From Overseas Apostille in Australia: How It Works

If you are outside Australia and have been told your Australian document needs an apostille, the first thing to fix is a misconception that costs people weeks: an apostille must come from the country that issued the document. Not from the country you are standing in, and not from the country that wants it.

An Australian degree, an Australian birth certificate, an Australian police check — all of those are apostilled in Australia, by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, whether you are in Sydney or Riyadh. A local notary in Dubai, Hanoi or London cannot put an Australian apostille on an Australian document, and a UAE or Vietnamese apostille on it would be meaningless.

Get the direction of travel right and the rest of the process is largely logistics.

Work out which country's apostille you need

Ask one question about each document: which country issued it?

• Issued in Australia, to be used abroad — Australia apostilles it. DFAT is Australia's competent authority.
• Issued abroad, to be used in Australia — the issuing country's own competent authority apostilles it. Australia cannot, and no Australian notary can substitute for it.
• Issued abroad, to be used in a third country — still the issuing country's authority. Australia is not involved at all, even if you live here.

A second question follows: is the destination country a party to the Hague Apostille Convention? If it is not, an apostille is the wrong certificate. You will need authentication followed by legalisation at that country's embassy or consulate, which is a longer and more expensive path. The current list of Convention parties is published by the Hague Conference; check it rather than assuming, because countries join.

Getting an Australian document apostilled while you are abroad

You have the same channels as anyone else, minus the ability to walk in.

Post it to DFAT yourself. DFAT publishes its lodgement addresses, the form required, the current fee and how documents are returned. This works from overseas, but it means international post in both directions and you are responsible for the return leg. Use a trackable service, and be realistic about transit time, which is frequently longer than the processing time.

Use someone in Australia to lodge for you. A friend, relative, agent or document service can attend or post on your behalf. This is often the practical answer: it converts two international postal legs into one, and gives you someone who can respond if DFAT queries something.

Check what your nearest Australian mission can do. Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates provide notarial and related services, though what each post offers varies and apostille issuance is a DFAT function performed in Australia. Ask the specific post what it can and cannot do for your document before you travel to it.

Whichever route you use, remember that DFAT authenticates the signature and seal on the document against its records — of Australian notaries, and of the officials of Australian issuing bodies. It does not verify the contents. A document with a defective signature page comes back, and from overseas that round trip is expensive.

Documents that need a notary first

Not every document can go straight to DFAT. Public documents issued by an Australian authority — registry certificates, court documents, some official records — can often be authenticated directly. Private documents, and copies, usually need a notarial act first: a notary certifies the copy or witnesses the signature, and DFAT then authenticates the notary.

This is where being overseas bites, because the notarial step requires either the original document or your presence, or both. Options:

• Send the original to Australia, have it certified and apostilled, and have it returned. Slowest, but the least likely to be refused.
• Have an Australian notary act remotely, where the document and the law permit it — see the companion page on notarisation from overseas.
• Ask the issuing body in Australia for a fresh certified original, sent directly to whoever will lodge it. Often cheaper and faster than moving your only copy around the world twice.

That third option is under-used. Many Australian registries and universities will issue additional originals on request, and a new original that never leaves the country beats posting your only one.

Three questions to ask before you spend anything

Ask the authority that will receive the document — the foreign ministry, university, employer or court:

1. Do you require an apostille, or full legalisation through this country's embassy?
2. Do you require the apostille on the original document, or on a notarially certified copy?
3. Is there a maximum age — many authorities refuse documents or certificates issued more than a set number of months earlier.

The third question catches people who organise everything early and then find the apostille has expired for that authority's purposes by the time they submit.

Frequently asked questions

Can an Australian embassy issue an apostille? Apostilles for Australian documents are issued by DFAT in Australia. Australian missions overseas provide a range of notarial services, but you should ask the specific post what it can do rather than assume it can issue an apostille.

How long does it take from overseas? DFAT publishes its current processing information, and international post adds an unpredictable amount at both ends. Do not rely on a figure quoted on a commercial page, including this one — check DFAT directly and add generous margin for freight.

Can I email a scan to be apostilled? An apostille attaches to a document. Whether any electronic form is available for your document type is a question for DFAT in the specific case, and separately a question of whether the receiving authority would accept it.

My document is in another language. Does the apostille cover the translation? No. Translation is a separate step, and where it sits in the order — before or after the apostille — is determined by the receiving authority. Ask them.