How to Get Your Identity Verified by a Notary in Australia

To have your identity verified by a notary, you appear in person with your original photo ID, and the notary issues whatever the requesting body asked for: usually a certified copy of your passport, sometimes a certificate recording that you were identified. First find out exactly what that body wants, because "notarised ID" means different things to different institutions.

Key takeaways

• "Identity verification by a notary" is not one product. It is usually a certified copy of your passport, a notarial certificate of identity, or a witnessed signature on the institution's own form.
• Get the requesting body's instructions in writing, including any exact certification wording, before the appointment.
• A notary confirms that the person in front of them matches the ID produced. A notary does not check the ID against a government database or vouch for your address, history or good character.
• For Australian purposes, including the Department of Home Affairs, a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough, and no notary is needed.
• For many overseas bodies the notarised document also needs a DFAT apostille or authentication. Ask whether it does.

Who asks for this, and why

Requests for notarised identification usually come from outside Australia, or from an Australian body dealing with an overseas one. Common examples are a foreign bank or broker opening an account under its anti-money-laundering rules, a foreign company registry recording a director or shareholder, an overseas employer or licensing board, a foreign university, and a lawyer overseas acting in an estate or property matter.

These bodies cannot see you. They want someone whose signature they can trust, and whose signature can in turn be verified, to confirm that you appeared, produced a particular document, and matched it. An Australian notary fits that role because the notary is an experienced lawyer holding a formal appointment, keeps a permanent register of notarial acts, and has a specimen signature and seal lodged with DFAT, so the notary's certificate can be apostilled.

The request is usually worded loosely: "notarised ID", "certified passport", "notarised proof of identity". Behind that wording, the institution almost always has a precise requirement. Asking for it is the single most useful thing you can do before booking.

The forms it can take

A certified copy of your passport

This is the most common request. The notary sights your original passport, compares the photograph with you, and certifies that the copy is a true copy of the original. Foreign banks and platforms often want specific wording as well, for example that the photograph is a true likeness of the person who appeared. A notary can include wording like that when it is accurate, so bring it in writing. A certified copy of a copy is not possible: the notary must see the original.

A notarial certificate of identity

Some bodies want a separate certificate in which the notary records that a named person appeared on a date and was identified from particular documents. This is a notarial certificate in the notary's own form, sometimes attached to a copy of the passport. It records what the notary saw; it is not a statement about anything beyond that.

A signature witnessed on the institution's own form

Often the real requirement is not a copy at all but a declaration, application or account form that you must sign before a notary. Identification is part of that act, and the notarial certificate usually recites how you were identified. Do not sign the form before the appointment.

A certified copy of a proof of address

Foreign banks commonly ask for proof of address as well as identity. A notary can certify that a copy of a utility bill or bank statement is a true copy of the original you produced. The notary is not confirming that you live at that address, and should not be asked to.

What the notary checks, and what it cannot

An Australian notary witnesses signatures, certifies copies of originals they have sighted, and administers oaths. A notary never certifies that the contents of a document are true. For identity work, that translates into a clear boundary.

The notary does	The notary does not
Inspect your original photo ID and compare it with you	Check the ID against a government database
Record what identification was produced	Vouch for your address, employment or character
Certify a copy against the original	Certify a scan, photo or earlier copy
Check that you understand what you sign and sign freely	Sign on behalf of someone who has not appeared
Decline if identity or capacity is in doubt	Verify foreign documents with the country that issued them

That boundary matters most with foreign identity documents. A notary in Australia can certify a copy of a foreign passport or identity card that has been produced in the original, because the certificate says only that. The notary cannot confirm with a foreign government that the document was validly issued. For what counts as acceptable ID at the appointment itself, see accepted ID for notarisation.

When you do not need a notary

Many people are told to "get your ID notarised" when a simpler and free option would do. Before booking, check who the request is really for.

• Australian government and Home Affairs. For the Department of Home Affairs, a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough, and many applications now take uploaded colour scans without certification at all. Check the current Home Affairs guidance for your visa.
• Australian banks, employers and agencies. These usually run their own checks, in person or through digital identity services such as the government's myID app. They rarely want a notary.
• Australian statutory declarations and certified copies. A Justice of the Peace or another authorised witness, not a notary, is the usual choice, and a JP's service is free.

The limit is overseas use. A JP certification is for Australian purposes: it is not accepted overseas as a notarial act and cannot be apostilled. If a foreign body is asking, and particularly if it wants an apostille, a notary is the route. See notary or Justice of the Peace.

Apostilles and legalisation

A foreign body relying on a notary's certificate may also want proof that the notary is genuine. That proof is an apostille from DFAT, for countries that are members of the Apostille Convention, or DFAT authentication followed by legalisation at the destination's embassy or consulate for countries that are not. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia, and the apostille certifies the notary's signature and seal, not the identity document or its contents.

Check membership on the HCCH status table on the day. Some institutions, particularly banks, accept a notarised copy without any apostille; others insist on one. Ask, because adding an apostille nobody wanted costs time and a fee. See apostille and authentication.

Remote identity verification

Whether a remotely performed notarial act is acceptable is decided by the receiving authority, not by the notary. State and territory rules on remote witnessing also differ. A certified copy is the hardest act to do remotely, because the notary must sight the original, not an image of it on a screen. If a foreign bank says it accepts a video verification, ask it to confirm in writing that an Australian notary's remote act will do. See online identity-verified notarisation.

Where these requests go wrong

Most failed identity verifications fail for ordinary reasons, and nearly all are avoidable.

• The wrong act. A certified passport copy is sent when the bank wanted its own form signed before a notary, or the reverse. The request wording was never checked.
• Expired identification. A passport that has expired may be refused by the notary, and is often refused by the receiving body even when the notary accepts it. Renew first if you can.
• A name that does not match the account. If the institution holds your record under a former name, bring the certificate that links the two names, and tell the institution before the certified copy is made.
• A document that is too old. Many banks want a proof of address issued recently. The notary certifies the copy; the bank decides whether the date is acceptable.
• An unrequested apostille, or a missing one. Both happen. The only cure is asking the institution before the appointment.

Preparing for the appointment

1. Get the institution's written instructions, including which document it wants certified, any exact wording, and whether it needs an apostille.
2. Bring your original, current passport, and a second photo ID if you have one.
3. Bring linking documents, such as a marriage or change of name certificate, if your name differs between your ID and the institution's records.
4. Bring the original of any proof of address you want certified, not a printout of a screenshot.
5. Bring the institution's form unsigned, if a signature must be witnessed.
6. Tell the notary in advance which country the document is going to, so the right certificate is prepared.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A Canberra software developer is opening an account with a brokerage in Singapore, which asks for "notarised ID and proof of address". He emails the brokerage, and learns it wants a certified copy of his passport photo page with wording confirming the photograph is a true likeness, and a certified copy of a recent bank statement, with no apostille. He takes his original passport and the original paper statement to a notary, who certifies both copies and includes the likeness wording because it is accurate. The notary's certificate on the bank statement says it is a true copy, not that he lives at that address. Without the email, he would probably have paid for an apostille the brokerage never wanted.

In short

Identity verification by a notary means appearing in person with original photo ID so the notary can issue what the requesting body asked for, most often a certified passport copy. A notary confirms that you match the ID produced, and nothing beyond that. For Australian bodies and Home Affairs, you rarely need a notary. For overseas bodies, find out the exact form, the wording and whether DFAT's apostille is needed before you book.

People also search for

• What ID does a notary accept?
• Can a notary verify my identity online?
• What is a notarised certified true copy?
• What if my name does not match my passport?
• Should I use a notary or a JP?

Asked for notarised ID by an institution overseas? Send us its request, and we will explain each step before you book.