How to Notarise a Working With Children Check in Australia

People look into notarising their Working With Children Check when they are taking child-related work overseas: teaching at an international school, volunteering with a charity, nannying or au pairing, coaching. The overseas employer asks for evidence that the applicant has been screened in Australia, and the check is the document they hold.

Before notarising it, find out whether it is what the employer actually wants. Often it is not.

A Working With Children Check is not a police check

Each Australian state and territory runs its own screening scheme for people working with children, under its own legislation and often its own name; Queensland's, for example, is the blue card. The result is a clearance to do child-related work in that state or territory, usually shown by a card number that Australian employers verify online. It is not a record of your criminal history, and the screening agency does not issue a statement of what it found.

Overseas bodies generally need something different: a statement of criminal history they can read. That is normally an Australian Federal Police National Police Check, sometimes a fingerprint-based check, and it is a separate application. Many international schools and recruitment agencies ask for both: the police check as the core evidence, and the Working With Children clearance as supporting evidence that you are already screened for this kind of work.

So ask the employer two questions before paying anyone:

1. Do you need a police check, and if so, which one?
2. Do you also want evidence of my Working With Children clearance, and in what form?

If they want only the police check, see our page on notarising a criminal record check. The rest of this page is for when they want the clearance too.

The original-document problem

A notary certifies a copy against an original they have sighted. What you have as an original depends on the scheme and when you applied:

• A physical card. The notary can certify a copy of both sides.
• A digital card or an email or letter confirming the clearance. A printout is not an original in the ordinary sense. Notaries handle this differently; some will certify a printout with wording that says exactly what it is, others will decline. Ask before booking.
• Only a number. If the clearance exists only as an online record, ask the screening agency whether it can issue a letter confirming the clearance, its number and its expiry. A signed letter from the agency is better evidence for a foreign reader than a screenshot.

Check the expiry date. Clearances run for a fixed period and may lapse if you do not renew, and an overseas employer will notice a card that expires during your contract.

What the notary does, and does not do

An Australian notary public certifies that a copy matches the original, witnesses signatures and administers oaths. The notary does not confirm that your clearance is current, that it has not been suspended, or anything about your history. An overseas employer that needs to know the clearance is still valid has to ask the screening agency, or rely on a recent agency letter.

If the employer wants a declaration from you, for example that you hold a current clearance and have no pending charges, bring it unsigned. The notary witnesses your signature or administers the oath.

Getting a certified copy

For an Australian employer, you do not need a certified copy at all: they verify the clearance online. For an overseas employer, a Justice of the Peace's certification is not recognised and cannot be apostilled, so use a notary. Certify the Working With Children evidence at the same appointment as your police check and passport, since the employer will usually want all three.

Getting it apostilled or legalised

Many overseas employers accept a notarised copy without further authentication. Some, and some visa or teaching registration authorities, want the documents authenticated. Then DFAT authenticates the notary's signature and seal:

• For a destination that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, DFAT issues an apostille. Check membership against the HCCH status table on the day.
• For a non-member, DFAT authenticates the document and the destination's embassy or consulate in Australia legalises it.

Only DFAT issues apostilles. Ask the employer whether authentication is needed before paying for it.

What it costs

The screening scheme's own fees are set by each state and territory. Notarial fees are not fixed by statute and vary between practitioners and states. As a market estimate only, expect roughly $80–$150 for the first document and roughly $20–$50 for each additional copy at the same appointment. DFAT and embassy fees are set by them.

Frequently asked questions

Will an overseas school accept my Working With Children Check instead of a police check? Usually not. Most want a criminal history check and treat the clearance as supporting evidence.

Is my clearance valid in another state, let alone another country? Clearances are issued for child-related work in the state or territory that issued them. Recognition elsewhere in Australia has its own rules; overseas, the employer decides what weight to give it.

Can I notarise a screenshot of my clearance? Possibly, depending on the notary, but a letter from the screening agency is stronger evidence.

I am applying to teach overseas. What else will they want? Commonly a police check, degree and transcript, teaching registration and references, each certified. Ask for the full list at the start.