Documents You Need Notarised When Renewing a Foreign Passport

If you live in Australia and hold another country's passport, you renew it through that country's embassy or consulate here, or through its online service. For a straightforward adult renewal, a notary is usually not involved at all: the consulate checks your identity itself, against your current passport.

The notary appears in four situations — a child's passport, a change of name, a lost passport, and some postal applications. This page takes them in turn.

The ordinary renewal: probably no notary

For an adult whose name and details have not changed, the consulate typically wants the application, photos, the current or expired passport, and evidence of your status in Australia, such as your visa grant. You attend in person or apply online, and the consulate compares you with your old passport.

Nothing in that needs a notarial certificate. Before paying for one, read the consulate's own checklist for your exact case.

A child's passport: consent from a parent who cannot attend

This is the most common reason people renewing a foreign passport need a notary.

Many countries require both parents to consent to a child's passport. If both can attend the consulate together, there is usually no notary involved. If one cannot — they are working away, overseas, separated, or simply unavailable on the day — the consulate will usually ask for that parent's written consent on its own form, signed in front of a notary or a consular officer.

The United States is a well-known example: its statement of consent form for a child's passport must be signed before an authorised witness. The US Embassy in Australia accepts a Justice of the Peace for this as well as a notary, which is a useful reminder to check the country's own guidance before paying for a notary. Many other countries have an equivalent form, with their own witness rules. See the separate page on the DS-3053.

What to do:

• Download the consulate's own consent form. Do not write your own letter.
• The absent parent signs it before a notary, with their photo identification. A copy of that identification is often required with the form.
• If the absent parent is overseas, they sign before a notary in their own country, or at that country's consulate there.
• Check whether an apostille is needed. For a form going to a consulate in Australia, often it is not — but some consulates want it. Ask.

If there are court orders about the child, such as parenting orders, the consulate may want certified copies of them too, and may apply its own law to who must consent. Where there is any dispute about the child travelling, speak to a family lawyer before applying.

Our page on notarising a child travel consent covers the related travel letter.

A change of name since your last passport

If you married, divorced or changed your name in Australia, the consulate needs evidence of it before issuing a passport in the new name. That usually means:

• an Australian marriage certificate, divorce order, or change of name certificate from the state registry
• sometimes a declaration by you linking the two names

The certificate is the key document. Many consulates want it apostilled or authenticated by DFAT, and a registry certificate may be one that DFAT can act on directly, without a notary — confirm with DFAT. A divorce order is a court document with its own complications; see our page on notarising a divorce decree.

A notary is needed where the consulate asks for a sworn declaration about your name, or for notarised copies rather than originals. Some countries also expect the name change to be recorded in their own civil register before a passport can be issued in the new name; ask whether that applies.

A lost or stolen passport

Report the loss to police in Australia and keep the report details. The consulate will usually ask for a declaration describing how the passport was lost. Some consulates take that declaration at the counter; others want it sworn before a notary in advance. Read the instructions, or ask, before booking an appointment you may not need.

Postal applications

Some consulates allow renewal by post for people who live far from the consulate. Because nobody sees you in person, they usually want copies of your identity documents certified.

Read the certification wording carefully. A consulate applying its own rules may accept an Australian certifier such as a Justice of the Peace for this purpose — or it may specify a notary. If it says a notary, a JP will not do. If it lists acceptable certifiers, you may not need to pay a notary at all.

Translation

A consulate usually reads documents in English, or in its own language. If a translation is needed, it decides whose translation it accepts; ask before commissioning one.

Frequently asked questions

Can an Australian notary witness a form from a foreign consulate? Generally yes; notaries witness foreign forms routinely. Whether the consulate accepts an Australian notary for its form is the consulate's decision, so check its instructions.

My child's other parent will not sign the consent. The consulate will have a procedure for this, often involving a court order. Speak to a family lawyer; a notary cannot help without the parent's signature.

Does my Australian visa need to be notarised for the renewal? Usually not. Most consulates accept the visa grant notice or an online visa status record as it is.