Notary Public

At your appointment Katelin will:

• Discuss your requirements
• Help you understand the notarisation process and authentication and legalisation that may be required depending on the country in which the documents are required
• Explain the costs for your document notarisation and any fees payable to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Notarise your documents. This involves signing and sealing each page and preparing a special certificate called a Notary Public Certificate which is bound to your document.

What to bring to your appointment

• Please bring your formal identity documents, such as a current passport, driver licence, birth certificate, and marriage certificate (if you have changed your name due to marriage).
• To notarise your documents Katelin must be satisfied that you fully understand the document to be notarised and understand the document’s effect when sent abroad.
• Please note that if you require legal advice on the document to be notarised, this is a separate function and will need to be undertaken before notarisation.

Overseas Documents

Ensuring that a document is legal for overseas use depends on the requirements of each country and may involve:

• A one-step process involving simply notarising the document and sending it overseas;
• A two-step process where the country is a member of the Hague Convention. The document is notarised and is then sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to affix an Apostille stamp before the document is sent overseas;
• A three-step process where the country is not a member of the Hague Convention. The document is notarised and is then sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to legalise the document. Then the document is submitted to the receiving country’s consulate or embassy in Australia to complete the legalisation process. The document can then be sent overseas.