Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Egypt Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Egyptian body that will receive your document.

Egypt is one of the destinations where an apostille is the wrong answer. Egypt has not been a party to the Apostille Convention, so Australian documents generally go through the older chain: DFAT authentication, then legalisation by an Egyptian mission in Australia, and often further steps once the document reaches Egypt.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Egypt's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. If Egypt has joined, most of this page no longer applies.

Ask DFAT for authentication, not an apostille

DFAT issues two different certificates: an apostille, for countries in the Convention, and an authentication, for countries outside it. An Egyptian mission expects the authentication. If you ask DFAT for an apostille by mistake, the Egyptian mission is unlikely to legalise it, and you pay DFAT twice.

The usual chain is:

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one (a power of attorney, an affidavit, a notarised copy of a degree)
2. DFAT authentication
3. Legalisation at the Egyptian embassy in Canberra or an Egyptian consulate in Australia
4. Any further certification the receiving body requires in Egypt
5. Arabic translation, in the order the receiving body specifies

Some Australian public documents, such as registry-issued certificates, may be able to go to DFAT directly without a notary. Confirm with DFAT before lodging.

Which Egyptian post, and how to lodge

Egypt has an embassy in Canberra and consular representation elsewhere in Australia. Which post accepts your document, whether it takes lodgements by post or only in person, and what it asks for alongside the document are all set by the mission and change from time to time. Check its current instructions before you send anything. Missions commonly ask for a photocopy of each document with the original.

Steps that happen in Egypt

Legalisation by the Egyptian mission is often not the last step. Documents legalised by an Egyptian mission abroad are commonly presented to Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for certification before an Egyptian ministry, court or registry will act on them. Whether that applies to your document depends on the body receiving it.

Ask the receiving body, or your lawyer in Egypt:

• After legalisation in Australia, does the document need certification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt?
• Who will take it there — you, an agent, or the lawyer?

This step can only be done in Egypt, so if you are not travelling, arrange for someone there to handle it.

Arabic translation

Egyptian government bodies work in Arabic, and a document in English will usually need an Arabic translation. Two points are worth settling before you start:

• Whose translation? Many Egyptian bodies expect a translation made in Egypt by a translation office they recognise. An Australian NAATI translation is a professional translation, but it may not be accepted.
• What gets translated? Some bodies want the notarial certificate, DFAT's authentication and the embassy's legalisation translated as well. If so, the translation has to come after the Australian steps are complete.

Marriage in Egypt: the key document is issued in Cairo

This point saves Australians time and money. According to the Australian Embassy in Cairo, a non-Egyptian who marries in Egypt does so through a civil marriage at the Foreigners' Marriage Office of the Ministry of Justice, and must produce a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage issued by their own embassy in Egypt. The embassy says the certificate must then be authenticated by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In other words, the central document for an Australian marrying in Egypt comes from the Australian Embassy in Cairo, not from DFAT in Australia. Before you authenticate a stack of documents here, ask the embassy in Cairo what it needs to see in order to issue the certificate — for example, evidence that a previous marriage has ended — and whether any of those documents must first be authenticated in Australia.

Powers of attorney

Powers of attorney are among the most common Australian documents sent to Egypt: to sell or manage property, deal with an inheritance, or operate a bank account.

• Get the wording from Egypt first. An Egyptian lawyer will usually know the form an Egyptian registry or bank will accept, often in Arabic or bilingual. A power of attorney that lacks the specific powers the Egyptian side needs will be refused however well it is authenticated.
• If you hold Egyptian citizenship, ask about the consular route. Egyptian missions offer notarial services to Egyptian citizens abroad, which can include powers of attorney. Whether that route is open to you, and whether the body in Egypt prefers it to an Australian notarised document, is a question for the mission and your lawyer.

If you are signing a document in Arabic that you cannot read, the Australian notary will want to be satisfied that you understand it, and may ask for a translation for their file.

Commercial documents

Exporters sending commercial invoices, certificates of origin or company documents to Egypt should ask the Egyptian mission whether a chamber of commerce certification is required before DFAT authentication. Practice for commercial documents often differs from personal ones.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the document legalised in Egypt instead of in Australia? Not an Australian document. It must be authenticated in Australia, by DFAT and then by the Egyptian mission, before the Egyptian steps can begin.

The Egyptian mission returned my document. What went wrong? The most common reasons are an apostille instead of an authentication, lodging with a post that does not accept it, or missing copies. Ask the mission for the reason in writing.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing, the Egyptian mission's processing, and any step in Egypt. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.