Paper, digital or extract — one route
Moving abroad with a child born in Singapore? The foreign office will usually ask for the birth certificate first, and it must carry the right stamps. We handle birth certificate legalisation in Singapore from the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) to the embassy.
ICA issued paper certificates until 29 May 2022 and digital PDF certificates after that. We check which version you hold, compare the names with both parents' passports, and tell you the exact route before you pay.
Tell us the country and the certificate format, and we reply with the route and price.
Can a Singapore birth certificate be legalised for use abroad?
Yes. SAL legalises ICA birth certificates directly.
A paper original or a printed digital certificate usually goes straight to SAL without a notary. Non-Hague countries then add an embassy stamp, while Hague countries accept the SAL apostille.
WHY FAMILIES NEED IT
Birth certificate attestation is usually asked for when a parent takes a job abroad and the child goes too. For Hague countries such as China, India and Vietnam, our apostille service replaces the embassy stamp.
Gulf immigration offices use it to prove the child belongs to the sponsoring parent.
International and state schools abroad often want a legalised copy before they confirm a place.
A parent's home country may need it to record the child as a citizen.
Some countries ask families to register a foreign-born child with their civil registry.
Offices issuing an Emirates ID or a Kuwait civil ID may check it again.
A parent's home country can ask for it before issuing the child's first passport.
Custody, guardianship and inheritance cases abroad may need proof of parentage.
Employers and insurers abroad sometimes ask for it before adding a child to cover.
WHICH VERSION YOU HOLD
Singapore birth certificate legalisation depends on the version in your hands. When the original must stay with you, a certified true copy from our partner Notary Public can be legalised instead, if the receiving office accepts copies.
| Document form | First step | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| ICA paper birth certificate (births before 29 May 2022) | Straight to SAL | The original paper certificate is a government document, so SAL legalises it without a notary. |
| ICA digital birth certificate (births from 29 May 2022) | Print, then SAL | SAL needs a printout of the PDF, and we confirm before lodging that it can be verified as it is. |
| ICA digital birth extract (lost or damaged certificate) | Issuer copy first | You apply to ICA for the extract first, then the printout goes to SAL like a digital certificate. |
| Copy of your paper certificate, original kept at home | Our partner Notary Public first | Our partner Notary Public certifies the copy, then SAL legalises the notary's signature. |
| Birth registered outside Singapore | Birth country only | ICA holds no record of overseas births, so the certificate must be legalised where it was issued. |
BY DESTINATION
Where the child is moving decides whether birth certificate legalisation ends with an embassy stamp or an SAL apostille. Pick a country for its full guide.
STEP BY STEP
Start your birth certificate legalisation with a scan or the PDF. Nothing is lodged until you have agreed the route and price.
We confirm whether you hold a paper certificate, a digital PDF or an extract, and what the receiving office will accept.
We compare the child's and both parents' names with their passports so a spelling gap is caught now.
SAL legalises the certificate, or adds an apostille for Hague countries.
For non-Hague countries we lodge it with the embassy and collect it when ready.
You collect it in Singapore or we courier it to your address abroad.
ORIGINAL OR COPY
Gulf immigration offices usually want birth certificate attestation on the original, while some schools and registries take a legalised copy. Ask the receiving office before choosing.
Family visas often ask for parents' marriage certificate legalisation at the same time, so both can go to SAL together.
Arabic, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese offices often want a translation. Ask whether it must be done in Singapore before the stamps or in the country of use.
ICA lets parents change a child's name online before the first birthday. A later change by deed poll is a private document, so the deed poll needs our partner Notary Public first.
FREE CHECK
A photo or the PDF is enough for us to confirm the route and price.
COST
Birth certificate legalisation is priced per certificate, so two children means two documents. Most families pay only for SAL plus the embassy fee.
For several family documents at once, our document legalisation help in Singapore covers them in one order, with courier and urgent fees quoted separately.
TIMING
Plan birth certificate attestation back from the visa or school date, since the embassy stage takes the longest.
School terms and visa dates are fixed, so tell us your date when you first write and we plan around it.
SEND US
To begin birth certificate legalisation, a few scans are enough. Originals are only needed once the route is agreed.
A parent can apply to ICA for a digital birth extract, which costs S$40 and takes up to 6 working days. We then legalise the printout.
Send the PDF or courier the original, and our legalisation from overseas handles the Singapore steps for you.
AVOID DELAYS
Small gaps can send a birth certificate back from a Gulf office after the stamps are already on. A certified translation for legalisation done in the wrong order is another common delay.
FAQ
More doubts about birth certificate legalisation for your child? Send us your question and the certificate.
Not for a digital certificate, since we work from the PDF ICA sent you. A paper original is with us only while SAL and any embassy stamp it, then you collect it or we courier it back.
Often yes, as SAL usually takes 1–2 working days. The embassy stage varies by mission, so give us the term or visa date when you first write.
S$400 for SAL, at S$200 per birth certificate, plus the Qatar Embassy fee for each at cost. Translation, if requested, is quoted separately.
Yes. Email the digital PDF or courier the paper original, and we handle every Singapore step for you.
Yes, if it is clear and complete it goes straight to SAL. A faded or torn one may need a digital birth extract from ICA first.
Legalisation cannot correct it, so a real error must be fixed with ICA first. If it is only a different name order or spelling style, we flag it so you can explain it to the receiving office.
No. ICA holds no record of overseas births, so that certificate must be legalised in the country of birth.
It can, especially if an office abroad keeps the one you hand in. A digital certificate can simply be printed and legalised again later at S$200.
Send the certificate and your country, and we reply with the route and price. Read client reviews from families who have moved abroad with us.