Your Singapore degree, ready for abroad
A job offer in Dubai or a master's place in Taipei often hangs on one stamped scroll. We handle degree certificate legalisation in Singapore for graduates of local universities, polytechnics, ITE and private schools.
The route depends on who printed your scroll. A paper NUS or NTU degree can often go straight to the Singapore Academy of Law, while a private school diploma goes to our partner Notary Public first.
Tell us who issued your degree and where it is going, and we reply with the route and a fixed price.
Can a Singapore degree certificate be legalised for use abroad?
Yes, if a Singapore institution issued it.
SAL can usually legalise a verifiable original from a local university, polytechnic or ITE directly. A private school degree, or a copy you want stamped instead of the original, goes through our partner Notary Public first.
Why graduates ask
Degree attestation is usually asked for by an office that cannot check a Singapore university itself. We help people legalise Singapore documents for all of these reasons, and the degree is the paper we see most.
Employers in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait often need an attested degree before the work permit is filed.
Higher education ministries in the Gulf and Egypt compare your degree with local ones before they recognise it.
Schools in China, Vietnam and Thailand usually need a legalised degree for the teacher's work permit.
Health, engineering and accounting boards abroad often want the degree stamped before they register you.
Some universities in Taiwan, China and the Middle East ask for a legalised degree before they confirm a place.
Some Gulf employers set your job grade and pay from the attested degree.
Some Gulf states use the attested degree to set the job title printed on your residence visa.
Public sector employers in India, Egypt and the Gulf often ask for the degree with apostille or attestation.
Who issued it
University certificate attestation starts with one question: can SAL check the issuer itself? SAL lists NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, the polytechnics and ITE as issuers it can verify. Many people send their transcript legalisation in the same batch, because equivalency offices ask for both.
| Document form | First step | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUTD, SUSS paper degree | Straight to SAL | SAL can legalise the original scroll directly, so the stamp goes on your original. |
| Polytechnic diploma or ITE certificate | Straight to SAL | These are on SAL's list of local institutions it can verify, in the same way as university degrees. |
| OpenCerts or verifiable PDF degree | Print, then SAL | SAL needs a full, clear printout with a QR code that scans, and we test it before lodging. |
| Old UniSIM degree | Issuer copy first | SAL asks for SUSS to endorse each page first, so we plan that step with you. |
| Private school (PEI) diploma or degree | Our partner Notary Public first | Schools such as Kaplan, PSB or MDIS issue private documents, so our partner Notary Public certifies a copy before SAL. |
| Foreign university degree earned in Singapore | Issuing country first | A UK or Australian degree from a Singapore campus or partner is usually legalised where the university is based, and we check your case. |
After Singapore
Degree certificate legalisation ends in Singapore with either an apostille or an embassy stamp. What the receiving country does next is where most delays happen, so check your country below.
Step by step
Getting a degree legalised is mostly about checking the right things early. Here is the order we follow for a Singapore degree.
We look at your scan for the issuer, the format and whether your name matches your passport.
We confirm whether your degree goes straight to SAL or to our partner Notary Public first.
Our partner Notary Public certifies a copy if needed, or we print and test your OpenCerts file.
SAL legalises the degree or authenticates the notarial certificate, and adds an apostille for Hague countries.
For embassy countries we lodge it with the mission, then courier or hand everything back to you.
Original or copy
Apostille for a Singapore degree can sit on the original scroll or on a copy certified by our partner Notary Public. If you would rather keep the original clean, a certified true copy is the usual choice.
Equivalency offices in the Gulf and Egypt usually want the transcript next to the degree, so plan both together.
China and Vietnam often ask for a translation of the stamped degree. We arrange a certified translation for legalisation once we know where it must sit in the chain.
If your passport name differs from the scroll, you may need a marriage certificate or deed poll as well. We check this before anything is lodged.
Free check
We tell you the route, the stamps your country needs and the price before you post anything.
Prices
Costs for degree certificate legalisation depend on whether a notary step is needed. Embassy fees are passed on at cost and quoted for your country.
MOFA or ministry fees paid in the destination country are not included and are paid there.
Timing
Time for a degree to be legalised depends mostly on the embassy queue. The Singapore steps are short and predictable.
Joining date close? Ask about urgent document legalisation before you book flights.
Before you send
Sorting a few papers now saves a second trip later. For degree legalisation we usually ask for these.
Ask your university registrar for a replacement or a certified copy first, as SAL cannot work from a photocopy alone.
You can courier the scroll to us and follow each step online through legalisation from overseas.
Avoid delays
Small details trip up OpenCerts degree legalisation and paper scrolls alike. These are the ones we check every time.
FAQ
The practical questions graduates ask just before they send us their degree certificate for legalisation.
It depends on the route. A local university scroll legalised directly goes to SAL and comes back to you with the stamps on it; if our partner Notary Public certifies a copy instead, we check the original and return it straight away.
Allow 1–2 working days at SAL, plus 1–2 working days first if our partner Notary Public needs to certify a copy. The embassy stage adds its own time, which varies by mission.
Yes. Send us a photo of the scroll for a route check, then courier the original, and we return the finished degree to your address abroad.
For a verifiable local university original, it is S$200 for SAL plus the UAE embassy fee at cost. A private school degree needs a notarised copy first, which adds S$130, and UAE MOFA fees are paid in the UAE.
Either can work for a local university degree. The paper scroll keeps things simple if you are happy for the stamps to stay on it, while the OpenCerts printout leaves your scroll clean, as long as its QR code verifies.
Usually yes, with a linking document such as your marriage certificate or deed poll. Some offices want that linking document legalised for the same country too, so we check before anything is lodged.
If a move to another country is likely, it is worth it. Each embassy stamp works for one country only, and preparing two certified copies now saves sending your scroll through the chain again.
Often yes, as offices there usually want it in their own language. The translation normally comes after the apostille, and we confirm the right point before we start.
Share a photo of your scroll and tell us the country. You can also read what other graduates say in our client reviews.