Digital COC, printed right, stamped once
A foreign immigration office, employer or licensing body has asked for your Singapore Certificate of Clearance, and it must carry official stamps. We handle police certificate legalisation in Singapore from your FileSG printout to the final SAL stamp, apostille or embassy seal.
Since January 2025 the Singapore Police Force issues the COC only as a digital file. We check the printout and its QR code before lodging, because SAL turns away copies it cannot verify.
Tell us where the COC is going and when it was issued, and we reply with the route and the full cost.
Can a Singapore police certificate be legalised for use abroad?
Yes, a printed digital COC goes straight to SAL.
SAL legalises a clear printout of the digital COC that includes the readable QR code page. Apostille countries stop there, while non-Hague countries then need their embassy's stamp.
Where the COC is asked for
Overseas employers and immigration offices ask for a legalised Certificate of Clearance when they need proof that you have no criminal record from your years in Singapore. It is often requested alongside degree certificate legalisation for work visas abroad.
Employers in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait often ask for an attested COC before a residence visa is stamped.
Migration offices want a police record for every country you lived in for a set time.
Naturalisation files often need a recent COC covering your stay in Singapore.
Schools and education ministries ask for clean police records before issuing a teaching licence or work permit.
Medical and nursing councils abroad check police records as part of registration.
Some registries ask a foreign spouse for a police clearance before they register the marriage.
Overseas adoption agencies ask each adoptive parent for police clearance from past countries of residence.
Some universities and student visa offices ask for a COC for longer courses or placements.
Which COC you hold
Singapore police certificates now come in one main format, but older and related papers still turn up. The route for COC legalisation depends on which one you have in hand.
| Document form | First step | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Digital COC from SPF via FileSG (2025 onwards) | Straight to SAL | We print it in full, including the QR code page, and SAL checks the code before it stamps. |
| Paper COC issued before January 2025 | Straight to SAL | We first check it is still recent enough for the receiving office, since old certificates are often refused abroad. |
| Photocopy or scan of a COC | Our partner Notary Public first | Where only a copy exists, our partner Notary Public certifies it before SAL, but many offices still want a fresh digital COC instead. |
| Statutory declaration of no criminal record | Our partner Notary Public first | Some countries accept this when a COC cannot be issued, and it then needs notarising before SAL. |
| Police report from a Neighbourhood Police Centre | Issuer copy first | This is a different document, and SAL asks for an endorsement from the same police post before it can be legalised. |
Route by destination
Destination decides whether your police clearance legalisation ends at SAL or carries on to an embassy. Pick your country for the full guide.
From FileSG to your hands
Speed matters with a Certificate of Clearance attestation, since the clock on its age starts on the issue date. Each step below is planned to keep that window open.
We compare the COC issue date and your name with what the receiving office accepts.
You send the FileSG PDF and we print every page so the QR code scans cleanly.
SAL verifies the QR code and adds its stamp or apostille certificate.
For non-Hague countries we lodge the COC at the right embassy or high commission.
We hand it over in Singapore or courier it to your address abroad.
Original or copy
Getting a COC apostille or embassy stamp works best on a fresh printout of the digital certificate. A certified copy is a backup route, not the first choice.
China, Vietnam, Thailand and Egypt often want the COC in their language. We arrange a certified translation for legalisation in the order the destination expects.
Family visa files often pair the COC with a legalised birth or marriage certificate, so we can lodge them together.
If the COC name differs from your current passport, send the deed poll or marriage certificate so we can flag it early.
Free COC check
Send the COC and the receiving office's checklist, and we confirm the date window and route before you pay.
Cost
Because the COC is a government document, police certificate legalisation normally skips the notary fee. You pay the SAL step, plus the embassy fee where one applies.
The S$55 SPF fee for the COC itself is paid by you when you apply, and courier abroad is quoted with your address.
Timing
Start the police clearance certificate legalisation as soon as SPF sends the FileSG link. Many receiving offices count the age of the COC from its issue date, not from the date it was stamped.
Visa date close? Our urgent document legalisation plan works back from your deadline.
Before we start
Choosing a document legalisation provider in Singapore for a police certificate is easier when the file is complete from day one. These items let us lodge without delay.
SPF no longer issues duplicate paper copies, so log in to FileSG again to download it or ask us how to check the route before you reapply.
Email us the FileSG PDF and we print, legalise and courier it through our legalisation from overseas service.
Avoid a rejection
Small printing and date problems cause most Certificate of Clearance legalisation delays. Here is how we stop them before SAL or an embassy sees the file.
FAQ
Have a question about your COC attestation? Message us with the receiving office's request and we will check it for you.
Printing and the SAL step usually take 1–2 working days. Non-Hague countries add an embassy stage that depends on the mission, so share your visa date early.
Expect S$200 for SAL plus the UAE, Qatar or Kuwait embassy fee at cost. Courier abroad and any translation are quoted once we know your address and destination.
No. The COC is a digital file, so you can email the FileSG PDF from Singapore or abroad and we print, lodge and courier it for you.
SAL can still stamp a genuine paper COC, but many receiving offices refuse certificates past their age limit. Check that limit first, because a fresh digital COC may avoid a rejection abroad.
It can, if the office compares it with your current passport. Send your marriage certificate with the COC and we can tell you whether to legalise both together.
Most countries want the translation done after legalisation so the stamps are translated too, but a few expect it the other way round. We confirm the order for your destination before we start.
Yes. Each COC is legalised separately at S$200 plus any embassy fee, and we lodge them together so both are ready at the same time.
We tell you the reason straight away and suggest the fix, often a clean reprint or a fresh FileSG download. If the COC is simply too old, you would need to apply to SPF for a new one.
Share the FileSG PDF and the destination, and we send the route and price before any work starts. See what past clients say in our client reviews.