CATCH THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE EMBASSY DOES
A name spelt one way on your passport and another on your degree can stop a file at a foreign ministry weeks after it leaves, which is why our document review services Singapore clients use put every page through an expert check first.
Before anything goes to our partner Notary Public, SAL or an embassy, we sort each paper into a public document that can go for direct apostille or a private document that needs notarisation first, then compare names, issuers, versions, dates and page counts against the receiving authority's checklist. You get a clear list of what is ready, what must be fixed, and whether your route is an apostille or consular legalisation.
Tell us what the documents are for and where they will be used, and we reply with the route, anything that needs fixing and your quote.
WHEN A SECOND LOOK PAYS OFF
Tiny details decide whether a stamped document is accepted overseas, and they are far cheaper to fix in Singapore than abroad. A review sits at the very start of our document legalisation services across Singapore, before any fee is paid to a notary, SAL or embassy.
Your passport, degree and marriage certificate show different spellings, initials or a married surname, and the receiving office expects one person on every page.
An overseas employer or visa agent has sent a list, and you want each item matched to the right Singapore document and stamp.
You hold a marriage or birth certificate and are not sure it is the official version SAL and the embassy will accept.
Your degree or certificate was issued online, so the printout, QR code and verification link must all work before SAL sees it.
A resolution or power of attorney must be signed by an officer whose role matches your company's ACRA records.
A police certificate or bank letter may expire before the receiving office looks at it, so the issue date needs checking against your timeline.
You searched for contract review services in Singapore but really need a signed agreement, deed or joint venture contract checked for execution and certification format, with its legal terms left to your lawyer.
You do not know if the destination accepts a Singapore apostille or still needs full embassy legalisation.
INSIDE THE REVIEW
SAL checks whether a signature or issuer can be verified, while the receiving authority checks whether the document suits its purpose. A pre-legalisation document verification covers both, as it does for marriage certificate legalisation, where the wrong certificate type is a frequent catch.
| What we check | Common problem we find | What happens if it is missed |
|---|---|---|
| Names across all documents | Middle name, initials or married surname differ from the passport | Receiving office queries identity or refuses the file |
| Public or private document | A power of attorney, declaration or contract sent for direct apostille, or an officer's signature SAL has no record of | SAL cannot certify it as a true signature, so a notarial certificate is needed first or the file is delayed |
| Version and condition | Ceremonial marriage certificate instead of the ROM or ROMM certificate, or a laminated original | SAL will not accept it, so an extract, reissue or certified true copy is needed |
| E-certificate with QR code | Printout missing its header, footer or page numbers, or photocopied so the QR code will not scan | SAL cannot affix an apostille on a faulty QR printout |
| Contract and deed execution | Unsigned or undated pages, missing signatory names, or a signer whose role does not match company records | Our partner Notary Public cannot certify the execution, so the agreement must be signed again |
| Validity window | Police certificate, bank letter or ACRA business profile older than the receiving office allows | File rejected abroad after all fees are paid |
| Language and translation | Text not in English or bilingual with English, or the destination wants its own language | Translation added at the wrong stage and the chain is redone |
| Route for the destination | Apostille ordered for a country outside the Hague Apostille Convention | Document arrives with the wrong certificate and must start again |
Please note: we check documents for legalisation and acceptance purposes only; we do not give legal advice, and the content or legal effect of a contract or agreement is a matter for a lawyer.
FROM SCAN TO GREEN LIGHT
Scans are enough to start, so nothing is couriered until the file is ready. Once the review is clear, the same documents move straight into our embassy legalisation service or the SAL apostille route.
You share clear scans of every page, your passport and the receiving office's or employer's instructions.
We sort each paper into the direct SAL or notarisation-first route and compare it with the destination's rules and the checklist you sent.
You receive a plain list of what is ready, what needs reissuing or correcting, and the apostille or embassy route with prices.
Approved documents go to one of our partner Notary Publics where needed, then to SAL for an apostille or authentication.
Embassy-route papers are lodged at the mission, and finished documents are returned to you in Singapore or couriered abroad.
WHAT WE CHECK MOST
Academic, family and company papers make up most review requests, because each has its own version and signature rules at SAL.
We confirm the certificate is an original or verifiable e-certificate from an institution SAL can verify, and that the name matches your passport.
We check you hold the official registry certificate, not a keepsake copy, and that names and dates agree across every family document.
We check the certificate of clearance date against your visa timeline and confirm an experience letter carries the details overseas employers ask for.
We match signing officers to your ACRA records and check that resolutions, powers of attorney, contracts, invoices and certificates of origin are executed and certified in the order SAL and the embassy expect.
HAVE A LIST FROM ABROAD?
Send the embassy, employer or registry's instructions with your scans, and we mark each item as ready, fixable or missing.
COST
Spotting a problem before you pay notary, SAL and embassy fees is usually the cheapest part of the job. The route check is free with every order, and a detailed review is priced once we see how many documents and checklists are involved, for example in UAE embassy attestation files.
Not in these totals: the detailed review fee where one is quoted, issuing-agency fees for reissued documents, translation quoted per page and language, courier, and urgent handling quoted with your deadline.
TIMING
Reviewing from scans runs alongside your planning, so it rarely adds days to the chain, and it often saves the weeks a rejection abroad would cost.
Reissued documents take as long as the issuing agency needs, so send scans early if you are working to a start date, such as for Qatar embassy attestation or police certificate legalisation with a short validity window.
WHAT TO SHARE
Good scans let us review documents for embassy and SAL use without handling a single original. For academic files such as degree certificate legalisation, include the back of the certificate and any transcript pages.
We review documents for legalisation and acceptance only, so questions about what a contract means or whether its terms protect you should go to a Singapore lawyer.
Send the original PDF or OpenCerts file as well as the scan, so we can confirm the printout and QR code will pass SAL's verification.
CAUGHT IN REVIEW
Rejections abroad usually trace back to something visible on the first scan. Catching it early means you replace one document instead of repeating the whole notary, SAL and embassy chain.
✕ Names differ between passport and certificates
✓ We flag every mismatch and tell you whether a reissued document or a sworn declaration is the usual fix for that office.
✕ Agreement pages unsigned or undated
✓ We check every signature block, date and signatory name on a contract or deed before it goes to our partner Notary Public for certification.
✕ Expired police certificate or letter
✓ We check issue dates against the receiving office's validity rules before you pay any legalisation fees.
✕ Company paper signed by the wrong person
✓ We match the signer's name and role to your ACRA records before our partner Notary Public is booked.
FAQ
Quick answers for people about to send their papers for a check. Message us on WhatsApp if your question is not covered.
Ask On WhatsAppNo. Our document review checks whether a contract or agreement is signed, executed and certified in a form that SAL and the overseas office will accept; we do not review its legal terms or advise on its effect, which is work for a Singapore lawyer.
No one can guarantee a foreign office's decision, because receiving offices can change their rules. The review removes the known causes of rejection and matches your file to the checklist you send, and you can see how other files went in our client reviews.
We cannot alter an official document, but we tell you which agency reissues it or what supporting paper is usually accepted. Where a translation is the gap, our certified translation for legalisation can be added at the right stage.
No, clear colour scans of every page are enough for the review. Originals are only needed once the documents go to our partner Notary Public or SAL.
Yes, a standalone detailed review is available and quoted with your documents. The free route check comes with every legalisation order.
We list each variation and tell you what the receiving office usually accepts, such as a corrected certificate or a sworn declaration that both names are the same person. An oath or affidavit before our partner Notary Public is S$70.
We can check them against the receiving office's list, but SAL cannot legalise a foreign document as a Singapore public document. We tell you whether it must be legalised in its issuing country instead.
Yes. Public documents issued by Singapore government agencies, ACRA or local universities can often go straight to SAL, while private documents such as contracts, declarations and powers of attorney need a notarial certificate from our partner Notary Public first, and we confirm this for each paper.
Yes. An apostille itself has no fixed expiry, but many receiving offices only accept documents issued within a recent period, so we compare each issue date with the rule on your checklist.
Send scans and the receiving office's checklist, and we tell you what is ready, what needs fixing and which route fits. Your quote arrives before any fee is paid.