Notary Public in Adelaide: How to Get Documents Notarised

To get a document notarised in Adelaide, use the Notaries' Society of SA directory, send the notary the document and overseas instructions, then confirm what originals and identification the particular act requires. South Australian notaries are admitted by the Supreme Court of South Australia. DFAT, and sometimes a NAATI translator, handle separate later steps.

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 many documents used in Australia, a free Justice of the Peace is enough. For overseas use, confirm whether the recipient requires a notarial act or whether DFAT can legalise an eligible original public document directly.
• 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 signatures, take oaths, affirmations and affidavits, and prepare notarial certificates for use abroad. A notarial act records what the notary did; it does not by itself prove the document's underlying contents are true. Only DFAT issues Australian apostilles. For the full picture, see what a notary public does.

To certify a true copy, the notary must compare it with the original, not a scan or earlier photocopy. Other acts have their own document and identification requirements. The Society suggests sending the document and overseas instructions before the appointment so the notary can tell you what to bring.

How to find a notary in Adelaide

The Notaries' Society of SA directory lists notaries by Adelaide and regional areas, and its Language Support page identifies members who offer other languages. Contact the notary before travelling. Send the document, destination country, signer location, number of signers and deadline, then ask about availability, required originals and ID, accessibility, mobile attendance and a written quote.

How to get a document notarised from Adelaide

1. Ask the overseas authority what it needs, in writing: notarised signature, notarised copy, apostille, embassy legalisation, translation, and in what order.
2. 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.
3. Choose a notary from the Society's directory, send them a copy of the document and the instructions, and ask for a written quote.
4. Arrange any verification, such as with a university, that the certificate will need to mention.
5. Attend with the unsigned original and photo ID. The notary confirms your identity, capacity and free consent before acting.
6. Lodge with DFAT for an apostille or authentication.
7. Arrange translation and any embassy step in the order the receiving authority asked for.

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. A quote can depend on the document and notarial act, travel and waiting time, the number of signers or certified copies, and any company or foreign-language checks. DFAT, embassy, translation, courier and return-delivery work is separate. Ask for a written itemised quote rather than relying on an old price list.

What moves the fee	Why it matters
The scope and number of acts	The notary assesses each witnessing, certification and certificate required; page count alone does not determine the work.
Extra signers or copies	More people or certified copies require additional checking and work. Ask how the quote treats them.
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?

Usually not. Notarial work is a professional legal service and ordinarily attracts a fee. For many domestic documents, the free alternative is a Justice of the Peace. The SA Government's Find a JP guidance lists the Consumer and Business Services city service and other places to look, including participating libraries and electorate offices. Follow the document's instructions because the authorised witness depends on the document.

A JP is often suitable for documents used in Australia. A JP certification generally is not the route used for overseas notarisation or DFAT legalisation, but the receiving authority decides what it accepts. An eligible original Australian public document may be legalised by DFAT directly. 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?

An affidavit going overseas may require a notary if the receiving court or lawyer specifies one. For an affidavit used in South Australia, a notary is often unnecessary: SA guidance allows an authorised witness such as a JP in relevant circumstances. Court rules vary, so follow the form and check with the court or your lawyer.

South Australian guidance allows some statutory declarations to be witnessed by audiovisual link, but permission for some remote witnessing does not automatically permit every notarial act. The notary must confirm whether the particular act is legally and professionally permitted in South Australia, and the receiving authority must separately confirm acceptance. SA JP guidance is a different regime and does not decide whether an overseas body accepts remote execution.

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 current HCCH status table and the receiving authority's instructions because membership and requirements can change. Our apostille and authentication page covers the DFAT step.

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. NAATI's 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.

Related questions

• How does getting a document notarised work in Melbourne?
• How do I find a notary public near me?
• Who can witness a statutory declaration?
• Can a birth certificate be apostilled without a notary?
• Can a notary public refuse to notarise?

Send us the document type, destination country, signer location, number of signers and deadline. We can explain each likely step before you book.