Notary and Translation Services in Kalgoorlie

Unlike most of regional WA, Kalgoorlie-Boulder had a practising notary with a local address on the state's official list when we checked it. The DFAT step still happens in Perth or by post. This guide covers both, along with translations and the cases where a free JP is all you need.

Kalgoorlie and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Kalgoorlie is part of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, formed in 1989 when the Town of Kalgoorlie and the Shire of Boulder amalgamated. The council puts the city about 594 km east of Perth. Its area is 95,575 km², and it says more than 30,000 people live in the city and surrounding region. Its suburbs include Kalgoorlie, Boulder, Hannans, Karlkurla, Lamington, Piccadilly, Williamstown, South Kalgoorlie, Somerville, West Kalgoorlie, Victory Heights, Broadwood and South Boulder.

The city dates from the 1893 gold discovery by the Irish prospectors Paddy Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Daniel Shea. The council calls it home to "the richest square mile of gold in the world". Mining is still the main employer: in the 2021 Census, gold ore mining employed 20.4% of working residents, far more than any other industry.

Most residents (66.5%) were born in Australia. The largest overseas birthplaces were New Zealand (7.0%), the Philippines, England, South Africa and India. The most common languages spoken at home other than English were Tagalog, Afrikaans, Filipino, Mandarin and Shona.

Popular places and things to do

• Super Pit Lookout. Tourism WA describes the KCGM Super Pit as Australia's largest gold mine, about 600 m deep, 1.5 km wide and 3.7 km long. The local visitor centre notes the chance of seeing a blast and publishes blasting times.
• Museum of the Goldfields on Hannan Street, with its gold vault and the Ivanhoe Headframe viewing deck, which looks over the city towards the domed courthouse.
• Mount Charlotte Reservoir and Lookout, the end point of the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail. The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, completed in 1903, pumped water almost 600 km from Mundaring to the goldfields.
• Hannan Street's gold rush pubs and buildings, which Tourism WA singles out for their grand facades.
• Further afield: Gwalia ghost town and museum, about 220 km north, and Antony Gormley's Inside Australia figures at Lake Ballard.

What people in Kalgoorlie typically need

• Documents for overseas work or migration, such as national police checks, degrees and trade certificates. DFAT can legalise an original national police check directly, without a notary. For an Australian university degree, the university must verify the record before DFAT will legalise it, whether you lodge the original or a notarised copy.
• Documents for family abroad, with the Philippines, South Africa, New Zealand, the UK and India prominent in the Census. The route depends on whether the destination country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention: an apostille if it is, or DFAT authentication plus embassy legalisation if it is not. Check the HCCH status table on the day you apply.
• Translations. Documents in Tagalog, Afrikaans or Shona going to an Australian agency need a NAATI-certified translator. The NAATI Online Directory is searchable by language, and a certified translator anywhere in Australia can do the work. For a document going overseas, the receiving authority decides whose translation it accepts.

Getting it notarised and legalised

Finding a notary. WA's official list of practising notaries is published in the WA Government's Law Almanac. The version last updated on 6 August 2026 included one notary with a Kalgoorlie address, among about 80 statewide. Most of the rest were in Perth and Fremantle. Check the current list before you rely on this. Bring the original document and photo ID. A notary cannot work from a scan or photocopy, and will check that you understand what you are signing.

Fees. WA sets the maximum fees a notary may charge through a determination listed in the Law Almanac. Ask for a quote when you book. We do not publish figures here.

DFAT. Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentications. The in-person option for WA residents is the Australian Passport Office in Perth, by appointment, and someone can attend on your behalf. Otherwise, send the documents by registered post to DFAT's Authentications Section at its Melbourne or Sydney GPO box (addresses on Smartraveller), with a self-addressed registered post envelope. DFAT does not publish a fixed processing time.

When a JP will do

A Justice of the Peace is a free volunteer witness, good for statutory declarations and for certified copies going to Australian bodies such as the Department of Home Affairs. The WA Department of Justice has a Find a JP search by town or postcode, and runs JP document witnessing centres. A JP's certification is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a notary public in Kalgoorlie? The WA list we checked, dated 6 August 2026, had one with a Kalgoorlie address. Check the current list for details.

Where do I certify documents in Kalgoorlie? For Australian use, a JP is usually enough. For overseas use, you need a notary, or for original public documents, DFAT directly.

I need documents for India. What is the process? Check India's current status on the HCCH table, then see our India apostille guide. The notary and DFAT steps are the same from Kalgoorlie as anywhere else in WA.