Terms and conditions

1 Definitions

• “We”, “us”, “our” means ICA Translations Singapore, of 7 Temasek Boulevard, #12-07, Suntec Tower One, Singapore 038987.
• “You”, “the client” means the person or organisation placing an order, whether for themselves or on behalf of another.
• “Source document” means the material you send us for translation, in any format.
• “Deliverable” means the completed translation and any certification, notarisation or legalisation supplied with it.
• “Order” means a quotation issued by us and accepted by you.

2 Our services

We provide translation of documents, certification of accuracy, and, where instructed, arrangement of notarisation, Singapore Academy of Law authentication, apostille and consular legalisation. We also provide transcription of audio and video material.

We do not provide immigration, legal, tax or financial advice. Nothing we say about what an authority is likely to require constitutes advice, and you remain responsible for confirming your own requirements with the authority concerned.

3 Quotations

1. Quotations are based on the material and information you provide at the time of enquiry.
2. A quotation is valid for thirty days unless stated otherwise.
3. The quoted figure is fixed. It covers translation, certification, and delivery within Singapore, together with any add-on services expressly listed in it.
4. If, after work begins, the source document proves materially different from what was supplied — additional pages, illegible sections, a document type other than described — we will stop and issue a revised quotation. We will not carry out additional chargeable work without your written approval.
5. Quotations for third-party services such as notarisation, authentication or apostille include the disbursements known to us at the time. If a government body changes its fees, we will pass on the change at cost with evidence.

4 Placing an order

An order is formed when you accept a quotation in writing, including by email or messaging application. Acceptance constitutes agreement to these terms.

Where you instruct us on behalf of another person, you confirm that you have that person’s authority to share their documents and personal data with us.

5 What we need from you

The quality and acceptability of a translation depends partly on what you give us. You are responsible for:

• Providing complete, legible copies of the source document, including every side that carries text, stamps or endorsements.
• Telling us the exact spelling of names as they appear on the passport, NRIC or other document the translation will sit beside.
• Telling us which authority the translation is for and forwarding any letter, email or checklist that specifies the requirement.
• Telling us at the outset if notarisation, authentication or an apostille is required, and any deadline that applies.
• Responding to queries we raise during the work. Delay in responding extends the delivery date accordingly.

We are not responsible for consequences arising from incomplete, illegible or inaccurate material, or from requirements you did not disclose to us.

6 Turnaround

1. Delivery times quoted are working-day estimates and run from receipt of cleared payment or written confirmation, whichever we have specified.
2. Same-day delivery applies to orders confirmed before 11:00 Singapore time on a working day, subject to document length and complexity.
3. Timeframes for notarisation, Academy of Law authentication, apostille and consular legalisation depend on third-party availability. We will give our best estimate and keep you informed, but we cannot guarantee the schedule of an external body.
4. Where we will miss an agreed date, we will tell you as soon as we know.

7 Fees and payment

1. Payment is due on acceptance of the quotation unless we have agreed credit terms in writing.
2. We accept PayNow, bank transfer, and credit or debit card. Bank charges on international transfers are for your account.
3. Corporate and law firm accounts may be invoiced monthly, payable within fourteen days of invoice date.
4. Prices are stated in Singapore dollars.
5. We may withhold delivery of a completed deliverable until payment has been received in full.
6. Overdue invoices on credit accounts may attract interest at 1% per month on the outstanding balance.

8 Cancellation

• Before work begins: cancel at no charge and receive a full refund of anything paid.
• After work begins: you are charged for the proportion of work completed, assessed reasonably, plus any third-party disbursement already incurred.
• After notarisation or authentication has taken place: those fees are not recoverable, as the act has been performed and the disbursement paid.
• Completed and delivered orders cannot be cancelled, but remain covered by sections 9 and 10.

9 Accuracy, revisions and complaints

1. Every translation is prepared by a translator who is a native speaker of the source language and checked by a second reviewer before release.
2. If you believe the deliverable contains an error, tell us within fourteen days of delivery, identifying the specific passage. We will investigate and, where the objection is well founded, correct and reissue at no charge and as a priority.
3. Matters of style or preference are not errors. Where you require particular terminology, tell us before work begins and we will apply it.
4. Where a name, date or identifier has been reproduced exactly as it appears in the source document, that is not an error even if the source document is itself wrong. We will add a translator’s note where a discrepancy exists and you have drawn it to our attention.

10 Acceptance guarantee

If a submission is returned or rejected by ICA, MOM, ROM or another authority because of the translation we supplied, we will correct and reissue the deliverable free of charge and at the front of our queue. If it still cannot be accepted, we will refund in full what you paid us for that deliverable.

The guarantee does not extend to:

• Rejections caused by anything other than our translation — a missing supporting document, an expired certificate, an incomplete application form, an ineligible applicant, or a discretionary decision by the authority.
• Requirements you did not tell us about before the work was done, including a requirement for notarisation or legalisation.
• Source documents that were incomplete, altered or not genuine.
• Deliverables that have been modified, retyped, edited or had their binding broken after we issued them.
• Consequential losses of any kind, including appointment fees, travel costs, lost earnings or delay to an application.

To claim, send us the authority’s written communication setting out the reason for the return, within thirty days of receiving it.

11 Notarisation, authentication and legalisation

1. Notarisation is performed by an independent Notary Public appointed in Singapore. We arrange and attend the appointment; the notarial act itself is the notary’s, not ours.
2. Each notarised set is a separate notarial act. Additional sealed originals are charged separately.
3. We cannot notarise a translation produced by another party, because our translator can only attest to work our own team has prepared and reviewed.
4. Authentication is performed by the Singapore Academy of Law and an apostille is issued under its authority. Consular legalisation, where required, is performed by the relevant embassy.
5. We do not warrant that a foreign authority will accept an apostilled or legalised document, as acceptance is at that authority’s discretion.

12 Confidentiality

We treat all source documents and the information in them as confidential. Access is restricted to the personnel working on your order, each of whom is bound by a written confidentiality undertaking. We will not disclose your material except as described in our privacy policy or where compelled by law.

We do not use client documents to develop or train machine translation or artificial intelligence systems.

13 Intellectual property

1. You retain all rights in the source document and warrant that you are entitled to have it translated.
2. Copyright in the translated text passes to you upon payment in full.
3. We retain the right to be identified as the translator on the certification page, which is a requirement of the certification itself.
4. You may not remove, alter or obscure our certification, letterhead or company details on any deliverable.

14 Prohibited use

You must not ask us to translate, alter or certify any document that is forged, falsified or fraudulently obtained, and you must not modify a deliverable we have issued. Where we have reasonable grounds to believe a document is not genuine, we will decline the order, retain any disbursements already incurred, and where legally required report the matter.

15 Limitation of liability

1. Our total liability arising out of or in connection with an order, whether in contract, tort, negligence or otherwise, is limited to the amount you paid us for that order.
2. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of opportunity, delay to an application, rescheduled appointments, travel or accommodation costs, or immigration outcomes.
3. We are not liable for the decisions, timelines, fee changes or requirements of any government body, court, embassy or notary.
4. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else which cannot lawfully be limited.

16 Events beyond our control

We are not in breach of these terms if performance is prevented or delayed by an event outside our reasonable control, including public holidays and government office closures, industrial action, failure of a courier or payment provider, power or network failure, epidemic, or an act of government. We will tell you promptly and take reasonable steps to reduce the effect.

17 Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate an order where payment is overdue, where you fail to provide material or instructions needed to continue, or where section 14 applies. Termination does not affect any right or liability that has already accrued.

18 Third-party rights

A person who is not a party to these terms has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 2001 to enforce any of them.

19 Changes to these terms

We may amend these terms from time to time. The version applying to your order is the version published on this page when your order was accepted. Continued use of our services after an amendment constitutes acceptance of the amended terms for subsequent orders.

20 Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of Singapore. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Singapore. Before commencing proceedings, both parties agree to attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute through discussion, and may refer it to mediation at the Singapore Mediation Centre.

21 Contact

Questions about these terms should be sent to hello@icatranslationsingapore.com or raised on +65 3129 4104. Our postal address is 7 Temasek Boulevard, #12-07, Suntec Tower One, Singapore 038987.

These terms should be read together with our privacy policy, which explains how we handle personal data.