Notarising Immigration Documents for a Canada Visa Application from Australia

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Immigration requirements change. Nothing on this page replaces the current instructions Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes for your application type.

People applying to Canada from Australia often assume every document needs a notary and an apostille. For most IRCC applications that is not how it works, and the few documents that do need a formal witness are easy to miss.

This page covers applications to IRCC: visitor visas and electronic travel authorisations, study and work permits, International Experience Canada, and permanent residence. For Australian documents going to other Canadian bodies, such as provincial registries, courts and regulators, see the separate page on what Canada requires for apostilles.

Start with the IRCC document checklist

IRCC publishes a document checklist and instruction guide for each application type, and those documents govern. They are usually specific about three things for each item:

• whether a plain copy, a certified copy or an original is wanted
• whether a translation is needed, and in what form
• whether a form must be signed before a witness

For most IRCC applications, supporting documents are uploaded as copies. An Australian birth certificate, degree or payslip going to IRCC is often wanted as a clear scan, not a notarised copy with an apostille. Read your checklist before you pay for authentication. It is the question that saves the most money.

Where a notary is genuinely needed

Declarations that must be sworn or solemnly declared. Some IRCC forms are statutory declarations, not ordinary signed forms. The best-known is the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409), used by couples who have lived together but are not married. A declaration of this kind has to be made before someone authorised to take declarations. From Australia, an Australian notary public is the natural choice. Read the current form's instructions on who may witness it outside Canada, and follow them exactly. A form witnessed by the wrong person is a common reason for an application to be returned.

Declarations about children. Where a child is included in an application or travelling without both parents, IRCC may want a declaration or consent from a parent who is not applying or travelling. IRCC has its own form for some of these situations, with its own witnessing instructions. Check whether your situation uses an IRCC form or a free-standing consent letter, and who must witness it.

Translator declarations. Where a document is in neither English nor French, IRCC has specific translation rules. In broad terms, a translation by a translator who is not certified may need to be accompanied by the translator's sworn statement, and IRCC does not accept translations by the applicant or their family. A translator can swear or affirm such a statement before a notary. Read IRCC's current wording on its site before arranging this.

Police certificates from Australia

Many IRCC applications, including permanent residence and International Experience Canada, ask for police certificates from each country you have lived in for a set period as an adult. For Australia, IRCC publishes country-specific instructions on which Australian check it wants and how to obtain it.

Follow those instructions exactly rather than ordering whatever check an employer once asked you for. Ask these questions before ordering:

• Which Australian check does IRCC's page for Australia specify?
• Does IRCC want the certificate as issued, or a copy?
• Does anything need to be notarised or apostilled, or is it uploaded as it is?

Many applicants order the wrong check, or order it too early. IRCC can ask for a fresh one if the certificate is old by the time a decision is made.

Apostilles and IRCC

Canada has joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Confirm its current status against the HCCH status table on the day. That matters for Australian documents going to Canadian bodies that want authentication, such as provincial vital statistics offices, courts and regulators.

Do not assume an IRCC application needs one because an apostille is now available. If your IRCC checklist does not ask for an apostille, adding one spends money and time without adding anything IRCC is looking for.

Sequence, for a sworn declaration

1. Download the current version of the IRCC form and read its witnessing instructions
2. Complete it, but do not sign it before the appointment
3. Bring photo identification to an Australian notary
4. Sign and declare before the notary
5. Scan and upload, or submit as the instructions require

For a translation of a document not in English or French:

1. Check IRCC's translation instructions for your application
2. Arrange the translation
3. Where required, the translator swears a statement before a notary
4. Submit the original-language copy, the translation and any statement together

Frequently asked questions

Does every document in my Canadian PR application need to be notarised? No. Most supporting documents are submitted as copies. Notarisation matters for declarations that must be sworn, and for whatever your specific checklist says must be certified.

Can a Justice of the Peace witness my common-law declaration? For use overseas, a JP is generally not an appropriate witness, and IRCC sets its own rules on who may witness its declarations outside Canada. Check the form's instructions. An Australian notary is the safer choice.

We have been together for years but never lived together. Does the common-law form apply to us? That is a question about IRCC's relationship categories, not about notarisation. Read IRCC's definitions, or ask a licensed immigration adviser, before signing a declaration.

My documents are in English. Do I need translations? Not for English-language documents going to IRCC. Translation arises only for documents in other languages.