How to Verify a Notary Public or Commissioner for Oaths in Singapore

A notarial certificate or a commissioned statutory declaration carries weight precisely because a court, government agency or foreign organisation trusts that a properly appointed person witnessed it. If the person was not appointed, or the appointment had lapsed, the document may be rejected and the transaction it supports may be delayed or unwound.

Verification is quick. It takes a few minutes online before the appointment and protects you against the rare case of an unauthorised person offering “notary” services, as well as the more common case of turning up at a firm where the appointed professional is not available that day.

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) maintains the public directory of Notaries Public and Commissioners for Oaths in Singapore at its legalisation portal. The directory can be searched by name and firm and shows whether the person holds the Notary Public appointment, the Commissioner for Oaths appointment, or both, together with the firm address and listed languages.

NearbyNotary’s directory is built from that public source and enriched with map, opening-hours and website information. It is designed to make comparison easier, but it is a snapshot. Appointments, firm moves and retirements can occur between updates. For any decision that depends on the appointment being current, open the SAL directory and check the entry yourself.

• Search the SAL directory for the professional’s full name, not only the firm.
• Check that the appointment type matches your need: Notary Public for overseas documents, Commissioner for Oaths for Singapore oaths and affirmations.
• Compare the firm address in the directory with the address you were given.
• If the name is not found, ask the firm to explain before proceeding.

A Notary Public is appointed under the Notaries Public Act 1959, and SAL administers the appointment. Notaries are typically senior advocates and solicitors. The appointment authorises notarial acts, such as witnessing signatures for foreign use, certifying copies and issuing notarial certificates. Notarial certificates are issued through SAL’s system, which is what allows a subsequent apostille or authentication to be attached.

A Commissioner for Oaths is appointed under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act and may administer oaths and affirmations for affidavits, statutory declarations and similar documents intended for use in Singapore. Many, but not all, Commissioners for Oaths are also lawyers; some are other appointed persons. A Commissioner for Oaths appointment does not by itself authorise notarial acts for use abroad.

Some professionals hold both appointments. A directory entry that shows both is convenient when you are not yet sure which service you need, but you should still tell the office where the document will be used so that the correct act is performed and the correct certificate is issued.

A law firm may employ several lawyers, but only the individuals who hold the appointment may perform the act. When you book, ask for the name of the Notary Public or Commissioner for Oaths who will attend and confirm that name against the directory. If the firm cannot say who will attend, treat that as a reason to ask more questions rather than a formality.

After the appointment, look at the certificate or jurat. It should show the name of the appointed professional, the capacity in which they acted, the date and, for notarial acts, the seal or certificate details. A document signed by someone other than the person you verified is a problem worth raising immediately, while a correction is still simple.

Legitimate practices are not hard to identify, but a few patterns should prompt caution. A person who offers to “notarise” a document without seeing you in person, or who asks you to sign in advance and send scans, is not following the normal process. A quote far below the published fee schedules with no explanation, or a request to pay a private account rather than the firm, is also unusual.

Be careful, too, with online services that advertise Singapore notarisation but cannot name the appointed professional or the firm. A Singapore notarial certificate can be checked with SAL. If a service cannot tell you how its certificate will be authenticated, or claims that the apostille step is unnecessary when the receiving country requires it, seek a second opinion.

• No named professional, or the name is not in the SAL directory.
• A request to sign before the appointment or to send signed scans.
• No mention of SAL authentication when the document is going overseas.
• Pressure to pay before the document, the destination and the process have been discussed.

NearbyNotary helps you find directory entries by location, language and opening status, and explains the process in plain language. It does not vouch for any individual professional, rank offices by quality, take bookings or receive payment from listed firms. Treat a NearbyNotary profile as a starting point, verify the appointment with SAL, and confirm the practical details with the office itself.

If you find a directory entry on this site that is out of date, the contact page explains how to report it. Corrections that cite the SAL record or a firm announcement are processed first.