How to Notarise a Reference Letter in Australia

Reference letters get sent for notarisation in three main situations: an employment reference for a skills assessment or a job abroad, a character reference for a foreign court, adoption authority or immigration department, and occasionally a landlord or professional reference for renting or registering overseas.

In every case the same question decides what you need, and most people get it wrong the first time: is the receiving body asking for a certified copy of the letter, or for the referee's signature to be notarised? They are different acts, done by different people, and only one of them requires the referee to turn up.

Three different things "notarised reference" can mean

• A certified copy. You bring the signed original letter. The notary certifies that the attached copy matches it. The referee does not attend. This proves the copy is faithful. It proves nothing about who wrote the letter, whether the letterhead is genuine or whether anything in it is true.
• A notarised signature. The referee brings the letter unsigned, proves their identity, and signs in front of the notary, who certifies that this identified person signed it. This is what a body means when it asks for a reference "signed before a notary".
• A sworn or declared reference. The referee makes the statement as an affidavit or statutory declaration, swearing or declaring that its contents are true. The notary administers the oath or witnesses the declaration. Foreign courts and adoption authorities often want this form, because a false statement then carries legal consequences for the referee.

Read the receiving body's wording closely. "Certified copy" means the first. "Signed in the presence of", "attested" or "notarised signature" means the second. "Sworn", "affidavit" or "under oath" means the third. If it only says "notarised", ask, because the answer changes who has to attend.

If the referee must attend

The referee books the appointment, not you, or at least attends it. They bring:

• the letter, unsigned
• current photo identification, ideally a passport
• for an employment reference, evidence of their position if the receiving body wants the notary to record it

That last point matters for company references. A notary witnessing a signature confirms who signed. They do not confirm that the signer is the HR manager or a director, or that the company authorised the letter, unless they are shown evidence and their certificate says so. If an assessor wants the referee's authority confirmed, raise it when booking. See Notarising for a company versus an individual for how that evidence works.

The notary also checks that the referee understands the document and is signing freely, and may decline if they are not satisfied. A referee who is being pressed to sign something they did not write is exactly the case a notary is there to catch.

If the referee lives overseas, an Australian notary cannot help. The referee signs before a notary or equivalent official where they live, and the document is authenticated there. Plan for that early, because it depends on someone else's time.

Getting a certified copy

This is the simpler route, and the right one when the receiving body only wants a copy it can keep. Bring the signed original and your own identification. Bring every page, including any attachments the letter refers to.

Many references now arrive as a PDF. A printout of a PDF is not an original, and a notary asked to certify it as a true copy of an original may decline or word the certificate so narrowly that it is of little use. If you need a certified copy, ask the referee for a signed paper original. If you need a notarised signature, the referee has to sign in person anyway, so the PDF is irrelevant.

You may not need a notary at all

For an Australian visa, character and supporting references normally go to the Department of Home Affairs without a notary. Partner visa supporting-witness statements, for example, are made on a Home Affairs form as Commonwealth statutory declarations, which an authorised witness can witness. Check the current form and its instructions rather than paying for a notary you do not need.

The notary becomes necessary when the reference is going overseas to a body that needs a seal DFAT can authenticate.

Apostille or legalisation

The notarial certificate is an Australian act. DFAT authenticates the notary's signature and seal. If the destination is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, checked against the HCCH status table on the day, DFAT issues an apostille. If not, DFAT authenticates it and the destination's embassy or consulate legalises it. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia.

If the reference must be in the destination's language, decide before signing whether the referee signs an English letter that is then translated, or a bilingual one. A referee should never sign a translation they cannot read without a translator's certificate attached; see Notarising documents in a language you do not read.

What it costs

Notarial fees are not fixed by statute and vary between practitioners and states. As a market estimate only, expect roughly $80–$150 for a certified copy or a witnessed signature, with additional copies at the same appointment usually much cheaper, roughly $20–$50 each. A sworn reference may cost a little more if the notary has to review a longer statement.

The hidden cost is coordination. Three referees attending separately is three appointments. If several references are needed, ask whether the referees can attend together.

Frequently asked questions

Can the notary confirm that my referee is who they say they are? Only when the referee attends and signs in front of the notary. A certified copy says nothing about the author.

Can a Justice of the Peace witness the referee's signature instead? For use within Australia, often yes. For use overseas, generally not: a JP's certification is not recognised abroad and cannot be apostilled.

My referee has already signed the letter. Is it too late? For a certified copy, no. For a notarised signature, the referee will usually need to sign a fresh copy in front of the notary. See What to do when the document is already signed.

Does the notary read the reference? Enough to understand what is being signed and to complete the certificate. They do not verify what it says.