Apostille Act 2020

Sections (20)

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• § 1 — Short title

  1. This Act is the Apostille Act 2020.

• § 10 — What is a Convention certificate (also known as an apostille)

  10. In this Part, “Convention certificate”, in relation to a foreign public document or a document purporting to be a foreign public document, means a certificate issued —(a) to certify the document for the purposes of the Convention; and (b) by an authority that, at the time of issuing the certifi

• § 11 — Effect of Convention certificate if used

  11.—(1) This section applies if a document purporting to be a Convention certificate (called in this section the purported certificate) is placed on or attached to a document purporting to be a foreign public document (called in this section the certified document).(2) Subject to subsection (3), the

• § 12 — Use of Convention certificate generally not mandatory

  12.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), a person seeking to prove the origin of a foreign public document —(a) is not required to do so by means of a Convention certificate; and (b) is not required to comply with any more rigorous formality. (2) A person seeking to prove the origin of a specified forei

• § 13 — Other modes of proof, etc., not affected

  13. Nothing in this Part prevents a foreign public document (or any aspect thereof) from being proven, produced, certified or accepted in any manner permitted by any other law.

• § 14 — What is a Singapore public document

  14. In this Part, “Singapore public document” —(a) means —(i) a document executed in Singapore and falling within any of the following categories:(A) a document emanating from an authority or official connected with the courts or tribunals of Singapore, including a document emanating from a public p

• § 15 — What is a competent authority

  15. In this Part, an authority specified in the first column of the Second Schedule is a competent authority in relation to the Singapore public documents specified opposite the authority in the second column of that Schedule.

• § 16 — Certification of public document executed in Singapore

  16.—(1) Subject to section 17, a competent authority must issue a certificate for a Singapore public document on the request of —(a) the person who signed the document; or (b) any bearer of the document. (2) The certificate must be —(a) numbered and dated in the prescribed manner; (b) in the form

• § 17 — Grounds for refusing to issue certificate

  17.—(1) An authority must refuse to issue a certificate for a document under section 16 if any of the following grounds apply:(a) the document is not a Singapore public document; (b) there are reasonable grounds for the authority to believe that the document is forged or falsified; (c) the authori

• § 18 — Register of certificates

  18.—(1) A competent authority must keep a register of every certificate it issues.(2) The register must be kept in the prescribed manner and must record, in respect of each certificate —(a) the number and date of the certificate; (b) the name of the person who signed the certified Singapore public

• § 19 — Amendment of Second Schedule

  19.—(1) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, amend the Second Schedule.(2) Without limiting subsection (1), an order under that subsection may specify, in the second column of the Second Schedule —(a) all or a specified class of Singapore public documents opposite an authority in the first col

• § 2 — Interpretation

  2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —“Convention” means the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at the Hague on 5 October 1961, the English text of which is set out in the First Schedule; “Convention State” means a State P

• § 20 — Regulations

  20. The Minister may make regulations —(a) to prescribe any matter required or permitted to be prescribed under Part 3; (b) to prescribe any fees for the purposes of Part 3; and (c) generally for the purposes of this Act.

• § 3 — Purpose

  3.—(1) The purpose of this Act is to give effect to the Convention.(2) Part 2 —(a) exempts foreign public documents (as defined in that Part) from any requirement of legalisation; and (b) provides for the effect of certificates issued under the Convention and facilitates (but does not require) thei

• § 4 — Act binds Government

  4. This Act binds the Government.

• § 5 — Application of this Part

  5. This Part applies to a foreign public document sought to be produced in Singapore for any purpose, including —(a) the purposes of proceedings in any court or tribunal; and (b) the purposes of exercising any power or right, or performing any function, duty or obligation, under or pursuant to any

• § 6 — What is a foreign public document

  6. In this Part, “foreign public document” —(a) means —(i) a document executed in the territory of a Convention State and falling within any of the following categories:(A) a document emanating from an authority or official connected with the courts or tribunals of that State, including a document e

• § 7 — What is meant by the origin of a foreign public document

  7. In this Part, a reference to the origin of a foreign public document, or of a document purporting to be a foreign public document, is a reference to the following aspects of the document:(a) the authenticity of the signature on the document; (b) the capacity in which the person signing the docum

• § 8 — What is legalisation of a foreign public document

  8. In this Part, “legalisation”, in relation to a foreign public document, means the formality by which the diplomatic or consular agents of Singapore certify the origin of a foreign public document.

• § 9 — Legalisation not required for foreign public documents

  9.—(1) Legalisation is not required, and may not be performed, in relation to a foreign public document.(2) This section applies despite any written law or rule of law to the contrary. —(1) Legalisation is not required, and may not be performed, in relation to a foreign public document. (2) This se