Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lankan body that will receive your document.

Sri Lanka is not a party to the Apostille Convention at the time of writing, so Australian documents are authenticated by DFAT and then attested by a Sri Lankan mission in Australia. What makes Sri Lanka different is the route you take depends on your citizenship. Sri Lankan citizens and dual citizens can sign a power of attorney in front of a Sri Lankan consular officer. Everyone else, and Australian passport holders sending documents by post, goes through DFAT first.

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. That is the case this page is written for.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Sri Lanka's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. If Sri Lanka accedes, the chain below changes and this page will be out of date.

Which Sri Lankan mission covers you

The Sri Lanka High Commission divides responsibility for consular work in Australia as follows:

• Sri Lanka High Commission, Canberra: Western Australia, the Northern Territory, the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland (as well as New Zealand and several Pacific countries).
• Sri Lanka Consulate General, Melbourne: Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Lodging with the wrong mission wastes time. Check before you post anything.

Route 1: signing before a Sri Lankan consular officer

The High Commission states that Sri Lankans with valid Sri Lankan passports and Australian visas, and holders of Sri Lankan dual citizenship, can sign a power of attorney, affidavit or other document in front of a consular officer at the High Commission, by appointment. Its document list includes:

• the original power of attorney or affidavit, prepared in legal form, with two 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.

Route 2: DFAT authentication, then attestation

The High Commission states that non-Sri Lankans must first sign their documents in front of their own foreign ministry before submitting them for attestation. For an Australian, that means DFAT.

In practice DFAT authenticates signatures and seals it has on record, such as a notary's, rather than witnessing a private signature itself. So the usual chain for an Australian citizen is:

1. Sign the power of attorney before an Australian notary
2. DFAT authentication (not an apostille)
3. Attestation by the Sri Lanka High Commission or the Consulate General in Melbourne

Ask DFAT, before you sign, exactly what it needs for a document going to Sri Lanka.

Sending a power of attorney by post

For postal applications, the High Commission lists specific requirements that depend on your passport:

• Australian passport holders must include a copy of their Australian passport and have the power of attorney authenticated by DFAT.
• Dual citizens provide certified copies of their dual citizenship certificate with their current Sri Lankan or foreign passport.
• For a signatory who is not an Australian citizen, the High Commission says the signature must be certified by a Justice of the Peace, and that where the power of attorney requires two witnesses, they must sign in the presence of a JP.

That last point is unusual. Most foreign bodies do not accept a JP, and this concession is 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. The High Commission charges per document and tells 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. Authentication cannot fix a document that lacks them.
• 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.
• Ask whether any step is needed in Sri Lanka. Ask your lawyer whether the attested document needs anything further in Sri Lanka, such as a check by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before it can be used. We could not confirm the current position from an official source.

Sri Lankan documents going the other way

The High Commission says it only attests Sri Lankan government documents that have already been authenticated by the Consular Division of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo. It will not accept them otherwise. It also offers translations of Sri Lankan certificates between Sinhala or Tamil and English on request, but asks applicants to check availability and timing first.

Frequently asked questions

Will DFAT's apostille do for Sri Lanka? Not while Sri Lanka is outside the Convention. Ask for an authentication and tell DFAT the document is for Sri Lanka.

I am a dual citizen. Which route should I use? You may be eligible to sign before a Sri Lankan consular officer. Ask the mission which route it recommends for your document.

Can an Australian notary attest a document for Sri Lanka? A notary can witness your signature and certify the document, but only DFAT can authenticate it and only a Sri Lankan mission can attest it.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT, the Sri Lankan mission and postage. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.