Does your translation need to be notarised?

The three levels, briefly

Certified means a professional translation company attests, in a signed certificate of accuracy, that the translation is a true rendering of what was supplied. Whether that is sufficient on its own depends entirely on who is receiving it: MOM accepts a translation from a translation service provider, while ICA asks for an embassy or notary translation, or a private one that is then attested or notarised.

Notarised means a notary public has attested the document with their seal on top of that. The notary is not checking the translation. They are providing a formal act that an overseas authority recognises.

Apostilled means a further stamp confirming the notary is genuine, for documents going to a country that accepts apostilles. Countries that do not accept them ask for consular legalisation instead.

For a translation, each is added to the one before: the translation is certified, the certified translation is notarised, and it is the notarised document that gets the apostille.

The rule of thumb

Staying in Singapore: it depends on the authority, and ICA is the one that catches people out. MOM says a translation can be done by a translation service provider. ICA asks for a translation from an embassy or a notary public, or a private translation that has then been attested or notarised, and says it does not endorse private translation companies. So an ICA application normally needs notarisation on top of the translation.

Going overseas: expect notarisation, and check whether the destination country wants an apostille as well.

This is a rule of thumb and not a rule. Institutions set their own requirements and they differ more than people expect, including between two departments of the same organisation.

How to find out for certain

Ask the office receiving your document which of the three they need, and ask in writing. It is one email, and it is the only answer that counts. A translator cannot tell you, because it is not a translation question.

If they say "certified" without elaborating, ask whether they mean certified by a translation company or notarised by a notary public. Those words are used interchangeably by people who do not have to distinguish between them, and the difference is several weeks.

If it is the notary you need, not the translation

Sometimes the document is already in English and only the notarisation is missing. In that case there is nothing to translate, and what you are looking for is a notary public rather than a translation company.