Singapore Visa Documents to Notarise From Australia

For most Singapore visas and passes applied for from Australia, nothing needs to be notarised. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not accept notarised copies of degrees as proof for an Employment Pass. A notary in Australia is genuinely useful for one common item: the affidavit a common-law couple can use for a Long-Term Visit Pass.

Key takeaways

• Singapore has two immigration authorities. MOM issues work passes and passes for workers' families; the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) handles entry, permanent residence and some long-term passes.
• For an Employment Pass, MOM lists documents certified by a notary public among the things it does not accept as proof of qualifications.
• For a common-law spouse's Long-Term Visit Pass, one of MOM's options is an affidavit by both partners, notarised in their home country. That is a real notary job in Australia.
• ICA accepts notarised translations only from a notary in Singapore or in the country that issued the document.
• Singapore is an apostille country, but MOM and ICA checklists rarely ask for one. Check yours before paying for it.

Which Singapore authority is dealing with your application?

The first question is which authority your application goes to, because they treat documents differently. MOM handles the Employment Pass, S Pass and other work passes, plus the Dependant's Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass for family members of work pass holders. ICA handles entry to Singapore, permanent residence, and long-term visit passes for family of citizens and permanent residents.

Both authorities update their requirements regularly. Their current pages for your pass type govern, and anything on this page is a guide to reading them, not a substitute.

Do short visits need any documents?

At our last check, Australia was not on ICA's list of nationalities that need an entry visa. A holiday or short business trip on an Australian passport needs no documents from a notary. Check ICA's current entry rules on the day for the permitted length of stay and any arrival requirements.

Why won't MOM accept a notarised degree for an Employment Pass?

This is the point most worth knowing before you spend money. MOM requires verification of qualifications claimed for an Employment Pass, and it lists what it accepts as proof. In broad terms, that is a verification report from a government or institution online portal, a digital certificate verified through the OpenCerts portal, or a report from a background screening company.

MOM also lists what it does not accept. At our last check that included the education certificate itself, school letters, and documents certified by a notary public. It also listed screenshots from some verification sources MOM cannot check itself, and named My eQuals among them. Many Australian universities issue their documents through My eQuals, so ask what form of proof MOM wants before sending a link or a screenshot.

So the common instinct produces a document MOM has said it will not take for this purpose. That instinct is to get the degree notarised and apostilled, then send it to Singapore. Ask your employer which verification route it is using, and ask your Australian university whether it offers verification that MOM accepts. If there is no online route, MOM points applicants to a background screening company.

What do family passes through MOM need?

Family members of work pass holders apply through MOM for a Dependant's Pass or a Long-Term Visit Pass. The documents are what you would expect: a marriage certificate, and children's birth certificates. MOM asks for copies to be uploaded. At our last check, a document not in English was uploaded together with its English translation as a single file, and MOM left the choice of translation provider to you.

An Australian registry certificate is already in English and generally goes in as a clear copy. Order the standard registry certificate, not a commemorative one. MOM may ask for more documents when it reviews an application; follow what it asks for your case.

Why does a common-law couple need a notary?

For a common-law spouse applying for a Long-Term Visit Pass, MOM lists alternatives. At our last check they were a copy of a common-law marriage certificate, a letter from the home country's embassy, or an affidavit. The affidavit is made by the work pass holder and their partner, declaring that they are in a common-law relationship recognised under the laws of their home country. MOM says it must be notarised in their home country.

For an Australian couple, that is a genuine notary job in Australia. The affidavit is sworn or affirmed before an Australian notary, who checks each partner's identity, witnesses the signatures and administers the oath. The notary does not certify that the relationship exists, only that you swore to it. Whether a de facto relationship is "recognised under the laws" of Australia for this purpose is a legal question; if unsure, ask a solicitor. For how affidavits and declarations are prepared, see legal declarations.

1. Read MOM's current wording on what the affidavit must cover, and draft it to match.
2. Ask whether an apostille is wanted. MOM's list does not say so at our last check, but your employer or MOM may ask.
3. Both partners attend the notary with current passports, and swear or affirm the affidavit.
4. Scan and upload the notarised affidavit as MOM instructs.
5. Keep the original, in case MOM or ICA asks for it later.

What does ICA want for permanent residence and long-term passes?

ICA's requirements for permanent residence, and for long-term visit passes for family of citizens and permanent residents, are more formal. At our last check, ICA asked for certified true copies of the originals, and official translations of documents not in English. The official translations could come from the embassy of the country that issued the document, or from a notary public in Singapore or in the issuing country. A private translation also counted if that embassy attested it, or if a notary in Singapore or the issuing country notarised it.

Notice the words "the country that issued the document". For an Australian applicant with a document from, say, Vietnam or Chile, an Australian notary notarising a translation made here does not fit that list. The translation would need to go through Vietnam's or Chile's embassy, a notary in that country, or a notary in Singapore. English-language Australian documents need no translation at all. Read ICA's checklist for your application to see whether it wants copies, certified true copies or originals at the appointment.

What about working holiday passes?

Singapore runs working holiday schemes that young Australians can use, through MOM. Eligibility depends on age, study and the scheme's own rules, and places can be limited. For an Australian applicant with English-language documents, neither scheme normally involves a notary. Check MOM's current eligibility page for the rules on the day. For the Australian side of working holidays, see working holiday documents.

Does Singapore want an apostille?

As of our last check of the HCCH status table, the Apostille Convention has been in force for Singapore since 16 September 2021. Check the table on the day. For a Singapore body that wants authentication, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issues an apostille, and no Singapore legalisation step follows.

That matters for Singapore courts, the land registry, banks and companies, which are covered in apostilles for Singapore. For MOM and ICA applications, check your checklist before adding an apostille. It is not the default. When one is wanted, see apostille and authentication.

How is this different from an Australian visa?

People sometimes mix the two directions up. This page is about Australian documents going to Singapore, where MOM or ICA is the receiving authority and sets the standard. A Singaporean applying for an Australian visa deals with the Department of Home Affairs instead. Home Affairs generally accepts clear scans, or copies certified by an authorised person, and wants translations made in Australia to be by a NAATI-credentialled translator.

A Singapore document for Home Affairs is certified in Singapore, if at all, not by an Australian notary. The two systems have different rules for the same kind of paper, so read the checklist of the authority that will actually receive it. For the Australian side, see skilled migration documents and the Home Affairs certified copy page.

Which document needs what?

Document	Authority	Usually needs
Degree for an Employment Pass	MOM	Verification MOM accepts, not a notary
Marriage or birth certificate for a family pass	MOM	A clear uploaded copy
Common-law relationship affidavit	MOM	Sworn before a notary in Australia
Documents for permanent residence	ICA	Certified true copies, per the checklist
Translation of a non-English document	ICA	An official source ICA lists
Short visit	ICA	Nothing from a notary

Here is an illustration, not a real case

An engineer in Perth accepts a job in Singapore. Her employer's agent tells her to notarise and apostille her degree. She reads MOM's Employment Pass page, sees that notary-certified documents are not accepted, and asks her university about verification MOM accepts. Her partner, who is not her husband, will join her on a Long-Term Visit Pass. The couple draft the affidavit to MOM's wording, swear it together before a notary in Perth with their passports, and upload the scan.

In short

A Singapore visa or pass applied for from Australia rarely needs a notary. MOM does not accept notary-certified documents as proof of a degree, so use the verification it lists. The genuine notary job is the common-law couple's affidavit for a Long-Term Visit Pass. For ICA, notarised translations must come from Singapore or the issuing country. Add an apostille only when a checklist asks for one.

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