How It Works

The process

Four steps. Your part takes about a minute.

Each stage has to finish before the next one starts, which is why they are numbered. You send the document and you approve the quote — the rest is our side of the job, and nothing is billed until you say yes.

1

Send the document

WhatsApp, the form on this page, or email — all three land at the same desk. A clear photo taken on your phone is enough to quote from and, in most cases, enough to translate from. If you have a scan, send that; if you do not, do not go looking for one.

What we need from you

A legible image of every page, front and back
The authority you are submitting to
Your deadline, if you have one
Preferred spelling of names, if it matters

What you do not need

An account or password
A scanner or a specific file type
Payment or card details at this stage
To know whether notarisation applies

Takes about 30 seconds

2

Receive a fixed quote

A coordinator reads the document, counts the pages the way the receiving authority will count them, and checks whether your submission needs certification alone or notarisation as well. You get one figure, one delivery date, and a plain statement of what is included. Nothing starts until you reply yes.

The quote tells you

Total price, fixed, valid 14 days
Exact delivery date and time
Whether notarisation is genuinely required
Any page that may count as two

We flag problems now

Pages too dark or cropped to read
A missing reverse side or annex
An expired or superseded original
A deadline we cannot honestly meet

Within 15 minutes, Mon–Sat 9 AM – 6 PM

3

We translate and certify

Your file goes to a native-speaker translator matched to the document type, not just the language. A second linguist checks it against the original, then the certification block, company stamp and signed translator declaration are applied in the position Singapore authorities expect. You are not needed during this stage.

Carried across exactly

Names, transliterated consistently
Dates converted to the expected format
Identification and registration numbers
Issuing authority and place of issue

Marked, not skipped

Every stamp described in brackets
Seals noted, even where illegible
Signatures recorded as present
Original tables and layout preserved

24–48 hours · same day available

4

Collect and submit

The certified PDF reaches your inbox on the agreed date. If your submission needs a stamped hard copy, we courier it free anywhere in Singapore or hold it at the Suntec office for collection. If anything needs adjusting — a name spelled differently on your passport, say — tell us within seven days and we correct it at no charge.

How you receive it

Certified PDF by email, always included
Stamped hard copy by courier, free in SG
Collection from Suntec Tower One
Extra certified sets on request

After delivery

Free minor amendments for 7 days
Free redo if rejected through our error
Files deleted after 30 days
Reprints available while we hold the file

Same day as delivery · courier adds 1 day

Before you send

Thirty seconds of care here saves you a day later.

Almost every delay we see starts with an image we cannot read. Thirty seconds of care here saves a day later.

This works

Lay the document flat on a plain surface
Shoot straight down, not at an angle
Use daylight or even indoor light
Fill the frame — all four corners inside it
One photo per page, including the reverse
Include stamps, seals and margin notes

This causes delays

Flash glare washing out a stamp
A corner or edge cut off
Shooting through a plastic sleeve
Skipping the back of a certificate
Screenshots of screenshots
Cropping out the issuing authority block

Faded, handwritten and older documents are usually fine — readability matters far more than age or condition. If part of a page genuinely cannot be made out, we tell you before starting rather than guessing at it.

Realistic timings

Know your delivery date before you promise anyone a deadline.

End to end, from the moment you send the document to the moment you can submit it. Working days, Monday to Saturday.

End-to-end turnaround by service level
Service level	What is involved	Soft copy ready	Total, end to end
Standard certified The default for ICA, MOM, IRAS, ACRA and HDB	Translation, review, certification	24–48 hours	1–2 days+1 day if courier
Same-day certified Subject to translator availability, confirmed before payment	Priority lane, same review steps	By 6 PM same day	Same daysend before 11 AM
Certified + notarised Notary Public verifies the translator's signature	Certification, then notary appointment	2–3 days	3–4 daysnotary schedule applies
Certified + notarised + legalised Singapore Academy of Law authentication	Certification, notary, then SAL	4–6 days	5–7 daysSAL schedule applies
Full embassy attestation Where the destination country requires its own stamp	All of the above, then the embassy	Varies	7–15 daysembassy dependent
Bulk or corporate batch 15+ documents with shared terminology	Glossary agreed first, then parallel work	3–7 days	Scheduledagreed in advance

Notary and Academy of Law timings depend on their appointment availability, not on us. We book the earliest slot and tell you the date in the quote rather than promising an average. Prices for each level are on the pricing page.

Choosing a level

Do not pay for a certification level you do not need.

Most people are told to get "an official translation" without being told which kind. These are the three levels and who actually asks for each.

Level 1 — most common

Certified translation

The translation carries a signed statement of accuracy, the translator's credentials and the company stamp. This is what Singapore government agencies ask for when an original is not in English.

Asked for by: ICA, MOM, IRAS, ACRA, HDB, LTA, Singapore universities, most local employers and insurers.

Level 2 — adds a notary

Notarised translation

A Notary Public witnesses and verifies the translator's signature on the certification. The notary is confirming who signed it, not re-checking the translation itself.

Asked for by: Some embassies, foreign universities, overseas property and inheritance matters, certain corporate filings abroad.

Level 3 — adds authentication

Legalised translation

After notarisation, the Singapore Academy of Law authenticates the notary's seal. Some destination countries then require their embassy to add a final stamp on top.

Asked for by: Foreign governments, overseas courts, and countries that do not accept a Singapore notarisation on its own.

If you are unsure, send the request letter or the checklist you were given. We read it and tell you the level you actually need — we do not sell the higher one by default.

Honest expectations

The eight things that slow a job down — and how to dodge them.

None of these are common, but all of them are real. Knowing them in advance is usually enough to avoid them.

A reverse side that was never sent, discovered mid-translation
Name spellings that differ between the document and the passport
Notary and Academy of Law appointment availability
Public holidays, which pause both notary and courier steps
Rare language pairs waiting on a specific qualified translator
Documents sent after 6 PM or on a Sunday, which start the next morning
Quotes approved late, since the clock starts at approval
Embassy attestation, where timing is entirely the embassy's

Where a delay is on our side, you hear it from us first — with a revised date — rather than finding out on the deadline.

Start now

Step one takes thirty seconds. We do the rest.

Send the document and tell us who it is going to. You will have a fixed price, a firm date, and a clear answer on whether notarisation applies — usually before you have finished your coffee.

No account, no card details to get a quote
A phone photo is enough to start
We confirm the level your authority requires
Nothing charged until you approve in writing

Send it on WhatsApp instead

Get Your Free Quote

Reply within 15 minutes · No spam

Deadline

PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC/DOCX · up to 10 files

Secure & confidential. No spam.

Process questions

Still deciding? Start here.

Questions about how the work runs. For prices see pricing; for everything else see the full FAQ page.

No. We translate from a clear image or scan. The original stays with you, which matters because most authorities want to see the original alongside the translation when you submit. If you would rather hand it over in person, you are welcome to bring it to the Suntec office instead.

At the moment you approve the quote, not when you first send the document. If you approve a 24-hour job at 10 AM on Tuesday, it is with you by 10 AM Wednesday. Approvals that arrive after 6 PM or on a Sunday start the following working morning.

Yes, for seven days after delivery, at no charge, for anything that is genuinely an amendment — a name spelled to match your passport, a corrected date of issue, an address format the authority prefers. Retranslating because the underlying document changed is quoted as new work.

Tell us the authority and, if you have one, forward the checklist or request letter they gave you. We read it and state the level in the quote. For submissions inside Singapore, certification alone is usually sufficient and we will say so rather than adding a notary step you do not need.

The assigned translator, the reviewing linguist and your coordinator. Nobody else on the team can open the file. An NDA is available on request before you send anything, and files are deleted 30 days after delivery unless you ask us to keep them.

Message us as soon as you know. If the job has not started we simply reschedule it. If it is in progress and you need it sooner, we will tell you honestly whether the urgent lane can still make your date — we would rather say no than take the surcharge and miss it.

Send it now. Fixed quote back in 15 minutes.

Send a photo of the document. We handle the counting, the certification, the notary if you need one, and the delivery.

Send my document WhatsApp us

4Steps, start to finish 15 minTo a fixed quote 24 hStandard delivery 510K+Documents processed

Send a photo today. Submit a certified translation tomorrow.