Notaries Public Rules

Notaries Public Act

(Chapter 208, Section 8)

R 1

REVISED EDITION 1999

(1st January 1999)

[1st January 1996]

Citation

1. These Rules may be cited as the Notaries Public Rules.

Definitions

2. In these Rules ––

“Academy” means the Singapore Academy of Law constituted under the Singapore Academy of Law Act (Cap. 294A);

“affidavit” includes affirmation, statutory or other declaration;

“folio” means 100 words, each figure being counted as one word;

“oath” includes affirmation and declaration;

“Secretary” means the Secretary to the Senate;

“Senate” means the Senate of the Academy;

“swear” includes affirm and declare.

Fees

3.—(1) The fees payable to the Academy —

(a)	for an application for appointment or reappointment as a notary public; and
(b)	for each appointment or reappointment as a notary public,

are specified in Part I of the First Schedule.

(2) No fee paid to the Academy for an application mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) is refundable.

(3) The fees payable to a notary public are specified in Part II of the First Schedule.

[S 307/2016 wef 01/07/2016]

Duration of appointment

4. Notaries public shall be appointed for a period of one year and may be reappointed for each subsequent year as the Senate may, in its discretion, decide.

Application procedure

5.—(1) Applications for reappointment as notaries public shall be lodged with the Secretary 2 clear months before the expiry of each preceding period of appointment.

(2) An applicant shall lodge with the Secretary an application for his appointment or reappointment as a notary public, setting forth ––

(a)	his date of admission to the roll of the Supreme Court and the number of years that he has been in practice;
(b)	whether he is or has ever been an undischarged bankrupt or has made an arrangement with his creditors;
(c)	whether he has ever been convicted of any offence;
(d)	whether he has ever been found guilty of any professional misconduct; or
(e)	whether he is or has been the subject of disciplinary proceedings under Part VII of the Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161); and, if so, the date and nature of the complaint, whether the complaint resulted in the appointment of a Disciplinary Committee, and if so, the result of its inquiry.

6. The particulars of every notary public appointed by the Senate shall be registered with the Senate in a register maintained by the Secretary in such form as the Senate may determine.

Instrument of appointment

7.—(1) Every notary public shall upon appointment or reappointment receive a certificate of appointment.

(2) Every notary public shall exercise his appointment or reappointment in accordance with the conditions stated in the certificate of appointment.

(3) Every notary public shall upon appointment or reappointment receive a notary’s stamp from the Academy specifying the expiry date of the appointment or reappointment.

(4) Every notary public shall stamp the expiry date of his appointment or reappointment on every document administered in exercise of his appointment or reappointment.

Notarial Certificate

8.—(1) A notary public must issue and sign a certificate (called in these Rules a Notarial Certificate) for each document attested by the notary public, or in connection with which the notary public has administered an oath or affirmation, in exercise of the notary public’s powers and functions as a notary public.

(2) Every Notarial Certificate must be in the form specified on the Internet website at https://legalisation.sal.sg.

[S 641/2019 wef 01/10/2019]

(3) A Notarial Certificate must be —

(a)	secured to the document for which the Notarial Certificate is issued, with a ribbon that runs through the Notarial Certificate and the document; [S 641/2019 wef 01/10/2019]
(b)	sealed with a seal that is of the pattern set out in the Second Schedule and is issued by the Academy, and that is affixed on the Notarial Certificate over the ribbon mentioned in sub‑paragraph (a) near the ends of that ribbon; and [S 641/2019 wef 01/10/2019]
(c)	authenticated in accordance with the Singapore Academy of Law Rules (Cap. 294A, R 1). [S 641/2019 wef 01/10/2019] [S 44/2017 wef 15/02/2017]

9. Every notary public shall ––

(a)	keep a register of documents administered in exercise of his appointment;
(b)	furnish such information as the Secretary may require; and
(c)	make the register available for inspection by the Secretary upon request.

FIRST SCHEDULE

Rule 3

Part I

Fees Payable to the Academy

1. The fee payable per annum to the Academy by an advocate and solicitor for each appointment or reappointment as a notary public shall be $650.

[S 307/2016 wef 01/07/2016]

2. The application fee payable to the Academy for an application for appointment or reappointment as a notary public is $50.

[S 307/2016 wef 01/07/2016]

Part II

FEES PAYABLE TO A NOTARY PUBLIC

1.—

(1)	Notarial execution by one person to any document

$40

(2)	For a second party to the same document

$20

(3)	For each additional party to the document

$10

(4)	For each exhibit marked on or attached to the document

$10

2.—

(1)	Certificate of declaration of due execution of any document including seal for one person

$75

(2)	For each additional party in the same certificate

$20

(3)	Where document is prepared in notary’s office

half the above fees

Execution by company or corporation with declaration and exhibit

$150

Certified true copies

(a)	Examining and certifying as to the correctness of the copy of any document per page (where seal is required to be affixed)

$10 for the first page and $2 for each subsequent page

(b)	Examining and certifying as to the correctness of the copy of any document per page (where seal is not required to be affixed)

$5 for the first page and $1 for each subsequent page

(c)	Where a Notarial Certificate and are required to be affixed

$75

(d)	Preparing and completing a special Notarial Certificate in addition to the foregoing charges

$75 (No additional charge to be made for each Certificate)

Notarial Certificate and seal on certificate of origin or consular invoices

$40

6.—

(1)	Statutory declaration for one party

$40

(2)	For a second party to the same statutory declaration

$20

(3)	For each additional party to the statutory declaration

$10

(4)	For each exhibit marked on or attached to the statutory declaration

$10

Bill of Exchange

(a)	Noting — including registering facsimile copy

$50

(b)	Protesting

$100

(c)	Noting and Protesting at same time plus time and travelling expenses up to one hour

$150

(d)	Each hour thereafter

$50

Ships Protest

(a)	Noting Protest prepared by Notary

$150

(b)	Certified copy of Note of Protest with seal

$50

(c)	Extending Protest including drafting and engrossing per page

$75

(d)	Registering Protest per page

$20

(e)	Notarial seal on Protest

$40

(f)	Notarially certified copy per page (without seal)

$20

All other notarial acts not specifically mentioned in this Schedule, a notary public may charge such fee as may be considered reasonable in the circumstances.

SECOND SCHEDULE

Rule 8(3)(b)

Certification seal

[S 44/2017 wef 15/02/2017]

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Notaries Public Rules

This Legislative History is provided for the convenience of users of the Notaries Public Rules. It is not part of these Rules.

G. N. No. S 561/1995—Notaries Public Rules 1995

Date of commencement

Date not available

1996 Revised Edition—Notaries Public Rules

Date of operation

15 May 1996

G. N. No. S 472/1996—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 1996

Date of commencement

1 November 1996

G. N. No. S 435/1998—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 1998

Date of commencement

1 September 1998

1999 Revised Edition—Notaries Public Rules

Date of operation

1 January 1999

G. N. No. S 460/2008—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 2008

Date of commencement

15 September 2008

G.N. No. S 307/2016—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 2016

Date of commencement

1 July 2016

G.N. No. S 44/2017—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 2017

Date of commencement

15 February 2017

G.N. No. S 641/2019—Notaries Public (Amendment) Rules 2019

Date of commencement

1 October 2019