- 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 not signatories to The Hague Convention do not issue or accept Apostille Certificates in respect of Australian public documents.
There are over one hundred (100) foreign countries in this category, including China, Vietnam, and some Middle Eastern countries forming part of the "Arab League" group.
If the foreign country where you want your Australian public document to operate is not a signatory to The Hague Convention, the Embassy, Consular, diplomatic or trade representative in Australia of that particular country normally attends to the legalisation of Australian public documents.
Legalisation of Australian public documents is usually accomplished in these circumstances when the diplomatic or consular representative of the foreign country in which a document is intended to operate, certifies the authenticity of the signature, stamp or seal on that document, and/ or the capacity of the person signing or sealing it.
In most cases it will require the document to be authenticated in the first instance by the Australian Government which issues Authentication Certificates to assist an Embassy or Consulate with legalisation applications.
Each country has its own specific requirements, procedures and fees when legalising a public document for use in its country. It is a normal requirement, for instance, that a written translation of the contents of a document from the English language into their country's own language accompany the subject document requiring legalisation, and that it too be authenticated by the Australian Government. Some countries require a Chamber of Commerce Certificate affixed to commercial documents.
We at Apostille Australia attend to all the complicated, cumbersome and sometimes difficult to understand processes associated with the legalisation of Australian public documents, when Apostille Certificates are not acceptable.
We also assist New Zealand citizens residing in Australia or outside New Zealand, to obtain Apostille Certificates to their New Zealand 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" as follows:
- 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
- University, TAFE, and School degrees, certificates and transcripts
- 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
- Notarised 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 and Federal Police
- Notarised documents for use overseas*
* Documents must be original Australian public documents. In respect of an overseas document that requires to be signed in Australia, that document must be witnessed by an Australian Public Notary before an Apostille Certificate may issue in respect of same.
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Notary Services: If you require your document to be notarised prior to Legalisation, click here... Red Seal Notary.