Apostille in Singapore: what it is and when you need one
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.
What an apostille actually certifies
It confirms that the signature and seal on a document are genuine, so that an official in another country can rely on them without knowing the person who signed.
That is all it does. It does not check the content, and it does not check a translation. Those are separate assurances, provided by separate people, earlier in the chain.
The order matters, and it cannot be reordered
Where a translation is involved, the usual sequence is: translate and certify, then notarise, then apostille. What gets apostilled is the notarised document, which means the translation has to exist and be notarised before the apostille can be applied to it.
Doing these out of sequence is the ordinary reason a document has to be redone from the beginning. It is also the most expensive mistake available in this process.
Whether you need one at all
Apostilles matter for documents going to countries that accept them. For a document staying in Singapore, a certified translation is usually enough, and an apostille adds cost and delay for nothing.
Whether the destination accepts apostilles, and whether it wants one here, is a question for whoever is receiving the document. Ask them before ordering anything.
If the destination does not accept apostilles
Not every country does. Those that do not ask for consular legalisation instead, which is a longer chain involving the relevant embassy.