. If the original is electronic, ask the office in advance how it handles that.

Stopping after the notarial act. For an overseas document the notarial certificate usually needs an apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law, or SAL authentication followed by embassy legalisation for countries outside the Apostille Convention. A document that arrives abroad with only the notary’s certificate is often returned. Ask the notary to include the SAL step in the quote and to confirm the route for your destination.

Choosing the wrong apostille format. Some recipients require a paper apostille, others accept or prefer electronic. Ask before ordering; changing format afterwards means a new request.

Ignoring validity periods and translations. Recipients may treat a document as expired after a set period, and may require a translation by a particular kind of translator. Sequence the steps so the document is fresh on arrival, and confirm translation rules before commissioning one.

• Signed early or wrong signer attended.
• Wrong appointment type for the destination.
• Recipient’s exact requirement not obtained in writing.
• Edited or outdated template.
• Name mismatch with identification.
• Expired or inadequate identification.
• Missing, disordered or unmarked exhibits.
• Blank fields left for later.
• No original for a certified copy.
• No apostille or legalisation for an overseas document.
• Wrong apostille format for the recipient.
• Expired validity period or wrong translator.

Before travelling, call the office and cover four points: what the document is and where it will be used, who will sign and what identification they will bring, how many documents, pages and exhibits are involved, and what the recipient has asked for. The office can then confirm the appointment type, tell you what to bring, quote the fee and flag anything that will not work.

Verify the professional’s name in the Singapore Academy of Law directory, arrive a few minutes early, and keep the recipient’s written instructions with the document. Those habits, more than anything else, keep a simple appointment simple.