Notary Public Adelaide: Notarising, Apostilles & NAATI

Notary Public in Adelaide: How to Get Documents Notarised

Table of contents

To get a document notarised in Adelaide, find a notary through the Notaries' Society of SA, send them the document and the overseas instructions, then attend with the original and photo ID. South Australian notaries are admitted to office by the Supreme Court of South Australia. DFAT, and sometimes a NAATI translator, handle the steps that follow.

Key takeaways

A document leaving Adelaide usually passes through up to three hands: a notary, DFAT, and sometimes a NAATI-certified translator.
The Notaries' Society of SA runs a Find a Notary directory arranged by area, and a separate page for notaries who work in other languages.
Notarial fees are not specifically regulated in South Australia. Each notary sets their own, and they must be fair and reasonable.
For documents used in Australia, a free Justice of the Peace is usually enough. A JP certification cannot be apostilled.
Original SA public documents, such as registry certificates, can often go to DFAT with no notary.

Who is a notary in South Australia?

The Notaries' Society of SA describes its members as senior practising lawyers admitted to the office of Notary Public by the Supreme Court of South Australia. That is the arrangement in most states, but not all: Queensland's notaries are appointed through the Court of Faculties in England. An Australian notary is also very different from a notary in the United States, who is usually a lay witness.

An Adelaide notary can certify copies of original documents, witness your signature and confirm who you are, take oaths, affirmations and affidavits, and prepare notarial certificates for use abroad. A notary never certifies that a document's contents are true, and cannot issue an apostille. For the full picture, see what a notary public does.

You must bring the original document, not a scan or photocopy, and photo ID such as a current passport or driver licence. The Society suggests sending a copy of the document and any instructions from the overseas authority before the appointment. That lets the notary check the requirements and may save you a second visit.

How to find a notary in Adelaide

The Notaries' Society of SA publishes a Find a Notary directory arranged by the areas where notaries choose to work: the Adelaide CBD, the Inner Metropolitan Area, the Southern Suburbs, the Northern Suburbs and Country South Australia. It also has a separate Language Support page listing notaries who work in languages other than English.

If you searched for an Adelaide notary public or a notary near me, that directory is the most direct route. Notaries work by appointment, so contact one before you go, and send the instructions ahead.

How to get a document notarised from Adelaide

Ask the overseas authority what it needs, in writing: notarised signature, notarised copy, apostille, embassy legalisation, translation, and in what order.
Check whether you need a notary at all. For Australian use, a JP is usually enough. For an original SA public document, DFAT may act directly.
Choose a notary from the Society's directory, send them a copy of the document and the instructions, and ask for a written quote.
Arrange any verification, such as with a university, that the certificate will need to mention.
Attend with the unsigned original and photo ID. The notary confirms your identity, capacity and free consent before acting.
Lodge with DFAT for an apostille or authentication.
Arrange translation and any embassy step in the order the receiving authority asked for.

None of the three certifies that the document's contents are true. Some authorities want translation first, others want it last.

Notary fees in Adelaide

The Notaries' Society of SA says notarial fees are not specifically regulated in South Australia. Each notary sets their own fees and decides how to calculate them. Because notaries are practising lawyers, they remain bound by the rules on lawyers' fees, which require charges to be fair and reasonable in the circumstances. We therefore do not quote figures. Any price list for Adelaide notary fees is one practice's rate on one day.

What moves the fee	Why it matters
The number of notarial acts	Counted by act, not page. One signature on a long contract is one act; separate certified copies are separate acts.
Extra certified copies	Usually cost less if ordered at the same appointment.
The certificate	Wording prescribed by a foreign registry, or a bilingual certificate, takes longer than a standard one.
Company matters	Checking a company's existence and the signer's authority is extra work.
Handling DFAT for you	A service on top of DFAT's own charge, which is separate.

DFAT's apostille or authentication fee is set by DFAT and charged per certificate. Check the current figure on Smartraveller. Ask any notary for a written quote that shows their fee separately from DFAT and embassy charges. See notary public fees in Australia.

Is there a free notary public in Adelaide?

No. Notaries charge. The free option is a Justice of the Peace. In South Australia, Consumer and Business Services runs a free in-person JP service in the city, most public libraries offer JP sessions, and state electorate offices can often arrange one. Details are on the SA Government's Find a JP page. For statutory declarations, other authorised witnesses, such as some accountants, medical professionals and bank officers, can also sign.

A JP is right for documents used in Australia. A JP's certification is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled. For documents going to the Department of Home Affairs, a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough, and a notary is often not needed. For more, see notary or JP.

Affidavits and declarations: notary or JP?

For an affidavit going overseas, you need a notary. For an affidavit used in South Australia, a notary is usually unnecessary: the SA Government's Find a JP page says a JP can witness an affidavit for use in court. Court rules on who may take an affidavit vary, so check with the court or your lawyer.

South Australia is also one of the states that allows some witnessing by audiovisual link. According to the state's JP guidance, SA JPs can witness SA affidavits and statutory declarations, including Commonwealth statutory declarations, remotely. Certifying copies and witnessing enduring powers of attorney must still be done in person. These rules have changed since 2020 and may change again, so check the current SA guidance before relying on them, and remember that none of this decides whether an overseas authority will accept a remote act.

What the SA JP guidance describes for domestic documents. It says nothing about whether an overseas authority accepts a remote act.

Getting an apostille from Adelaide

Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentication certificates in Australia. An apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, never its contents. DFAT's lodgement options change, so check Smartraveller first. They have included in-person lodgement by appointment at the Australian Passport Office in Adelaide, where someone else can attend for you, and lodgement by registered post with the request form and a self-addressed registered return envelope.

You may not need a notary first:

Original SA public documents can be legalised by DFAT directly. These include birth, marriage and death certificates, court documents such as divorce certificates, and national police checks. Laminated or altered certificates are refused. Confirm with DFAT before lodging.
University degrees and transcripts from Adelaide's universities must be verified by the university before DFAT will act. That applies to an original, and to a notarised copy, where the notary's certificate must state the record was verified. A plain "true copy" certificate is not enough.
Foreign education documents cannot be legalised in Australia, even if they have been notarised.

Whether the destination wants an apostille or embassy legalisation depends on its membership of the Hague Apostille Convention. Check the HCCH status table on the day, because membership changes. Our apostille and authentication page covers the DFAT step.

Only private documents always need an Adelaide notary before DFAT. Foreign education records cannot be legalised here at all.

NAATI translation in Adelaide

Adelaide is a multilingual city, and Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek and Punjabi are among its most common community languages. For translations used by Australian authorities, including Home Affairs, use a NAATI-certified translator. The NAATI online directory is searchable by language and location, and NAATI certification is the same in every state.

For DFAT to legalise a translation, every page must carry the translator's name and signature, NAATI seal and practitioner ID, and the date. For a document going overseas, the receiving authority decides whose translation it accepts and in what order: some want the translation notarised or legalised in Australia, others want the original legalised and translated on arrival. Ask before you pay for either. See certified translation in Australia.

What to bring to an Adelaide notary

The original document, unsigned if it is to be signed in front of the notary, with every page present.
Current photo ID, such as a passport or SA driver licence, and evidence linking any change of name.
The overseas authority's written instructions, ideally sent to the notary beforehand.
Evidence of authority if you sign for a company, such as a board resolution or company extract.
Any translation or existing certificate already attached to the document.

If anyone else must sign, they need to attend too, with their own identification. The notary may decline if identity, understanding or free consent is unclear.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A family in the Northern Suburbs needs to send a parent's SA death certificate and a sworn affidavit about the estate to a court overseas. The court asks for both apostilled and translated after legalisation. They confirm with DFAT that the original death certificate can be apostilled directly. The affidavit is sworn before a notary chosen from the Society's directory, then apostilled. Only then do both go to a NAATI-certified translator, in the order the court asked for. One notarial act instead of two, and translation done once rather than twice.

In short

In Adelaide, the Notaries' Society of SA directory is the most direct way to find a notary, and fees are set by each notary rather than regulated. A free JP is enough for documents staying in Australia. Original SA public documents often go straight to DFAT. Ask the receiving authority what it wants and in what order before you pay for any step.

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Send us the document and the country it is going to, and we will explain each step before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Who appoints notaries in Adelaide?

According to the Notaries' Society of SA, notaries are admitted to office by the Supreme Court of South Australia. That is the arrangement in most states, while Queensland appoints through the Court of Faculties. SA notaries are senior practising lawyers.

Are notary fees regulated in South Australia?

Not specifically. Each notary sets their own fees and decides how to calculate them, but as lawyers they must charge fairly and reasonably. DFAT's charge, embassy fees and translation are all separate.

Can I get an apostille in Adelaide?

Yes, from DFAT. Its options have included in-person lodgement by appointment at the Australian Passport Office in Adelaide and lodgement by post. Check the current options on Smartraveller before you go.

Can an Adelaide JP certify a document for overseas use?

No. A JP certification is for Australian use and cannot be apostilled. Use a notary, or, for an original SA public document such as a registry certificate, ask DFAT whether it can be legalised directly.

Do I need a notary for a NAATI translation?

Not for Australian authorities, which accept a NAATI-certified translation on its own. For overseas use, ask the receiving authority whether it wants the translation notarised, legalised, or done after the original is legalised.

Can an SA JP witness my statutory declaration by video?

The SA JP guidance says JPs can witness SA affidavits and statutory declarations, including Commonwealth declarations, by audiovisual link. Certified copies and enduring powers of attorney still need attendance. Check the current guidance, because these rules have changed since 2020.

How do I find a notary who speaks my language?

The Notaries' Society of SA has a Language Support page listing notaries who work in languages other than English. Even so, the document itself may still need a NAATI-certified translation if it is not in the language the receiving authority requires.

Why does my degree need verifying before DFAT will act?

DFAT legalises university documents only once the university has verified them. That applies to an original, and to a notarised copy, where the notary's certificate must state the record was verified with the university. A plain true-copy certificate is refused.

Can DFAT legalise my overseas degree if an Adelaide notary copies it?

No. DFAT does not legalise foreign education documents, even when they have been notarised in Australia. Authenticate the degree in the country that issued it.

Should I send my document to the notary before the appointment?

The Notaries' Society of SA suggests sending a copy of the document and any instructions from the overseas authority beforehand. That lets the notary check what is needed and may save a second visit. Keep the original unsigned until the appointment.