Apostille Australia

  • We have a solicitor and notary public available at our Head Office in Sydney during business hours for general advice on Apostilles and Legalisation processes
  • We serve all of Sydney NSW & interstate regions
  • We operate Australia and world wide and welcome instructions from VIC QLD ACT WA NT & overseas clients
  • Our services are fast and confidential
  • Birth, Death & Marriage Certificates, Powers of Attorney, & Notarised Affidavits and Contracts are our most popular certified documents
  • We are your online source for all Australian Apostille, Authentication and Legalisation information and services
  • We welcome enquiries from overseas clients requiring an Apostille on an Australian document

Convention de La Haye | The Hague Convention

An Apostille Certificate issued by the Australian Government replaces the more expensive and cumbersome procedure of full Embassy or Consulate document legalisation.

It fast tracks the acceptance of Australian public documents for use in foreign countries.

Apostille is a French word (pronounced "ah-poh-steel"), meaning a Certificate issued by a government of a country, authenticating the signature and | or seal of a public official on a public document intended for use in another country.

The Hague Convention - Convention de La Haye

It is commonly referred to in English as the legalisation of a public document for international use, in accordance with the terms of the "1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents."

Public documents, including documents notarised by a Notary Public, which have been affixed or attached with an Apostille Certificate by the Australian Government, will be automatically accepted for legal use in foreign countries which are signatories to the Hague Convention.

The Australian Government ratified the Hague Convention on 9th August, 1994 and commenced issuing Apostille Certificates on the 16th March, 1995.

Many countries have still to adopt the Hague Apostille Convention, and those that have not insist on full document legalisation of Australian public documents at their Embassies or Consulates located in Australia or sometimes outside Australia.

There are approximately thirty (30) foreign countries that do not have Embassies or Consulates in Australia. Most of those countries have made arrangements with other countries represented here to assist them with the legalisation of Australian public documents required for use in their countries; otherwise, their Embassies or Consulates located in nearby countries assist.

As at 1st January, 2010, the following countries have AGREED to participate in "The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents"...

  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Cayman Islands
  • China (Hong Kong-Special Administrative Region (SAR) only)
  • China (Macau-Special Administrative Region (SAR) only)
  • Columbia
  • Comoros Islands
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • El Salvador
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France, including:
    • French Guiana
    • French Polynesia
    • Guadeloupe
    • Martinique
    • New Caledonia
    • Reunion
    • St. Pierre & Miquelon
    • Wallis and Futuna
  • Germany
  • Georgia
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guernsey
  • Guyana
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Kazakhstan
  • Latvia
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macedonia
  • Malawi
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Netherlands (The), including:
    • Aruba
    • Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Bonaire, St Martin, St Eustatius, & Saba)
    • Suriname
  • Niue
  • Norway
  • Panama
  • Portugal, including:
    • Angola
    • Mozambique
    • Macao
    • All overseas territories
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • St. Christopher (Kitts) & Nevis
  • St. Georgia & South Sandwich Islands
  • St. Helena
  • St Pierre & Miquelon
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino, Republic of
  • Seychelles
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Suriname
  • Swaziland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tonga
  • Turkey
  • Tuvalu
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, including:
    • Anguilla
    • Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • Bermuda
    • Brunei
    • British Antarctic Territory
    • British Virgin Islands
    • Cayman Islands
    • Dominica
    • Falkland Islands
    • Gibraltar
    • Guernsey
    • Isle of Man
    • Jersey
    • Montserrat
    • Mauritius
    • St. Georgia & the South Sandwich Island
    • St Helena
    • Tonga & Caicos Islands
    • Turks & Caicos
    • Virgin Islands, British
  • United States of America (USA), including:
    • 50 States
    • The District of Columbia
    • American Samoa
    • Guam (Territory of)
    • Puerto Rico
    • US Virgin Islands
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Yugoslavia

An Apostille Certificate is sufficient if your Australian public document is required to operate in any of the above participating Hague Convention countries.

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Notary Services: If you require your document to be notarised prior to obtaining an Apostille Certificate, or legalisation, click here for Notary Public services... Red Seal Notary.


As at 1st January, 2010, the following countries have NOT AGREED to participate in "The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents"...

  • Algeria
  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burma
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Comoros,
  • Congo
  • Costa Rica
  • Cote d'Ivoire
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Dominican Republic
  • East Timor
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea – Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati (Tarawa)
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Micronesia
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • North Korea
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Palestine
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Taiwan
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • United Arab Emirates (UAE)
  • Uganda
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vietnam
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Countries not appearing on this list require documents to be legalised by their Embassies or Consulates in Australia or elsewhere.

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