Uploading Documents for Online Notarisation

Uploading a document to a notary is useful for preparation: a quote, a check of the wording, a translation or a draft certificate. It notarises nothing by itself. A notary must sight the original or watch you sign, DFAT has no online lodgement, and whether a remote act is accepted depends on state law and the receiving authority.

Key takeaways

• An upload lets a notary prepare: quote, check the document and plan the appointment.
• A notarised copy needs the notary to sight the original. A scan is not enough.
• A witnessed signature needs you to sign in the notary's presence. Whether that can happen by video depends on state law and on the receiving authority.
• DFAT takes legalisation requests by appointment, at a mission overseas, or by registered post, not by upload.
• Passport and licence scans are valuable to identity thieves. Send them through a secure channel, and only what is needed.

What does an upload actually achieve?

When a notary asks you to upload or email a document, they are usually doing the preparation that makes an appointment work first time. From a clear copy, a notary can:

• see which notarial act the job needs: a witnessed signature, a certified copy, or an oath;
• spot blanks that must be filled in, missing pages, or wording that does not match the receiving authority's instructions;
• draft the notarial certificate in advance, so the appointment is short;
• give a written quote set out by notarial act;
• tell you about the DFAT step that follows, and whether the destination needs an embassy step too.

A copy is also often all a translator needs. NAATI certification is national, and most certified translators work from a clear scan. So for translation, uploading can be most of the job.

What still needs the original or you in person?

Three rules set the limits, and an upload changes none of them.

A certified copy needs the original. A notary certifies that a copy matches the original they have sighted. A scan, a photocopy or an earlier certified copy cannot be the starting point. A notary never certifies that a document's contents are true, only that the copy matches.

A witnessed signature needs your presence. The notary must see you sign and check your identity, your understanding and that you are signing freely. Uploading a document you have already signed does not let a notary witness that signature after the event. Our guide on documents already signed explains what to do then.

An oath needs you to swear or affirm it. The notary administers the oath or affirmation to you, so an affidavit cannot be sworn by upload either.

Task	Can an upload do it?	What else is needed
Quote and document check	Yes	The receiving authority's instructions
NAATI translation	Usually yes	A clear, complete copy; some authorities want the original sighted
Notarised copy	No	The notary sights the original
Witnessed signature	No	You sign in the notary's presence
Affidavit or declaration	No	You swear or affirm before the notary
DFAT apostille	No	Lodgement by appointment, at a mission or by registered post

Is remote notarisation possible?

Sometimes, and it is the part online platforms tend to overstate. Two separate questions decide it.

The first is Australian law. Several states and territories changed their rules on witnessing by audio-visual link after 2020, and they did not all land in the same place. Some rules are limited to particular documents, and some temporary measures have ended. Remote witnessing does not automatically permit every notarial act. The notary has to confirm whether the particular act is permitted in their state or territory, for your document.

The second question decides most overseas cases: whether the receiving authority accepts a notarial act done remotely. A foreign registry, bank or court may simply refuse one. Ask it in writing before you plan around a video appointment. Our guide to remote notarisation in Australia goes into both questions.

Be wary of platforms that promise a notarised document "in minutes" to anyone in Australia. Many are American services using commissioned US notaries, whose role is different from an Australian notary's. A foreign authority that expects an Australian notary, followed by an Australian apostille, may not accept a US remote notarisation. See Australian, US and civil-law notaries compared.

Why can't DFAT be done by upload?

Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentication certificates in Australia. An apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, never its contents. DFAT's page on how to get documents legalised lists three ways to lodge: by appointment at an Australian Passport Office, at an Australian embassy, high commission or consulate overseas, or by registered post. There is no upload option. The apostille is applied directly to the document, so DFAT needs the physical original or the notarised paper document.

DFAT's list of documents it can legalise does include a limited range of electronic documents, assessed when they are lodged. A scan of a paper document is never one of them. If you are unsure whether your document is a genuine electronic original, ask DFAT before lodging. Countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention also need embassy legalisation after DFAT; check the destination on the HCCH status table on the day.

How do you send identity documents safely?

A scan of your passport, driver licence or birth certificate is exactly what an identity thief wants. Before you upload anything:

1. Ask how to send it. A secure upload link or encrypted file transfer is better than an ordinary email attachment, which sits in two inboxes indefinitely.
2. Send only what is needed. For a quote, the notary may not need your ID at all; the document and the instructions may be enough.
3. Cover what is irrelevant. A tax file number or bank account number on a page that does not need it can be covered on the copy you upload. Never cover anything on the original you bring to the appointment.
4. Never send card details or passwords by upload or email. Pay through the provider's normal payment process.
5. Ask how long they keep it. The Privacy Act's Australian Privacy Principles apply to many, though not all, businesses. A professional should be able to tell you how your copy is stored and when it is deleted.
6. Check who you are dealing with. Confirm that the person you are sending to is a notary, or works for one, before sending anything. Each state's notaries' society publishes a directory.

Do you need a notary at all?

Many people who search for an online notary do not need one. For documents staying in Australia, a Justice of the Peace or another authorised witness can usually certify a copy or witness a statutory declaration, free of charge. For copies going to the Department of Home Affairs, a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough. A notary is usually needed when the document is going overseas, because a JP certification is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled. In NSW, the state says its JPs are not authorised to witness documents for use overseas at all. If the receiving authority's instructions do not mention a notary, ask it before you upload anything. Our guide to notary or JP explains the difference.

What affects the cost?

No figures are given here: notaries set their own fees, and DFAT's fee changes each year. Uploading does not change the main drivers:

• The notarial act and document type. A single witnessed signature is less work than a notarised copy of a long document or a company document needing proof of authority.
• Signers and copies. Each extra signer or certified copy is further notarial work.
• Travel and waiting, for you or the notary, if the appointment is not at the notary's office or has to be repeated.
• Legalisation and delivery. DFAT's fee, any embassy legalisation, and registered post or courier are separate.

What an upload does change is accuracy: a notary who has seen the document can give a written quote by notarial act instead of an estimate. Our document notarisation page explains what is involved, and the document translation page covers the part that copies suit best.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A student in Perth needs a notarised copy of her passport and a NAATI translation of her overseas birth certificate for a university abroad. She finds a platform promising to notarise both online in minutes, then checks with the university, which wants an Australian notary's certificate and an Australian apostille. She uploads clear copies to a notary through a secure link, covering nothing, since both pages are needed. The notary quotes for one notarised copy and confirms she must bring the passport itself. The translator works from the uploaded copy. At the appointment, the notary sights the passport and certifies the copy. She posts it to DFAT for an apostille. The birth certificate is a foreign document, so DFAT cannot legalise it; the university confirms it accepts the NAATI translation without one.

In short

Uploading a document to a notary is preparation: a quote, a check, a drafted certificate, a translation. It does not replace sighting the original, signing in the notary's presence or swearing an oath. DFAT has no online lodgement. Remote notarisation depends on state law and the receiving authority. Send ID copies through a secure channel, and only what is needed.

People also search for

• Can I use an online notary in Australia?
• Is a scanned notarised document valid?
• Does the notary need my original documents?
• Can I get an apostille online?
• Can I e-sign a document that needs notarising?

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