Apostille Act 2020 - Singapore Statutes Online

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE

ACTS SUPPLEMENT

Published by Authority

NO. 39]

Friday, December 11

[2020

The following Act was passed by Parliament on 2 November 2020 and assented to by the President on 25 November 2020:—

Apostille Act 2020

(No. 38 of 2020)

I assent.

HALIMAH YACOB,

President.

25 November 2020.

Date of Commencement: 20 January 2021 Section 21(2)

Date of Commencement: 16 September 2021 Sections 2 to 20, 21(1) and the Schedules

An Act to give effect to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at the Hague on 5 October 1961, and for connected purposes, and to make related amendments to certain other Acts.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act is the Apostille Act 2020 and comes into operation on a date that the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Convention” means the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at the Hague on 5 October 1961, the English text of which is set out in the First Schedule;

“Convention State” means a State Party to the Convention other than Singapore, but does not include —

(a)	any State Party that objected to Singapore’s accession to the Convention; and
(b)	any State Party whose accession to the Convention Singapore objected to;

“Model Certificate” means the model certificate set out in the Annex to the Convention.

Purpose

3.—(1) The purpose of this Act is to give effect to the Convention.

(2) Part 2 —

(a)	exempts foreign public documents (as defined in that Part) from any requirement of legalisation; and
(b)	provides for the effect of certificates issued under the Convention and facilitates (but does not require) their use.

(3) Part 3 provides for certificates to be issued under the Convention for Singapore public documents (as defined in that Part).

Act binds Government

4. This Act binds the Government.

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