How to Notarise a Driver Licence Copy in Australia

You attend a notary in person with your physical licence. The notary copies both sides, checks that you are the person in the photograph, and certifies the copy using any wording the receiving institution requires. If it wants an apostille, DFAT adds one afterwards. If you only want to drive overseas, you need an International Driving Permit, not a notary.

Key takeaways

• A notarised licence copy does not let you drive overseas. For that, look at an International Driving Permit and the destination's rules.
• Most requests are for identity evidence: a foreign bank, broker, registry or lawyer wants to verify who you are.
• For identity, the notary usually certifies that you are the person in the photograph, so you must attend yourself.
• Many institutions prescribe the certification wording. Bring it, because a missing phrase is a common reason for rejection.
• A licence does not show nationality and is unfamiliar abroad. Many institutions want a passport as well, or instead.

Two different reasons, and one does not need a notary

A notarised copy of an Australian driver licence is requested for two quite different reasons. Work out which one applies before booking anything.

You want to drive overseas. A notarised copy of your licence does not permit you to drive in another country, and nothing a notary does changes what your licence entitles you to. The document most countries look for is an International Driving Permit, carried together with your Australian licence. International Driving Permits are not issued by notaries; check the current issuer in Australia before you apply. Some countries accept an Australian licence on its own for visitors, some require a permit, and some have their own arrangements. Smartraveller's advice for your destination is a good place to start.

Someone overseas wants to verify your identity. A foreign bank, share registry, company registry, property lawyer, university or online platform needs a certified copy of photo identification before it opens an account or completes a transaction. This is the common case, and it is a genuine notarial job.

A third, smaller group is moving abroad and wants to convert an Australian licence into a local one. The local licensing office may want a certified copy, a translation, and sometimes a record of your driving history from the Australian authority that issued your licence. Ask the local office for its list first, because the driving record has to come from the state or territory road authority, and no notary can produce it.

Why a licence copy is different from other certified copies

For a birth certificate or a degree, a notary attests only that the copy matches the original document. For identification, the receiving institution usually also wants the notary to confirm that the person who appeared before them is the person in the photograph. That is a statement about you, not only about the card.

It has two consequences.

• You must attend in person, with the licence. Someone else cannot take your licence to the notary for this purpose, and a notary will not certify a likeness from a photograph of you.
• The wording often matters. Many institutions prescribe the certification words, for example that the copy is a true copy of the original, that the photograph is a true likeness of the holder, and the date and the certifier's name, capacity and contact details. Bring their exact wording, in writing. A certificate that leaves out a required phrase may be rejected even though everything it does say is correct.

A notary never certifies that the details on the licence are correct, that the licence is valid for driving, or that you have no driving offences. The road authority is the only body that can say those things. What a certified true copy is explains the general rule.

A licence may not be the best document to send

An Australian driver licence is issued by a state or territory, does not show nationality, and its format differs from one state to another. Many overseas institutions have never seen one. Some accept it as primary identification. Others treat it only as secondary identification or as proof of address, and want a passport as well.

Check before the appointment. If the institution wants both, have both certified at the same appointment rather than returning. If it wants proof of address, a licence may or may not satisfy it; some institutions want a recent utility bill or bank statement instead.

Both sides, and the physical card

Copy both sides. The back of an Australian licence can carry information an institution needs, such as an updated address or conditions, and a copy of the front alone is a common reason for a second request.

The notary must sight the physical card. A photograph of the licence, a scan, a colour photocopy you bring from home, or a phone screen is not the original. Some states and territories now offer digital licences. If a digital licence is all you carry, raise it with the notary before booking, and ask the receiving institution whether it will accept a certified copy of a digital credential at all. Many foreign institutions have no process for one, and a notary may decline to certify a copy of a screen.

The licence should be current. Most institutions want current identification, and a notary may note in the certificate that a card has expired. If yours has expired, renew it first or use your passport.

At the appointment

1. Attend with the original licence and, ideally, your passport as a second form of identification, plus the institution's instructions and any required wording.
2. The notary compares you with the photograph and checks that the card is current and appears unaltered.
3. Both sides are copied, by the notary or under the notary's supervision, and compared with the card.
4. The notarial certificate is prepared using the wording the institution requires, then signed and sealed. Some institutions also want you to sign the copy in front of the notary.
5. The act is recorded in the notary's permanent register.
6. DFAT, if required, then adds an apostille or authentication certificate to the notary's certificate.

Document notarisation sets out what a notary can certify, and accepted identification for notarisation covers what to bring more generally.

Several institutions, several copies

If a bank, a share registry and a lawyer in the same country all want certified identification, each will usually want its own original certified copy, and each may prescribe different wording. A notary can prepare several certified copies at one appointment, but cannot reuse one institution's wording for another if the second asks for something different. Collect every institution's instructions before you book, and tell the notary how many copies each needs. Keep in mind that each certified copy that needs an apostille needs its own from DFAT, and that some institutions want the certification dated within a recent period, so certify close to the date you will send.

Is an apostille needed?

Not always. Many institutions that accept identification documents do not require an apostille; others insist on one, particularly company registries and courts. Ask. If one is required, the notarial certificate goes to DFAT. An apostille is the certificate DFAT issues to confirm the notary's signature and seal for a country in the Hague Apostille Convention. For a country outside the Convention, DFAT issues an authentication certificate and that country's embassy or consulate then legalises it. Check the destination on the HCCH status table on the day. No notary can issue an apostille; see apostille and authentication.

A licence copy certified by a Justice of the Peace may satisfy some overseas institutions that accept a range of certifiers. If an apostille is needed, it must be a notary, because DFAT does not legalise copies certified by a JP.

What you are asked for	What it usually means	Notary needed?
Permission to drive as a visitor	An International Driving Permit or the local rules	No
Licence conversion abroad	The local office's list, often a driving record	Sometimes, for a copy
Certified photo identification	A copy plus a likeness statement	Usually, for overseas use
Apostilled identification	Notarised copy, then DFAT	Yes
Proof of address	A licence, bill or statement, as they specify	Depends on the institution

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A man in Darwin is opening a brokerage account with a firm in Singapore, which asks for "a notarised copy of photo ID and proof of address". The firm's instructions give set wording: true copy, true likeness, and the certifier's details. He asks whether his licence will do for both, and is told the licence is fine for address but the firm wants a passport for identity. He attends a notary with both, the notary copies both sides of the licence and the passport's photo page, and certifies each with the firm's wording after comparing him with the photographs. The firm does not ask for an apostille, so nothing goes to DFAT.

In short

If you want to drive abroad, a notary cannot help; look at an International Driving Permit and the destination's rules. If an overseas institution wants to verify your identity, attend a notary in person with the physical licence, both sides copied, and bring the institution's exact wording. Ask whether it also wants a passport, and whether it wants an apostille. For an account abroad, see opening an overseas bank account.

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Been asked for a certified licence copy with set wording? Send us the institution's instructions, and we will explain each step before you book.