Documents You Need Notarised When Migrating Overseas

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

This page covers both, in the order you will meet them. The second is where a little planning saves the most.

Before anything: does the destination want authentication at all?

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, show how much this varies.

The residence application

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

• Birth and marriage certificates from a state or territory registry are public documents. DFAT may be able to apostille the originals directly, without a notary — confirm with DFAT. See our birth certificate page.
• Police checks. Get the exact kind the destination asks for — federal or state, name-based or fingerprint-based. Whether DFAT can authenticate it directly depends on who issued it. Our page on notarising a criminal record check explains.
• 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, but for DFAT the notary's certificate must record that the university verified the original. See notarising an academic transcript.
• Bank letters and employment references are private documents too. A notarised copy, or the writer's signature notarised, is the usual route.
• Medical examinations are usually done by a doctor the destination has approved, who sends results directly. No notary.

Then check the destination's rules on age. Police checks and bank evidence are commonly accepted only if recent. Obtain the perishable documents last, close to lodging.

Whether the destination is an apostille member 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 step if it applies.

The part people forget: documents for later

Once you have left, every Australian document becomes harder to get. A notary must sight the original; DFAT authenticates in Australia; and 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 getting authenticated copies of the documents you are likely to need again:

• Birth certificate and marriage certificate — often wanted again for citizenship, a child's registration, or a pension. Order spare originals from the registry; they are cheap compared with arranging it from overseas.
• 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, and some want a certified copy, a translation or a driving record from the state road authority. Check the destination's rules. Our driver licence page covers what a notary can do.
• Children's documents — see our page on enrolling a child in an overseas school.

Remember that many authorities want documents issued or authenticated within a recent period. Documents prepared "for later" may need redoing when later comes, so prioritise spare originals of certificates over authenticated copies of them.

Leaving someone in charge 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 be able to act for you. A power of attorney for use in Australia is made under your state or territory's law, with 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, where you would need a witness that your state's law recognises. Ask a solicitor which form suits your situation.

Later: citizenship in your new country

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.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get documents notarised at the Australian embassy after I move? Some consular posts offer limited notarial services, but they cannot authenticate an Australian certificate the way DFAT can in Australia. See our page on what to do when you are overseas and need an Australian document notarised.

Can a Justice of the Peace certify my documents for the visa? Not for a foreign immigration authority. A JP's certification is not recognised abroad and cannot be apostilled.

Should I translate documents before I leave? Only if the destination accepts translations made in Australia. It decides whose translation it accepts; many want their own sworn translators.