Apostille or Legalisation for Sri Lanka From Australia

An apostille is the wrong certificate for Sri Lanka. As of our last check, Sri Lanka is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an Australian document needs DFAT authentication and then attestation by a Sri Lankan mission in Australia. Check the HCCH status table on the day. Your citizenship decides which route you take.

Key takeaways

• Ask DFAT for an authentication, not an apostille, and tell it the document is for Sri Lanka.
• When we last checked, Sri Lankan passport holders and dual citizens could sign a power of attorney or affidavit before a Sri Lankan consular officer, with no notary and no DFAT step.
• Other signatories, including Australian passport holders, go through an Australian notary, then DFAT, then the Sri Lankan mission.
• Get the number of copies and the final text from your lawyer in Sri Lanka before you sign. Too few copies means starting again.
• Sri Lanka has two missions in Australia, each covering particular states. Lodging with the wrong one wastes time.

Sri Lanka and the Apostille Convention

Sri Lanka does not appear on the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention as of our last check. So DFAT issues an authentication certificate rather than an apostille. It confirms the signature and seal on the Australian document, just as an apostille would, but it is only the first official step; the Sri Lankan mission then attests it. Several South Asian countries have joined the Convention in recent years, including Pakistan and Bangladesh. If Sri Lanka accedes, the route below will shorten, so confirm the position on the table the day you start.

For the difference between the two systems, see how the Hague Apostille Convention works and what DFAT authentication is.

Who this page is for

Most people reading this are dealing with land, a bank account or a family matter in Sri Lanka and have been sent a power of attorney by a lawyer in Colombo, Kandy or Jaffna. Others need an affidavit for a Sri Lankan court, or a declaration for a registry. The route depends first on who is signing.

Route 1: signing before a Sri Lankan consular officer

When we last checked, the High Commission said that Sri Lankans with valid Sri Lankan passports and Australian visas, and holders of Sri Lankan dual citizenship, could sign a power of attorney, affidavit or other document in front of a consular officer, by appointment. Its document list included the original power of attorney or affidavit prepared in legal form, with photocopies; your original passport, national identity card or dual citizenship certificate, with copies, and evidence of your current visa; two witnesses; and a letter of request with your contact details.

This route does not involve DFAT or an Australian notary. It is often the simpler one for a Sri Lankan citizen, because the attestation is done by Sri Lanka's own officer and there is only one appointment. The catch is the witnesses: you bring them, and they need their own identification. Ask the mission what it expects of them.

Route 2: notary, DFAT authentication, then attestation

The High Commission said that non-Sri Lankans must first have their documents dealt with by their own foreign ministry before submitting them for attestation. For an Australian, that means DFAT. DFAT authenticates signatures and seals it holds on record, such as a notary's, rather than witnessing a private signature itself, so the usual chain is:

1. Get the final text and the number of copies from your lawyer in Sri Lanka.
2. Sign before an Australian notary, with your passport. The notary checks your identity, satisfies themselves that you understand the document and are signing freely, and attaches a notarial certificate.
3. DFAT authentication of the notary's certificate. Ask for an authentication, not an apostille.
4. Attestation by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra or the Consulate General in Melbourne, whichever covers your state.
5. Send the original to Sri Lanka. A scan will not do for a land registry or court.

Ask DFAT, before you sign, exactly what it needs for a document going to Sri Lanka. Australian public documents, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, court orders and national police checks, usually skip step 2 and go to DFAT directly. DFAT's page on documents it can legalise lists what it accepts as originals. See document notarisation for the notary's part.

Which Sri Lankan mission covers you

When we last checked, consular work in Australia was split between the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra and the Sri Lanka Consulate General in Melbourne, each covering a group of states and territories; the Canberra mission also covered New Zealand and several Pacific countries. Check the High Commission's current page for which mission covers where you live before you post anything or book an appointment.

Sending a power of attorney by post

For postal applications, the High Commission listed requirements that depended on your passport. Australian passport holders had to include a copy of their Australian passport and have the power of attorney authenticated by DFAT. Dual citizens provided certified copies of their dual citizenship certificate with their current Sri Lankan or foreign passport.

For a signatory who was not an Australian citizen, the High Commission's page said the signature had to be certified by a Justice of the Peace, and that where the power of attorney required two witnesses, they had to sign in the presence of a JP. That point is unusual. Most foreign bodies do not accept a JP, a JP certification cannot be apostilled, and this concession was the High Commission's, for this postal procedure only. Confirm it with the High Commission, and with your lawyer in Sri Lanka, before relying on it.

Before you sign anything

Get the number of copies from your lawyer in Sri Lanka. When we last checked, the High Commission charged per document and told applicants to get clear instructions on how many copies they need. Having one too few means doing it again. Get the final text first. A Sri Lankan registry, bank or court will want a power of attorney that gives the specific powers it needs, often in a set form. If the document is in Sinhala or Tamil and you do not read it, tell the Australian notary in advance; they must be satisfied that you understand what you are signing and may ask for a translation. Our document translation page covers the Australian side. Ask whether any step is needed in Sri Lanka, such as a check by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before the attested document can be used; we could not confirm the current position from an official source.

If the power of attorney deals with land or an estate, take the Sri Lankan lawyer's advice on validity. If it also touches Australian property or an Australian estate, see an Australian solicitor as well. Our power of attorney and declarations page explains the witnessing side.

Documents commonly needed for Sri Lanka

Document	Typical use in Sri Lanka	Australian route
Power of attorney	Land, bank accounts, family matters	Consular officer for eligible signatories; otherwise notary, DFAT, then the mission
Affidavit	Court or registry matters	Consular officer, or sworn before a notary, then DFAT and the mission
Marriage or birth certificate	Registering an event, dual citizenship	Registry original to DFAT directly, then the mission; standard certificate, not ceremonial
Degree or transcript	Employment, further study	University verification, then DFAT, then the mission
National police check	Employment, residence	Original to DFAT directly, then the mission

Sri Lankan documents going the other way

When we last checked, the High Commission said it only attested Sri Lankan government documents that had already been authenticated by the Consular Division of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo. It also offered translations of Sri Lankan certificates between Sinhala or Tamil and English on request, and asked applicants to check availability first. An Australian notary cannot vouch for what a Sri Lankan registry issued. For an Australian visa, Home Affairs usually wants a certified copy rather than any legalisation, with a translation of anything not in English: made in Australia by a NAATI-credentialled translator, or made overseas with the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications. See notarising Sri Lankan documents in Australia.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A brother and sister in Melbourne inherit a share of family land near Galle. The brother still holds a Sri Lankan passport; the sister is an Australian citizen only. The lawyer in Galle asks each for a power of attorney, in three copies. The brother books the consular route and brings two witnesses. The sister signs her copies before a notary in Melbourne, DFAT authenticates them, and the Consulate General attests them. Same land, two routes.

In short

Sri Lanka is outside the Apostille Convention on our last check, so ask DFAT for an authentication, then have the Sri Lankan mission for your state attest it. Sri Lankan passport holders and dual citizens may be able to sign before a consular officer instead. Settle the text and copy count with your lawyer first. More on the Australian steps is at apostille and authentication.

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Sending documents to Sri Lanka? Send us what your lawyer in Sri Lanka asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.