Notarise a Power of Attorney in Singapore
A power of attorney lets someone act for you. If it is going overseas, whoever relies on it needs to know you really signed it, and that is what notarisation provides.
A power of attorney lets someone act for you. If it is going to be used outside Singapore, whoever relies on it needs to be satisfied that you really signed it, and that is what notarisation provides: the notary confirms your identity and witnesses the signature.
Do not sign it beforehand
This is the single most common reason a document has to be done twice. The notary is attesting that they saw you sign. A form that arrives already signed cannot be witnessed, and you will be asked to execute a fresh copy.
What usually happens next
A notary’s seal is rarely the end of it. Most overseas authorities want the notary’s own signature verified, which in Singapore means authentication by the Singapore Academy of Law. After that the document either receives an apostille, if the destination country is party to the Hague Convention, or is legalised at that country’s embassy if it is not.
Which of those applies depends entirely on where the document is going, and sometimes on the specific bank or land registry asking for it. Tell us the destination when you enquire and we will set out the full chain before you start, rather than after.
If the receiving party sent instructions
Send those to us with the document. Foreign forms often specify wording for the notarial certificate, or ask for the notary’s registration details in a particular format. It is far cheaper to accommodate that at the appointment than to discover it once the document has already been authenticated.
How we help
How we help
Check it against the destination first
Before you sign anything. Which country, which authority, and whether they have specified wording for the notarial certificate. Foreign forms often have requirements that are cheap to meet at the appointment and expensive to meet afterwards.
Notarise the execution
You sign in front of the notary, who confirms your identity and certifies that they witnessed it. This is the part most overseas forms are actually asking for.
Set out the full chain and its cost
Authentication by the Academy of Law, then apostille or embassy legalisation. You get the total, including the fees that are not ours, before you commit.
Tell you honestly about the deadline
If the chain will not fit the date, you hear that at the outset rather than halfway through, when the money has already been spent.