What is a Singapore public document
Open ↗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 prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process‑server;
(B)
an administrative document;
(C)
a notarial act;
(D)
an official certificate that is placed on a document signed by a person in his or her private capacity (for example, an official certificate recording the registration of a document or the fact that the document was in existence on a certain date, or an official or a notarial authentication of a signature); or
(ii)
a document (including a document that is not signed, sealed or stamped) that is prescribed to be a Singapore public document; but
(b)
does not include any of the following documents:(i)
a document executed by a diplomatic or consular agent;
(ii)
a prescribed private document.
What is a competent authority
Open ↗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.
Certification of public document executed in Singapore
Open ↗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 of the Model Certificate, subject to any prescribed modifications; and
(c)
placed on, or attached to, the Singapore public document or a copy thereof in the prescribed manner.
(3) Regulations may provide for a certificate to be issued in electronic form, whether or not the underlying public document is also in electronic form.
Grounds for refusing to issue certificate
Open ↗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 authority is not competent to issue the certificate;
(d)
the person requesting for the certificate fails to provide any prescribed information or any other information required by the authority;
(e)
the prescribed fee is not paid;
(f)
any prescribed ground.
(2) A competent authority may refuse to issue a certificate for a public document if any of the following grounds apply:(a)
the authority is unable to verify the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp on the document;
(b)
any prescribed ground.
Register of certificates
Open ↗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 document and the capacity in which he or she acted;
(c)
if applicable, the name of the authority that affixed the seal or stamp on the certified Singapore public document; and
(d)
any other information that may be prescribed.
(3) Regulations must provide for the means by which a person may verify the authenticity of a document purporting to be a certificate issued by a competent authority.
(4) Regulations may provide for a joint register to be kept by 2 or more competent authorities.
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.
