KEEP THE ORIGINAL, SEND THE COPY
Sending your only degree or passport overseas is a real risk, so many banks, universities and registries accept a certified true copy Singapore notaries have checked against the original instead.
Our partner Notary Public compares every page with your original and certifies the copy, with a notarial seal when it must go on to SAL for an apostille or embassy legalisation. We confirm first whether the receiving office will accept a copy at all.
Tell us the document and where the copy is going, and we reply with the right copy type, route and price.
WHEN A COPY BEATS THE ORIGINAL
Original certificates are hard to replace and some offices keep what you send them. A notarised copy lets you apply abroad while the real document stays in your drawer, and it can still feed into degree certificate legalisation when the destination asks for it.
Admissions offices often ask for certified copies of degrees and transcripts rather than your one-off originals.
Overseas banks and brokers opening accounts remotely usually want a notary certified copy of your passport.
Foreign registries and counterparties ask for certified copies of your ACRA profile, constitution or registers.
Separate certified copies let you file in more than one country at once without splitting up the original.
Laminated, fragile or irreplaceable papers are safer as a certified copy than in a courier bag.
Professional bodies and foreign courts often accept a notarised copy as evidence that your document is genuine.
Foreign employers and recruiters often ask for a certified true copy of your degree and experience letters at the first stage.
Immigration offices abroad commonly accept certified copies of birth and marriage certificates, so the originals stay safely with you.
PICK THE RIGHT COPY
Not every true copy certification needs the full notarial seal. The right choice depends on who will read the copy and whether it must go through SAL afterwards, as with an apostille for China.
| Where the copy goes | Copy you need | Our price | Next step after the notary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore office or private party that accepts a notary's stamp | Certified true copy | S$90 | None — ready to hand over |
| Overseas bank or school that asks only for a notary certified copy | Certified true copy | S$90 | Usually none; we confirm with you first |
| Hague country such as the UK, India or China | Copy with notarial seal | S$130 | SAL apostille, S$200 per document |
| Non-Hague country such as the UAE, Qatar or Malaysia | Copy with notarial seal | S$130 | SAL authentication S$200, then the embassy |
| Office that insists on seeing the original | No copy — use the original | Quoted with your route | Original goes through the chain instead |
SAL can only authenticate or apostille a copy that carries our partner Notary Public's notarial certificate, so a plain S$90 copy cannot be upgraded later without being redone.
FROM ORIGINAL TO CERTIFIED COPY
Start with a scan, and we tell you whether a certified true copy will work before you hand anything over. Where the copy must then be apostilled, our SAL apostille service picks it up straight after the notary.
We check the receiving office's instructions so you do not certify a copy that will be refused.
You bring or courier the original document, and we make clean copies of every page needed.
Our partner Notary Public checks each page against the original and certifies the copy, adding a notarial seal if needed.
Sealed copies for overseas use go to SAL for an apostille or authentication before any embassy stage.
You collect your original with the certified copies, or we courier both to you in Singapore or overseas.
WHAT WE CERTIFY
Identity papers, qualifications and company records make up nearly all certified copy requests. Each can be certified page by page, then legalised if the country needs it.
A CTC of passport pages is the common request from overseas banks, landlords and visa agents.
A certified copy of degree and transcript pages lets you apply to several universities or employers at once.
Certified copies of marriage, birth or divorce certificates keep the originals safe for later use in Singapore.
Certified copies of your incorporation certificate, constitution or board papers suit foreign banks and registries.
NOT SURE A COPY WILL DO?
Share the bank, university or registry's instructions, and we confirm whether a plain or sealed certified copy meets them.
WHAT IT COSTS
For a certified copy, you pay per document for the notary step, and only add SAL or embassy costs when the copy leaves Singapore, for example for UAE embassy attestation.
Priced separately: courier both ways, embassy and foreign ministry fees, urgent handling quoted with your deadline, and any translation quoted per page and language.
TURNAROUND
Certified copies for use in Singapore are the quickest, while copies going abroad add a SAL step and sometimes an embassy queue.
Planning around a school or bank deadline abroad, such as an apostille for India? Tell us the date when you send the scan. Copies bound for Malaysia take the High Commission route; see our Malaysia document legalisation service.
BEFORE YOU SEND
Certified copies follow the same chain as originals when they are bound for overseas use, so the checklist mirrors the one we use for legalising documents in Singapore, with a few copy-specific points.
Every page of a multi-page original is copied and certified as one bundle, so a degree with its transcript or a full passport stays together.
Courier the original to us and we return it with the certified copies once our partner Notary Public has finished.
AVOID A REFUSAL
Certified copies get refused for small reasons that are easy to fix before the notary signs, which matters most for things like transcript legalisation where several pages are involved.
✕ Using a copy certified by a school or lawyer for overseas use
✓ We have one of our partner Notary Publics certify the copy so SAL can apostille or authenticate it.
✕ Ordering a plain copy when a seal is needed
✓ We check the destination first and add the notarial seal whenever a SAL step will follow.
✕ Sending a photocopy instead of the original
✓ We ask for the original up front, because our partner Notary Public cannot certify a copy of a copy.
✕ Assuming every authority accepts copies
✓ We read the request letter and tell you if the office insists on the original.
FAQ
Answers to the doubts people have just before they order a certified copy. Ask us on WhatsApp if yours is not here.
Ask On WhatsAppWe make it in colour whenever the receiving office asks for colour, or when stamps and seals on the original only show up clearly in colour. Tell us before our partner Notary Public certifies, because changing it afterwards means making a new certified copy.
Usually not, because a certified copy says it matches an original our partner Notary Public has seen. If your document was only ever issued online, such as an e-certificate, send us the file first and we tell you what the receiving office will accept before you order.
The certified copy itself has no expiry date. Some banks and registries, though, only accept copies certified within the last few months, so check their instructions and order close to when you will send it.
Yes, as long as every word, number and stamp on it can be read. Lamination does not stop us making a copy, but send a scan first if parts are faded or missing so we can tell you whether a clear copy is possible.
Tell us when you book and we try to arrange for our partner Notary Public to compare the pages during your visit, so you leave with your original. If that is not possible, we keep it safe and return it with your certified copies once they are done.
No, each new certified copy must be checked against the original again. If you think you may need more for other offices, order the extra copies now while we have your original.
We copy and certify the back whenever it has any text, stamps, seals or signatures on it. Blank backs are normally left out, but tell us if the receiving office wants every side included.
Yes, some offices accept the certified copy for the application and then ask to see the original later, such as at an interview, on arrival or at account opening. Keep your original safe and easy to reach until the process is complete.
Send a scan and tell us where the certified true copy is going. We confirm whether a plain or sealed copy is right and send your price before any work starts.