Documents You Need Notarised When Migrating Overseas

When migrating overseas, you usually need a notary for fewer documents than you expect. Registry certificates and many police checks go to DFAT directly. A notary is needed for private documents, such as bank letters and references, and for copies you want to keep. The bigger risk is leaving before you have documents you will need later.

Key takeaways

• Read the destination's current instructions for your visa type first. Many portals accept plain scans and want nothing authenticated.
• Sort documents by who issued them. Public documents often go to DFAT directly; private documents need a notary first.
• Get perishable documents, such as police checks and bank evidence, last, close to lodging.
• Order spare originals of registry certificates before you go. They are far easier to get from Australia than from abroad.
• Sign any Australian power of attorney before you leave. Signing from overseas is much harder.

Does the destination want authentication at all?

Moving permanently to another country produces two kinds of paperwork. The first is the residence application, which the destination explains in detail. The second is everything you will need from Australia over the following years: for citizenship, a driver licence, a job, a marriage or a pension. Nobody tells you about the second until you are overseas trying to get it.

Start with the first. Many immigration systems now take documents as scans uploaded to an online portal and ask for nothing notarised or apostilled. Others want every document authenticated. Some want originals only at a later interview.

Read the destination's current document instructions for your visa type before paying for anything. If they accept plain scans, the only question is whether the scans are legible. Our destination pages, such as what Canada requires and what New Zealand requires, show how much this varies.

Which documents go where?

Where authentication is required, sort your documents by who issued them. That decides whether a notary is needed.

• Birth and marriage certificates from a state or territory registry are public documents. DFAT can usually apostille the originals directly, without a notary. Confirm on DFAT's page of documents it can legalise. See our birth certificate page.
• Police checks. Get the exact kind the destination asks for: federal or state, name-based or fingerprint-based. DFAT lists national police checks and fingerprint reports among documents it can legalise directly. See police checks for overseas use.
• Degrees and transcripts from an Australian university can go to DFAT as originals once the university has verified them. If you would rather keep the original unmarked, a notary can notarise a copy. For DFAT, the notary's certificate must record that the original was verified with the university. See notarising an academic transcript.
• Bank letters and employment references are private documents. A notarised copy, or the writer's signature notarised, is the usual route before DFAT.
• Medical examinations are usually done by a doctor the destination has approved, who sends results directly. No notary.

In what order should you prepare them?

Documents do not all keep. Police checks and bank evidence are commonly accepted only if recent. Some destinations also want certificates issued, or authenticated, within a recent period. So the order matters.

1. Read the destination's list and note any age limit on each document.
2. Order registry certificates, plus spares, early. They do not usually go stale unless a limit applies.
3. Arrange university verification for degrees and transcripts, which can take time.
4. Book the notary for private documents and any copies, all at one appointment.
5. Get the police check and bank evidence last, close to lodging.
6. Send everything to DFAT together, then to the embassy if legalisation applies.

Whether the destination is an apostille country must be checked against the HCCH status table on the day. If it is not, documents need DFAT authentication and then legalisation at its embassy in Australia. Plan for that extra step if it applies. See apostille and authentication.

What documents will you need later?

This is the part people forget. Once you have left, every Australian document becomes harder to get. A notary must sight the original. DFAT authenticates in Australia. Registries, universities and police may not handle overseas requests quickly. Doing it from abroad means posting originals home, finding someone to take them to a notary and DFAT, and posting the result back.

So before you go, consider what you are likely to need again:

• Birth and marriage certificates, often wanted again for citizenship, a child's registration, or a pension. Order spare originals from the registry.
• Degree and transcript, for professional registration or a new job.
• Driver licence. Many countries let you exchange an Australian licence for a local one, sometimes only within a set period after arrival. Some want a certified copy, a translation or a driving record from the state road authority. See our driver licence page.
• Children's documents. See our page on enrolling a child in an overseas school.

Spare originals or authenticated copies?

Many authorities want documents issued or authenticated within a recent period. Documents authenticated now "for later" may need redoing when later comes. So prioritise spare originals of certificates over authenticated copies of them. A spare registry certificate can be apostilled whenever you need it, from a fresh request, by someone in Australia acting for you.

The exception is documents that are hard to replace. A university that is slow to verify, or a reference from an employer who may not be reachable later, is worth dealing with before you leave. A notarised copy made now, with the original sighted, can be sent to DFAT later.

Who will act for you in Australia?

If you will still have a house, a car, a bank account or a tax return in Australia, you may want someone here to act for you. A power of attorney for use in Australia is made under your state or territory's law. It has its own form and witnessing rules, and it may not need a notary at all.

Signing it before you leave is much simpler than signing it from abroad. From overseas you would need a witness your state's law recognises, which not every foreign notary or consulate will be. Ask a solicitor which form suits your situation. See powers of attorney and legal declarations.

What if you need something after you have gone?

It can still be done, but it is slower. Some Australian consular posts offer limited notarial services, such as witnessing signatures. They cannot apostille an Australian certificate the way DFAT does in Australia. A relative in Australia can often order registry certificates and lodge them with DFAT for you. See our page on getting an Australian document notarised from overseas.

What should you bring to the notary?

Bring every private document and copy you need at one appointment, with the originals and your original photo identification, ideally your passport. The notary checks your identity, sights each original and prepares a certificate for each item. If a reference or bank letter must be signed by its writer before a notary, that person attends, not you.

Tell the notary which country each document is for. The certificate wording, and whether it goes for an apostille or for authentication and embassy legalisation, can differ by destination.

Who translates, and do the names match?

If the destination does not work in English, ask it whose translation it accepts before commissioning one. The receiving authority decides. Some want their own sworn translators; others accept a NAATI-certified translation made in Australia, sometimes with its own apostille. If the apostille must be translated too, translate after DFAT.

Check that your name is spelled the same on your passport, certificates, degree and police check. A missing middle name or a married name on only some documents is a common reason for a query. Fixing it here, with a registry certificate or a sworn declaration, is easier than explaining it abroad.

What happens when you apply for citizenship there?

If you eventually apply for citizenship where you live, expect another round of documents, often with a fresh police check. Australia generally allows its citizens to hold another nationality, but the new country may not allow you to keep Australian citizenship. Check both before applying.

Which documents need what?

Document	Usual route	Notary?
Birth or marriage certificate	DFAT directly	Usually not
National police check	DFAT directly	Usually not
University degree	Verified original, or notarised copy	Only for the copy route
Bank letter or reference	Notary, then DFAT	Yes
Medical examination	The destination's approved doctor	No
Australian power of attorney	Your state's form and witnesses	Often not

Can a Justice of the Peace certify documents for the visa?

Not for a foreign immigration authority. A JP's certification is not recognised abroad, and DFAT cannot apostille it. It is different for Australia's Department of Home Affairs, where a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough. The two systems do not share rules.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A nurse in Geelong emigrates to Canada. The immigration portal accepts scans, so nothing is authenticated for the visa. Before leaving, she orders two spare birth certificates, has her university verify her degree, and signs a Victorian power of attorney for her brother. A year later, the provincial nursing regulator wants an apostilled degree. Her brother lodges the verified original with DFAT, and she never leaves Toronto.

In short

Read the destination's current instructions first; many want only scans. Sort documents by issuer: public documents often go to DFAT directly, private ones need a notary. Get perishable documents last. Before you leave, order spare originals, verify your degree and sign any power of attorney. More on the notary's role is at document notarisation.

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Planning a move overseas? Send us the destination's document list, and we will explain each step before you book.