Which Australian Documents Can Be Apostilled at All

DFAT can issue an apostille for an eligible Australian public document when the overseas receiving authority requires that form of legalisation. Some original government documents can go directly to DFAT. A private document generally needs an Australian notary's act first—but eligibility does not mean an apostille is always required.

Key takeaways

• An apostille is a certificate from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirming a signature and seal. It is not something a document gets because it is important.
• DFAT cannot legalise foreign-issued documents. Contact the competent authority in the issuing country about its process.
• Registry certificates, court documents, national police checks, citizenship certificates and some government commercial documents can often go to DFAT directly.
• University documents need the university's verification first, whether you lodge the original or a notarised copy.
• If legalisation is required, private documents generally need an Australian notary first. A document certified only by a JP is not eligible for DFAT legalisation.

What should you check before seeking an apostille?

The question "can this be apostilled?" is really three questions, and a document has to pass all of them.

1. What does the receiving authority require? It may accept the original or a notarised document without legalisation. Ask whether it wants an apostille or authentication and whether it accepts a copy.
2. Is it an Australian public document? DFAT legalises Australian public documents. A foreign birth certificate, foreign degree or foreign company record must follow the issuing country's route.
3. Can DFAT verify the relevant signature, stamp or seal? DFAT checks the document or notarial act against its records. If it cannot verify the relevant official or notary, it may need more information or may refuse the document.

A notary can turn an eligible private Australian document into a public document by performing an appropriate notarial act. The receiving authority may still reject that route, and notarisation cannot cure every eligibility problem. A notary cannot issue an apostille; only DFAT legalises Australian public documents.

Which documents can usually go to DFAT?

Document	Usual route to DFAT	Watch for
Birth, death or marriage certificate from an Australian registry	The original, often directly	Laminated or altered certificates are refused
Court documents, including divorce certificates	A sealed or certified court copy, often directly	Ask the court for a copy intended for overseas use
National police check	The original, often directly	Order the format DFAT accepts before applying
Citizenship certificate	The original, often directly	Confirm with DFAT for your certificate
ASIC, ATO or TGA documents	Often directly, depending on format	Electronic versions are accepted only in a limited range
University degree or transcript	Original or notarised copy, after university verification	A plain true-copy certificate is not enough
Contract, power of attorney, declaration, affidavit	If legalisation is required, obtain the appropriate notarial act first	Ask whether signing must occur before the notary
Copy certified only by a JP	Not eligible as presented; use an accepted original or ask a notary about a new certification	Recipient must accept the chosen route

How do public and education documents differ?

Registry certificates. Birth, death and marriage certificates from an Australian registry are public documents signed for a government office. DFAT can generally legalise the original directly, with no notary. DFAT's published list includes commemorative birth certificates but excludes ceremonial and commemorative marriage certificates. Even where DFAT accepts a commemorative birth certificate, the overseas authority may want the standard one, so ask. See apostilling a birth certificate.

Court documents and police checks. DFAT names court documents, including divorce certificates, and national police checks and fingerprint reports among the originals it can legalise. Ask the court or the issuing agency for the version intended for overseas use before you order.

Company and government commercial documents. DFAT lists government commercial documents such as ASIC, ATO and TGA documents. Many ASIC extracts are now generated electronically, and DFAT accepts only a limited range of electronic documents, assessed on lodgement. Where an electronic extract will not do, the usual alternative is a notarial certificate based on the register. See apostilles for company incorporation documents and board resolutions.

University degrees and transcripts. DFAT legalises an original degree, transcript or other official tertiary document once the university has verified it. A notarised copy must also be verified with the university, and the notary's certificate must state that the original record was verified with the issuing institution; a plain true-copy certificate does not satisfy DFAT. TAFE documents can be lodged as originals or notarised copies, but not JP copies. Documents from private colleges and registered training organisations generally need notarising first, or verification by the state education department in some states. Foreign qualifications cannot be legalised in Australia at all, even if notarised here. See apostilling an academic transcript.

Which private documents need notarisation first?

Private and commercial documents. Contracts, powers of attorney, declarations, affidavits, invoices, letters and resolutions are private documents. If DFAT legalisation is required, they generally need an appropriate Australian notarial act first. The act may involve witnessing, certifying a copy or another certificate; it is not automatically the same for every document. Our document notarisation page describes that step.

Translations. DFAT's list covers translations by a NAATI-certified or recognised translator, provided every page carries the translator's name and signature, NAATI seal and practitioner ID, and the date. A translation without those details, or one the receiving authority wants attested, usually goes through a notary, and the apostille then attaches to the notary's act. Our NAATI translation with notary page explains both routes.

JP certifications. A JP-certified copy may be valid for domestic purposes, but DFAT says it cannot legalise a document certified only by a Justice of the Peace. Depending on the document and recipient, use an eligible original or obtain a fresh certification from an Australian notary.

Photocopies, scans and printouts. DFAT does not treat a scan as an electronic original. A notary may be able to certify a copy after sighting and checking appropriate source material, but the receiving authority must accept a notarised copy.

An Australian passport. DFAT lists a certified copy prepared by an Australian Passport Office or Australian notary as eligible. Confirm whether the recipient wants that copy legalised and whether it accepts the resulting marked document.

What does the notary route change?

Where notarisation is an eligible route, the apostille confirms the notary's signature, stamp or seal rather than the signature of the registry, court or university official on the original. The notary must perform an appropriate act; attaching a certificate cannot make every foreign-issued, damaged or otherwise ineligible document acceptable.

Some recipients want the original public document legalised, while others accept a legalised notarised copy. DFAT applies its certificate directly to the submitted document, so a notarised-copy route can also avoid marking an original. Confirm both copy acceptance and the required route in writing before choosing.

Do you need an apostille or authentication?

An apostille is only useful in countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Check the destination on the HCCH status table on the day you act, because membership changes; several countries have joined in recent years, and others, such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, were outside it at our last check. For countries outside the Convention, DFAT authenticates the same signature and seal, and the destination's embassy or consulate then legalises the document. The three tests apply to both. DFAT's own list of documents it can legalise is on Smartraveller; read it before you lodge, and see our apostille and authentication page for the process.

Why can an apparently eligible document be refused?

A document can meet all three tests and still come back. The usual reasons are practical rather than legal:

• Lamination or alteration. A laminated birth certificate, or one with handwriting added, is refused even though it is a genuine registry document. Order a fresh certificate from the registry.
• An unverified university record. The degree is genuine, but the university has not confirmed it to DFAT's satisfaction, or the notary's certificate does not say the original was verified.
• A copy of a copy. A notary certified a photocopy that someone else had already certified, rather than the original.
• Loose pages. A multi-page notarised document that has been unbound, so the certificate no longer clearly covers every page.
• Names that do not match. The name on the document differs from the passport the receiving authority will compare it with, and nothing links the two.
• The wrong certificate for the destination. An apostille for a country that needs embassy legalisation, or the reverse.

Each of these costs a second lodgement. Checking them before you send the document to DFAT costs nothing.

What does a three-document example look like?

A graduate in Brisbane is moving to a Hague Convention country for work and needs her birth certificate, degree and a signed employment declaration apostilled. The birth certificate goes to DFAT directly, because the foreign ministry wants the registrar's signature confirmed. She asks her university to verify her degree, then lodges the original. Only the declaration needs a notary, because nobody's official signature is on it yet. One notarial act instead of three.

How much can apostille preparation cost?

The total can include DFAT's legalisation fee, a notarial fee where notarisation is required, university or registry document charges, translation, consular fees, postage and courier costs. DFAT fees change periodically, so use its current fee schedule rather than an old quoted amount. Ask the notary for a written quote separating notarial work from third-party charges.

Cost depends on the route. An eligible original government document may avoid a notarial fee, while a private document, notarised copy or company record may require additional preparation. Do not pay for authentication, embassy legalisation or multiple notarised copies until the recipient confirms what it will accept.

What is the practical conclusion?

Start with the receiving authority, then test the document against DFAT's current eligibility rules. Original Australian government documents may go directly; university documents need the specified verification; and private documents generally need notarisation before legalisation. Foreign-issued documents and JP-only certifications are not eligible as presented. Eligibility still does not mean legalisation is required.

Related questions

• How does the Hague Apostille Convention work?
• What if I got an apostille but needed authentication?
• How do I apostille a document issued overseas?
• How do I get a certified copy of my degree?
• What if the name on my apostille does not match my passport?

Send us the document requirements, including the document type, issuing authority, destination country and recipient, whether an original or copy is accepted, number of documents and deadline. We can then explain the likely notarisation and legalisation stages.