Our same day apostille service in Singapore is for people with a visa appointment, a flight, a deal closing or a registry deadline that cannot move. The good news is that SAL itself is quick: documents are processed at its counter at 1 Coleman Street and handed back the same visit. What usually slows things down is everything around SAL, such as finding a notary, fixing a document SAL will reject, or waiting for an embassy.
We are a private service provider and are not affiliated with the Singapore Academy of Law. We cannot jump SAL's queue; we make sure your document reaches the counter early, correct and ready to be accepted.
Documents that can be apostilled the same day
Usually same day, with no notary needed
- ICA birth and death certificates, including printouts of digital certificates with a working QR code
- ROM and ROMM marriage certificates
- Police Certificates of Clearance that have already been issued
- Degree certificates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUSS, SUTD, polytechnics and ITE
- Court documents and documents issued by ministries or statutory boards
These are public documents. SAL apostilles the original directly for SGD 10.70, so the only question is getting them to the counter in time.
Same day if the notary slot fits
- Powers of attorney, statutory declarations and travel consent letters
- Certified copies of passports and ID cards
- Company resolutions and director declarations
These need an express notary appointment first. A simple notarisation is usually completed at a single appointment, and then SAL authenticates it for SGD 87.20.
Fastest of all: e-Apostille. ACRA Business Profiles and Business Certificates in digital format can receive an e-Apostille by email within minutes, with no counter visit. The recipient must accept the digital file, since a printout of an e-Apostille has no legal effect.
A parent needed a travel consent letter for a child, notarised and apostilled, for a flight the next morning. That timeline can work only if the letter is drafted in advance, both parents' details are checked, and the notary appointment leaves time to reach SAL before the counter closes at 4:30pm.
Same-day cut-off times
SAL's counter is open Monday to Friday only, from 9:00am to 4:30pm, and closes at 12:30pm on the eves of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. Our cut-offs allow time to check the document, reach The Adelphi and queue.
| Cut-off | For | Ready by |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30am | Notarised documents (signature or certified copy) | Same day, by 5:00pm |
| 10:30am | Notarised documents, when a notary slot is available | Same day, by 6:00pm |
| 12:00pm | Public documents, doorstep collection | Same day, by 5:00pm |
| 2:30pm | Public documents already dropped at our office | Same day, by 6:00pm |
A working day here means Monday to Friday, excluding Singapore public holidays. Documents received on a Saturday or Sunday, or after the cut-off, go to SAL on the next working day. On the short eves of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, we confirm same-day timing case by case. If you cannot get to us, our doorstep apostille service can collect; book by 11am for same-day service.
What can delay an urgent apostille
Most delays are avoidable if you send us a photo before you travel.
- Laminated originals. SAL cannot stamp a laminated document. It may copy it and apostille the copy, for SGD 11.77 in total (the SGD 10.70 fee plus SGD 1.07 for copying), but check first whether your receiving authority accepts that.
- Faded, damaged or altered documents. These are rejected outright.
- Faulty QR codes on digital certificates. A printed digital birth or marriage certificate must be an exact reproduction with a working QR code.
- Handwritten names on digital birth certificates. These may need ICA verification first, which adds time, so they are rarely ready the same day.
- Documents not in English. SAL does not accept documents that are not in English or bilingual with English, so a translation route is needed.
- Pending police certificates. A Certificate of Clearance must be issued before it can be apostilled; a pending application cannot.
- Signed too early. A notary witnessing a signature normally needs to see it made, so a document signed in advance may have to be re-signed. Leave documents unsigned.
- Wrong spelling. A misspelled name on a translation or declaration means re-doing the document. We proof-read against the passport first.
SAL's fees are non-refundable and its counter staff make the final decision, which may differ from earlier guidance. That is why we check before we queue.
Express embassy legalisation
For countries outside the Apostille Convention, the embassy stage is usually the slowest part, and embassies set their own hours.
- UAE Embassy in Singapore: accepts submissions Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 11:30am, with collection from 2:00pm to 3:30pm, and takes 0 to 3 working days. Because submissions close at 11:30am, a same-day SAL apostille normally goes to the UAE Embassy the next morning. See UAE embassy attestation.
- Royal Thai Embassy: documents for Thailand still need embassy legalisation until 28 February 2027. The embassy accepts documents Monday to Thursday, 9:30am to 11:30am, and publishes a processing time of 3–5 working days, with no express option listed. See apostille for Thailand.
- Malaysian High Commission: legalises Singapore documents after SAL. Its processing time is set by the High Commission, so we confirm the current timing when we book. See Malaysia document legalisation.
For a realistic "by Friday" plan, count SAL as day one and the embassy as day two or later. Our embassy legalisation service page explains each embassy's stage in more detail.
Urgent apostille pricing
Government fees do not change for urgent work: SAL still charges SGD 10.70 for a public document and SGD 87.20 for a notarised one, and notary scale fees stay the same. What changes is our work.
| Urgent item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Same-day express surcharge | from SGD 25 per document |
| Notary + apostille, all-in | from SGD 185 (certified copy) or SGD 215 (signature) |
| Courier return within Singapore | from SGD 10 |
| Doorstep collection | from SGD 20 per order |
| Evening or weekend notary supplement | from SGD 29 |
The full fee breakdown, including worked examples, is on our apostille price page. We confirm whether same-day completion is realistic before charging any express fee.
Ready when you are
Book an urgent apostille today
Send us a photo of the document, the destination country and your exact deadline now, and we will tell you within 30 minutes, during opening hours, whether same-day completion is realistic.
Last verified 29 September 2026. We are a private service provider and are not affiliated with the Singapore Academy of Law.