Certified Copy of a Bill of Sale in Australia

A certified copy of a bill of sale is a copy of the bill you hold, compared with that original and certified as matching. A Justice of the Peace can usually do it for Australian use; overseas use needs a notary, then DFAT. The copy proves the paper exists, not the sale, so a sworn declaration often goes beside it.

Key takeaways

• This page is about a sale that happened years ago. For a sale happening now, the bill is signed before a notary instead.
• A certified copy proves the paper exists in this form. It does not prove the seller's signature, ownership, the price or that nothing is owed.
• For a buyer, the carbon duplicate from a receipt book is usually the original you hold, and it can be certified.
• A photocopy, a phone photo or someone else's certified copy is not an original.
• For overseas use, add a sworn declaration of how you acquired the goods, with the identifying numbers, and get the copy and declaration notarised together.

Two ways a bill of sale meets a notary

In the first, a sale is happening now: buyer and seller sign in front of the notary, who witnesses the signatures. That is covered in notarising a bill of sale, and the DFAT side in apostilles for a bill of sale.

This page is about the second situation, which is more common and harder: the sale happened years ago, you have the paper, and someone now wants a certified copy of it. Often it is a foreign registry or customs authority, because you are exporting a car, a boat or machinery you bought privately. You cannot get the seller back. What you hold is what you have. The useful questions are who can certify it, how much a certified copy can do, and what to put beside it.

Who can certify the copy?

A certified copy is a copy that someone authorised has compared with the original and signed to say it matches. Who counts as authorised is decided by whoever receives it.

• For Australian recipients, such as an insurer, a state registration office or the police after a theft, a copy certified by a Justice of the Peace or another authorised person is usually what is asked for, and often free. Some simply want to see the original.
• For overseas recipients, a JP certification is generally not accepted and cannot be apostilled. An Australian notary public certifies the copy instead, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) then adds an apostille or authentication.

Recipient	Usually accepts	JP enough?
Australian insurer or state registration office	The original, or a certified copy	Usually
Police, after a theft	The original or a certified copy, as they ask	Usually
Foreign vehicle or vessel registry	A notarised copy, often with a declaration, then DFAT	No
Foreign customs authority	A notarised copy with supporting evidence, then DFAT	No

What the certified copy proves, and what it cannot

The certifier sights the original bill of sale, copies it, and certifies that the copy is a true and complete copy of the document produced. That is all. Nobody watched the original being signed. The certifier has no way of knowing whether the seller's signature is genuine, whether the seller owned the goods, whether the price was real, or whether finance was owing. A notary never certifies that a document's contents are true. The copy proves that this piece of paper exists in this form, nothing more.

That is not a reason to skip it. Foreign registries and customs authorities often simply need a formally certified copy of the acquisition document in the file. But it is a reason not to rely on it alone.

Which piece of paper is your original?

Private sales generate odd originals. The certifier needs the one you actually hold, and it helps to know which that is.

• A receipt-book bill of sale. Many private sales are recorded in a duplicate or triplicate book. The seller keeps the top copy and the buyer gets the carbon or carbonless duplicate. For the buyer, that duplicate is the original you hold. It is what the certifier sights, and the certificate can describe it accurately.
• A handwritten note signed by both parties. Perfectly acceptable to copy. Legibility matters: if the certifier cannot read it, neither will a foreign registry, and a typed transcription or translation may need to accompany it.
• A dealer invoice or tax invoice. Often what people mean by "bill of sale" for a vehicle bought from a business.
• An email or online marketplace confirmation. There is no paper original. A notary can only certify a printout by describing exactly what was sighted, and whether that is acceptable is the recipient's decision.

Carbon duplicates fade. Bring a faded one anyway and ask whether it copies legibly. A typed transcription can accompany the certified copy, but it is not part of it, and the certificate should not suggest otherwise. See originals and copies for the general rule.

Put a declaration beside it

Because an old bill of sale cannot be strengthened, the usual approach for overseas use is to add a second document that can be: a statutory declaration or affidavit by you, sworn or declared before the notary.

The declaration is your sworn account, not the notary's confirmation of it. But it is a document a real person swore in front of a notary, and a foreign registry can weigh that. The certified copy and the declaration are usually bound or presented together. Where the seller's name on the bill is only a first name, the declaration matters even more, because the copy on its own is weak evidence. For declarations in general, see powers of attorney and declarations.

If the goods are subject to Australian registration, evidence from that registry of your ownership history often carries more weight than either, though registration is not always proof of legal ownership, and a foreign authority may know that. A search of the national register of security interests is commonly requested to show that nothing is recorded against the goods.

When a fresh bill of sale is better

If the seller is still reachable and the recipient wants signatures it can rely on, a newly signed bill of sale, or a confirmation of the earlier sale, signed before a notary is a stronger document than any copy. It is more trouble to arrange, and not always possible. But ask the recipient which it wants before settling for the copy.

A confirmation can be short: the seller confirms that on a stated date they sold the described goods to you for a stated price, and signs it before a notary. If the seller now lives in another country, they sign before a notary there, and that act is authenticated in their country rather than by DFAT. If the seller has died or cannot be found, the certified copy and your declaration are what you have, and saying so plainly in the declaration is better than leaving the registry to guess.

How to get it done

1. Ask the recipient what it wants: a certified copy, a declaration, supporting searches, or a fresh signed bill.
2. Find the paper you actually hold, and your Australian registration papers if the goods were registered.
3. Draft the declaration with the identifying numbers checked character by character against the goods and the registration papers. Do not sign it.
4. Attend the notary with the original bill, the registration papers, the unsigned declaration and your photo identification. The notary certifies the copies and witnesses the declaration.
5. Send the set to DFAT for an apostille or authentication, if the recipient needs one.

A bill of sale is a private document, so DFAT deals with it only after a notary has; see DFAT's list of documents it can legalise. If the destination is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, DFAT issues an apostille; if it is not, DFAT issues an authentication certificate and the destination's embassy then legalises it. Check membership on the HCCH status table on the day. For the service, see document notarisation.

If a translation is needed, a certified translation is normally bound in. Make sure identification numbers are reproduced exactly: a single wrong character in a VIN defeats the purpose of the whole bundle. See document translation.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A woman in Darwin is moving overseas and shipping a four-wheel drive she bought privately years ago. The buyer's copy from the seller's receipt book is all she has, and the seller's name on it is only a first name. The foreign registry asks for a certified copy of the acquisition document and evidence of ownership. She drafts a declaration setting out when she bought it, the price, the VIN and its registration history. The notary certifies copies of the duplicate and her registration papers and witnesses the declaration, and DFAT apostilles the set.

In short

A certified copy of an old bill of sale proves the paper, not the sale. For Australian use a JP or authorised person can usually certify it; for overseas use a notary does, then DFAT. Bring the paper you actually hold, often a receipt-book duplicate, and for overseas use add a sworn declaration with the identifying numbers checked exactly. If the seller can still sign, ask whether the recipient would rather have a fresh bill signed before a notary.

People also search for

• How do I notarise a bill of sale?
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Exporting goods you bought years ago? Send us what the registry asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.