- 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
Legalisation Services | Authentication Certificates
Countries which are not members of The Hague Convention do not issue, accept or recognise Apostille Certificates in respect of Australian public documents.
There are over one hundred (100) such foreign countries, including People's Republic of China, Vietnam, and many Middle Eastern countries forming part of the "Arab League" group.
If a foreign country where you require your Australian public document to operate is not a signatory to The Hague Convention, its Embassy, Consular, diplomatic or trade representative (e.g. Taiwan) in Australia normally attends to the legalisation of Australian public documents.
In most cases it will require the Australian document to be authenticated in the first instance by the Australian Government with a Authentication Certificate affixed or attached to it.
Each foreign country has its own specific requirements, procedures and fees when asked to legalise an Australian public document for use in its country. It may be a requirement, for instance, that a written translation of the contents of an Australian document be translated from the English language into their country's own language, and that such translation also be authenticated by the Australian Government.
Some countries require a Chamber of Commerce Certificate affixed to Australian commercial documents. In most cases fees payable to legalise commercial documents are considerably higher than private documents such as an individual's tertiary or trade certificate.
We at Apostille Australia attend to all the complicated, cumbersome and difficult processes associated with the legalisation of Australian public documents by Embassies or Consulates in Australia.
We also assist New Zealand citizens residing in Australia or other foreign countries, to obtain Apostille Certificates for their New Zealand public documents including tertiary testamurs, Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates. Contact us for further information if you require assistance of this kind.
Public Documents
THE HAGUE CONVENTION ABOLISHING THE REQUIREMENT OF LEGALISATION FOR FOREIGN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS defines "public documents" in the following terms:
- Documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process-server ("huissier de justice");
- Administrative documents;
- Notarial acts;
- Official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures.
Common Examples of Australian Public Documents
COMMON EXAMPLES OF AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS that require Apostille Certificates or Embassy/Consulate legalisation to operate outside Australia:
- Adoption applications
- Powers of Attorney
- Commercial, corporate documents
- Certified language translations
- Original University, TAFE, and Secondary School degrees, certificates and transcripts certified by an authorised officer, or copies certified by a Notary Public
- Doctors and dentists applications for overseas appointments
- Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
- Change of Name documents - Deed Polls
- Single Status Certificates
- Certificates of No Impediment to Overseas Marriages
- Statutory Declarations
- Probate, Letters of Administration and deceased Estate documents
- Land Transfer documents
- International Affidavits, sworn statements, and depositions
- Certificates of Incorporation of Australian companies issued by ASIC
- Notarised copies of Passports, Drivers Licences and other identity documents
- Notarial Certificates of Good Standing in respect of Australian companies
- Certificates of Divorce issued by Family Court of Australia
- Police Certificates ("no criminal record") issued by State or Federal Police
- Notarised documents for use overseas*
* All documents must be original Australian public documents.
Overseas documents that require signature in Australia must be witnessed by an Australian Public Notary, before an Apostille Certificate or Authentication Certificate may issue in respect of that document.
Click here to download our PDF Order Form.
Notary Services: If you require your document to be notarised prior to Legalisation, click here... Red Seal Notary.
