Documents that will be accepted on the other side of the world.

A notary public in New South Wales is a lawyer appointed by the Supreme Court under the Public Notaries Act 1997 (NSW). Applicants must be legal practitioners of at least five years’ standing, complete the prescribed notarial practice course and apply through the Legal Profession Admission Board, which enters appointed notaries on the Roll of Public Notaries.

A Justice of the Peace (JP) can witness signatures and certify copies of documents for use in Australia only.

If the document is staying in Australia, a JP is usually the right option. If the document is going overseas – to a foreign bank, court, registry, university, employer or government department – you will probably need a notary public. When in doubt, ask the organisation receiving the document which one it requires.

Notarisation is what we do: verifying identity, witnessing signatures or certifying copies, then signing and sealing the document.

Legalisation is the government step that confirms our signature and notarial seal are genuine. In Australia, only the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) can legalise a document. DFAT does this by issuing either an apostille, for countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention, or an authentication certificate, for countries that are not. Documents bound for non-Convention countries then generally need a final step at that country’s embassy, high commission or consulate.

It depends on the destination country, not on the document. Hague Convention members – which include the United Kingdom, the United States, most of Europe, Japan and New Zealand – accept an apostille. Countries outside the Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Egypt, may require an authentication certificate followed by consular legalisation.

We suggest asking the receiving organisation directly about what they need. Once you know, we can handle the sequence.

Yes. Many clients ask us to take the document all the way through: we notarise it, prepare and lodge the DFAT paperwork, arrange consular legalisation where it is needed, and return the originals to you securely. You can also do the DFAT and consular steps yourself – the approach taken will probably depend on your particular matter and your deadline.

Bring current photo identification – a valid passport, plus a driver’s licence or similar document confirming your residential address – and the original document. Do not sign it beforehand. Bring any instructions from the overseas authority, and, if you are signing for a company, evidence of your authority to do so. Sending everything to us by email first means we can check it before we meet and avoids delays.

Usually, yes, however a translation will be required first by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) certified translator. Send us the document and tell us where it is going, and we will let you know whether a certified translation is needed. We can arrange one.

For anything involving your signature, an oath, an affirmation or verification of your identity, yes – a notary public must see you in person.

The notarisation itself is usually done in one appointment. The later steps are outside our control: DFAT processing times vary and appointments at its offices can be booked out well in advance, and consular timeframes differ from country to country. Tell us your deadline when you first make contact and we will map out a realistic timetable, including postal versus in-person lodgement.

Our fees are guided by the recommended scale of fees published by the Society of Notaries of New South Wales, taking into account the number and complexity of the documents and the work involved. Government and consular charges – including DFAT’s fee for each apostille or authentication certificate – are additional and passed on at cost.

We will give you a quote before we start. Send us the documents and we will put our quote in writing.

Yes. We offer early morning, evening and weekend appointments by arrangement, because most of our clients are working or running businesses during the day. Ask us what is available and we will find a suitable time.

A notarial act is not legal advice. We won’t be providing legal advice about your document and you should check with your overseas lawyer or receiving organisation.