If you are applying for PR in Singapore, one thing that stops most applications from going through smoothly is documents in a foreign language. ICA does not accept them as they are.
Every non-English document in your PR application needs to be translated into English — and that translation must be notarized by a SAL-registered notary public in Singapore. Without this, ICA will send your documents back and your application gets delayed. Here is the exact process to get it done right, the first time.
Step 1 — Check Which of Your Documents Need Notarized Translation
Before anything else, go through your full PR document checklist. Pull out every document that is not fully written in English.
ICA does not accept any foreign-language document as it is — even if it is partially in English. If your birth certificate has even one section in Malay, Chinese, or any other language, the whole document needs a notarized English translation.
The most common documents PR applicants need to get translated are:
- Birth certificate
- Marriage or divorce certificate
- University degree and academic transcripts
- Employment contract
- Overseas payslips or income tax documents
Step 2 — Send Us a Clear Scan of Your Document
You do not need to visit our office to get started. Take a clear photo or scan of your document and send it to our notarized translation services Singapore via WhatsApp or email.
We will review it and come back to you with:
- The exact price for translation and notarization
- The delivery timeline
- Whether SAL authentication is needed for your specific document
No guesswork. You know exactly what you are paying and when you will get it back — before we begin.
Step 3 — Our Translator Converts Your Document Into English
A qualified translator who is a native speaker of your document’s language handles the translation. Every name, date, address, and official term is translated word for word.
Nothing is summarized or skipped. ICA checks translations carefully — any missing section or inaccurate detail is enough to get your application sent back.
We handle 200+ languages including Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Tamil, Hindi, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, and more. Our ICA notarized translation service is specifically built around ICA’s document requirements for PR applications.
Step 4 — Our SAL-Registered Notary Public Stamps the Translation
This is the step most people miss — and the main reason PR applications get rejected.
A regular English translation is not enough. ICA requires the translation to be notarized by a SAL-registered notary public in Singapore. The notary public reviews the translation against the original document, signs it, and stamps it with the official notary seal.
Without this stamp, your document will not be accepted.
Our notary public is SAL-registered and every translated document goes through this step before it leaves our office.
Step 5 — Receive Your Documents and Submit to ICA
Once notarization is done, we deliver your completed documents. You can choose:
- Physical delivery — hard copy sent to your address in Singapore
- Email delivery — soft copy PDF sent to you
Standard orders are ready in 2 to 3 working days. If your PR submission deadline is close, our express service delivers in 24 hours.
Attach the notarized translation to your original document and submit both to ICA together.
Do You Need SAL Authentication on Top of Notarization?
For most PR applications — notarized translation alone is enough.
SAL authentication is a separate step that is usually required for Singapore citizenship applications — not standard PR. However, if ICA has specifically mentioned SAL authentication in their request to you, then yes, you need it in addition to notarization.
Not sure which one applies to you?
Read our related blog — What Is SAL Authentication and When Do You Need It?
It covers the exact difference so you do not pay for something you do not need, or miss something ICA is asking for.
Which Documents Cause the Most PR Application Delays?
After handling thousands of PR documents, these are the ones applicants most often get wrong:
Malaysian birth certificates — Many applicants think their Malay birth certificate is fine because it uses the Roman alphabet. ICA still requires a notarized English translation. Our birth certificate notarized translation service handles this specifically for ICA PR submissions.
Chinese household registers — Every page of this document must be fully translated and notarized. Partial translations are rejected.
University degrees with mixed languages — If your degree has any part — a university stamp, your name, or a subject name — written in a foreign language, that needs to be covered in the translation.
Overseas divorce certificates — If you have been divorced and the certificate is from a foreign country, ICA needs a notarized English translation regardless of which country issued it.
If you are also submitting employment documents to MoM as part of your PR application, our MoM notarized translation service handles employment contracts, payslips, and qualification documents specifically for MoM submissions.
How Much Does It Cost?
For a full breakdown with exact prices for every document type, read our related blog — Notarized Translation Cost in Singapore — Complete Price Guide 2026.
Quick guide:
- Single-page documents like birth or marriage certificates — from SGD 50
- Multi-page documents — priced by page count and language pair
- Express 24-hour service — additional charge on standard price
We confirm the exact price before any work begins.
Before You Submit to ICA — Run This Checklist
- ✅ Every non-English document has a complete English translation
- ✅ Every translation has the official SAL-registered notary public seal
- ✅ Names, dates, and details match across all your documents
- ✅ You have both the original and the notarized translation ready
- ✅ If ICA asked for SAL authentication, that is done separately
One small mismatch — a name spelled differently, or a missing page — is enough for ICA to reject your submission. We check all of this before handing over your documents.
