Apostille or Legalisation for Vietnam From Australia

Most Australian documents going to Vietnam now need a DFAT apostille instead of legalisation at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. As of our last check of the HCCH status table, the Apostille Convention entered into force for Viet Nam on 11 September 2026. A Vietnamese translation is still needed, and some commercial documents still take the older route.

Key takeaways

• Viet Nam acceded on 31 December 2025 and the Convention came into force for it on 11 September 2026, as of our last check of the HCCH table. Confirm it on the day you start.
• Germany, Austria and Czechia objected to Viet Nam's accession, so the Convention does not apply between Viet Nam and them. Australia is not among the objectors.
• For most documents the chain is now: notary (for private documents), then a DFAT apostille, then a Vietnamese translation.
• The Convention does not cover certain commercial and customs documents. For those, DFAT authentication and legalisation at a Vietnamese mission may still apply.
• Much of the advice online, including from agents, still describes the old three-step chain.

What changed in September 2026?

Before the change, an Australian document for Vietnam went through legalisation: the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) authenticated the Australian signature or seal, and then a Vietnamese embassy or consulate in Australia legalised DFAT's certificate. Only then would a Vietnamese authority accept it.

Joining the Hague Apostille Convention replaces that two-certificate chain with one. DFAT now issues an apostille, a certificate confirming the signature and seal of the Australian official or notary on the document, and no Vietnamese mission step follows. The apostille says nothing about whether the document's contents are true; it confirms only who signed and sealed it.

The dates come from the HCCH status table, which records each country's accession, the date the Convention applies to it and any objections. An objection matters only between the objecting country and the new member, so a German document for Vietnam, for example, is treated differently from an Australian one. Membership and objections can change, which is why every Vietnam page, this one included, should be checked against the table on the day.

What does the chain look like now?

For a document within the Convention's scope:

1. Notarise it in Australia if it is a private document, such as a power of attorney, a statutory declaration, a company resolution or a copy of an Australian record. The notary checks your identity, that you understand the document and that you are signing freely.
2. Lodge it with DFAT for an apostille. Some Australian public documents, such as registry certificates and national police checks, can go to DFAT directly without a notary; university documents need the university's verification first. DFAT's list of documents it can legalise sets out what it accepts and in what form.
3. Arrange the Vietnamese translation the receiving authority requires, covering the apostille and any notarial certificate if it asks for them.

Three practical points save a second lodgement. Each document normally gets its own apostille, so count them before you lodge: a police check, a degree and a power of attorney are three certificates, not one. Make sure your name is spelt the same way on every document and on your passport, because a Vietnamese office comparing them will notice a missing middle name. And do not laminate, staple through or alter an original, since DFAT refuses documents that have been laminated or altered. For the notary and DFAT steps in practice, see apostille and authentication.

Which documents still need legalisation?

The Convention has limits written into it. It does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents, or to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations. The Vietnamese missions' published notice on the change, as we read it, says they will continue to legalise documents outside the Convention's scope, and that whether a document falls within scope is decided by the law of the country that issued it.

In practice, the grey area is export paperwork. A certificate of origin or a commercial invoice deals directly with trade, and may sit outside the Convention. Ask DFAT whether it will apostille the document or issue an authentication certificate instead, and ask the Vietnamese buyer or customs broker which it needs. If the answer is authentication, the Vietnamese mission step still applies. Our page on the certificate of origin and DFAT covers that document in more detail, and what happens with the wrong certificate type explains the cost of guessing.

Is a document legalised before the change still valid?

According to the Vietnamese missions' notice, as we read it, documents legalised before 11 September 2026 remain valid in Vietnam and do not have to be redone with an apostille, and apostilles issued before that date are accepted too. If you paid for legalisation in August, you should not need to pay again. The receiving authority can still ask for a recent document for its own reasons, for example a police check it wants dated within a set period, so check that separately.

How does translation work now?

The apostille replaces legalisation only. The notice says that a document not in Vietnamese must have a Vietnamese translation that is notarised or certified in accordance with Vietnamese law. That requirement is Vietnam's, and the receiving authority decides whose translation it accepts.

Question to ask the Vietnamese office	Why it matters
Must the translation be certified in Vietnam?	If so, the translation is done after the document arrives, and an Australian translation may not be accepted.
Will you accept a NAATI-certified translation made in Australia?	If yes, the translation can travel with the document, but ask whether it needs its own apostille.
Must the apostille and notarial certificate be translated as well?	If yes, translate after DFAT has issued the apostille, not before.
Do you want the original, or a certified copy?	Some offices keep what you lodge, which decides how many apostilled originals you need.

A NAATI-certified translation made in Australia can be apostilled by DFAT where the translator's signature and seal meet DFAT's rules; see NAATI-certified translation. Whether a Vietnamese office accepts it in place of a translation certified in Vietnam is its decision, so ask before paying for one.

Common reasons Australian documents go to Vietnam

• Work permits. Applications commonly call for a police check and evidence of qualifications. A national police check can generally go to DFAT directly; an Australian degree needs the university's verification first. Check the current list with the employer or the relevant provincial authority.
• Marriage in Vietnam. The registering office sets the list, which usually includes proof that you are free to marry. Ask the office which Australian document it accepts, and whether it must be apostilled.
• Company matters. Setting up or changing a Vietnamese entity often involves a power of attorney, a board resolution and ASIC extracts. The resolution and the power of attorney are notarised first; see powers of attorney and declarations.
• Property and inheritance. A power of attorney for a relative in Vietnam is notarised in Australia and apostilled. Whether it is effective for the purpose is a question for a Vietnamese lawyer.

Expect some unevenness at first

The change is recent. A provincial department, employer or bank that has handled legalised documents for years may still ask for the Vietnamese mission's stamp. If an office rejects an apostilled document, ask it to confirm its position against Viet Nam's accession; Viet Nam's foreign and justice ministries have published guidance on the change. Where you can, get the receiving office's requirement in writing before you lodge with DFAT, and keep copies of every page, including the apostille.

If you are already in Vietnam, Australian consular posts there have offered legalisation of Australian public documents, attaching an apostille or authentication certificate as the receiving authority requires. They deal with originals issued by Australian government agencies or educational institutions, and copies notarised by Australian notaries. A private document still has to be notarised by an Australian notary first. Check the post's current services before relying on this.

Documents travelling the other way

A Vietnamese document for use in Australia is apostilled in Vietnam, by the authority Viet Nam has designated, not by DFAT. An Australian notary cannot vouch for a Vietnamese registry's record. For Australian immigration, a Vietnamese document in Vietnamese needs an English translation, made by a NAATI-certified translator if done in Australia. See Vietnamese documents in Australia.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

An engineer in Melbourne has accepted a job in Hanoi. The employer's agent sends a checklist written in 2025 that asks for a police check and degree "legalised by the Vietnamese Embassy". She asks the employer to confirm the current rule. It replies that apostilles are now accepted and that the translations must be certified in Vietnam. She orders a national police check, arranges the university's verification of her degree, and lodges both with DFAT for apostilles. The originals go to Hanoi, where the translations are made and certified locally.

In short

Since 11 September 2026, as of our last check, Viet Nam has been an apostille country for Australian documents. Private documents are notarised first, DFAT issues the apostille, and the Vietnamese mission step falls away for documents within the Convention. Commercial and customs papers may still need the older chain, and every document still needs the Vietnamese translation the receiving office wants. Check the HCCH table on the day and confirm the office's requirements in writing.

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