Guides
The questions that come up before anyone thinks about a translation: what authorities send back and why, how names are handled across documents, and which level of certification you need.
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Why certified translations get rejected
Almost every rejection we see comes down to one of a handful of causes, and none of them is the quality of the translation itself. They are process problems, and every one of them is avoidable before you order.
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Chinese names on official documents
One set of characters, three different spellings, three documents that no longer obviously belong to the same person. This is the single most common problem in certified translation in this region, and it is not a translation error.
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Does your translation need notarising?
Most documents need only a certified translation. Some need notarisation on top. A few need an apostille on top of that. Ordering the wrong level is the most expensive mistake available here, and it is entirely avoidable.
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Documents for a Singapore PR application
A permanent residence application is a paperwork exercise before it is anything else, and for anyone whose records are not in English, translation sits on the critical path. This guide covers the translation side, not the eligibility side.
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Converting a foreign driving licence
Most people discover the translation requirement late, because the licence in their wallet has worked everywhere else. If it is not in English, it has to be readable before it can be relied on here.
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Getting married in Singapore as a foreigner
Registering a marriage means proving two things: who you are, and that you are free to marry. Where the documents proving either are not in English, they are read in translation, and the registry is checking that they agree with one another.
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Enrolling a child in a Singapore school
Families arriving mid-year are doing this against a start date, which is what makes the paperwork urgent rather than merely tedious. The translation part is small, but it sits at the front of the queue.
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Documents for an Employment Pass application
Pass applications arrive with a start date attached, which is why the translation question tends to surface as an urgent one. The documents involved are predictable, and so is the timing problem.
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The hukou, explained
The household register, or hukou, is asked for because of what it proves rather than what it says. For many applicants it is the only documentary evidence of a family relationship that an authority will accept.
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Apostille in Singapore
An apostille authenticates a document for use in another country. It says nothing about what the document contains, and nothing about whether a translation attached to it is any good. It is worth understanding what it does before paying for one.
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When an apostille is not enough
Not every country accepts apostilles. For those that do not, the route is consular legalisation, which is longer, slower and more sensitive to being done in the wrong order.
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Send your document, get a quote
Attach a scan or a photograph. We reply with a fixed price and a turnaround, usually same day.
- A fixed price agreed before any work starts
- A signed certificate of accuracy with every translation
- Most languages, whether or not they are listed here
- Usually quoted same day
- Held in confidence and deleted automatically after 30 days, or sooner if requested