General

Notarial services are provided by the Embassy and our Consulates-General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Notarial services are NOT provided by our Honorary Consulates in Denver and Miami. 

The full list of the services we provide can be found in the schedule of fees on our Notarial services page, but includes:

  • certifying copies of documents, photographs and identity;
  • witnessing signatures;
  • issuing Apostilles and Authentication certificates;
  • administering affidavits; and
  • issuing Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI).

We can’t tell you which service or services you require. 

You need to confirm requirements with the receiving authority or seek independent legal advice.

Some Notarial services are provided by mail - others require you to attend one of our offices in person. 

Services available by mail include:

  • certified copies of documents only;
  • Apostilles and Authentications; and
  • Exchange Visitor (J-1) Program ‘No Objection’ statements.

Further information can be found on our Mail-in services page.

All other services require you to attend one of our offices in person.

This includes the witnessing of signatures, administering of affidavits, certifying of photographs and identity declarations, and issuing of Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI).

Further information can be found on our In-person services page.

Yes - in some cases, but only when the documents being notarised are Australian or for use in Australia. 

For example, a non-Australian citizen may need their signature witnessed on an Australian document (e.g. a document transferring ownership of property in Australia) or copies of their foreign ID certified for a receiving authority in Australia (e.g. for employment-related purposes).

Similarly, an Australian may need copies of their foreign identity documents certified for use in Australia (e.g. to open or make changes to an Australian bank account).

Fees and Payment

Yes - fees are charged per Act. 

Fees are set by the Consular Fees Act 1955 (Cth) and the Consular Fees Regulations 2018 (Cth), reviewed annually, and vary each month, depending on fluctuations in the exchange rate.

Current fees can be found on our Notarial services page.

Charging for notarial services is not discretionary, and fees are not negotiable or refundable.

In the United States, fees are payable by Visa, Mastercard or Discover Card - payments by cash and cheque are not accepted.

For services by mail, you will need to provide payment details by completing a Notarial Services Request and Credit Card Authorisation form. See our Mail-in services page for further information.

You can purchase a prepaid Visa or Mastercard at many major retailers and most pharmacies and grocery stores. 

Cost can be calculated by adding together the fee(s) charged for each act performed as part of the service. For example, the cost of an in-person service requiring you to sign a document before an authorised witness and have a copy of your Australian passport certified can be calculated by adding the fees for each service. There are no administrative costs, credit card surcharges or sales (or similar) taxes.

The only additional cost you may incur is for mail-in services if you don't provide a self-addressed return courier envelop, and we have to send your documents back to you via FedEx.

Costs can accumulate quickly where services comprise multiple acts, which is another reason why we recommend confirming exactly what you need with the receiving authority before mailing in your documents or making an appointment.

Mail-in services

Instructions for preparing and sending your packet of documents to us can be found on our Mail-in services and Exchange Visitor (J-1) 'No Objection' Statement pages. 

Please read and follow those instructions carefully. Incomplete packets/applications and packets/applications that don’t comply with those instructions cannot be accepted and will be returned. 

Processing times vary, but we make every effort to turnaround your documents within 7-10 business days of receipt by our office.

We can return your documents to you via FedEx (cost USD $15). Alternatively, you can provide a prepaid self-addressed FedEx label or USPS envelope at the time of your application (note: we cannot accept UPS labels).

If you are providing your own prepaid self-addressed label or envelope, we recommend using a service that allows you to track its whereabouts and delivery.

The Embassy cannot assist with locating undelivered or lost documents.

Yes - so long as you provide us with clear written instructions and a prepaid pre-addressed FedEx label or USPS envelope at the time of your application (note: we cannot accept UPS labels).

In all cases, we recommend using a service that allows you to track the whereabouts and delivery of your documents.

The Embassy cannot assist with locating undelivered or lost documents.

To make a certified copy of a document, we must sight and make a copy of the original. 

We understand the inconvenience this can cause and make every effort to turnaround your documents as quickly as possible.

You can also help minimise turnaround times by ensuring that your packet is complete and correct before mailing it to us, providing us with contact details at which you can be easily reached, and promptly responding to any requests for clarification or further information. 

In-person services

Yes - appointments are required for ALL in-person notarial services.

Information on scheduling an appointment at your preferred location can be found on our In-person services page. 

Some consular and passport outreach visits may include appointment windows specifically for notarial services.

Whether or not, which and when notarial services will be provided is determined by the availability and authority of the officer(s) conducting the visit. 

In the event that notarial service appointments will be available, details will be provided at the time we publicise the visit.

Certified Copies

No. We are required to make the copies ourselves. This ensures that we are certifying only true copies of the original documents you present.

Yes. If you require colour copies, please stipulate this on your Notarial Services Request form. Otherwise, copies will be made in black and white.

Apostilles and Authentications

An Apostille is a statement placed on a public document that facilitates its use in a foreign country. It verifies the document's origin, the authenticity of the signature and seal which appear on the document, and the capacity in which the person signing the document acted.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the only authority that can Apostille Australian public documents.

Overseas, this service is provided by Australian embassies and consulates.

Countries that are signatories to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents accept Apostille certificates.

A full list of countries that are currently party to the Convention can be found on the Hague Conference on Private International Law website. 

For documents intended for use in countries which are not signatories to the Hague Convention, we can apply an Authentication certificate.

An Authentication certificate serves the same purpose as an Apostille but may require further legalisation before it is recognised and accepted by the receiving country.

We can’t tell you whether you need an Apostille or an Authentication certificate.

You need to confirm requirements with the receiving authority or seek independent legal advice.

An Australian public document is one that it is issued by a government authority in Australia. 

This includes most documents issued by Australian registries of births, deaths and marriage (BDM). It also includes documents issued by Australian courts, police and government departments.

A private document (i.e. one not issued by a government authority) can become a public document if it has been notarised by an Australian public notary.

To locate a Notary Public or Justice of the Peace (JP) in Australia, consult the relevant state or territory listings:

Yes, but to be accepted for Apostille or Authentication, education documents must have been issued by an Australian accredited education institution. 

Additional steps and/or verification of your document(s) may be required, depending on the type of institution and whether it is public or private.

Further information can be found on Smartraveller's Documents we can legalise page. 

You can check whether an institution is accredited using the Department of Education’s Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

You can also use CRICOS to check whether an institution is public or private.

We cannot accept Apostille or Authenticate any foreign education documents, even if notarised by an Australian Notary Public.

For assistance with foreign education documents, contact the embassy or consulate of the country(ies) in which they were issued. 

** Note: scanned copies of documents are not electronic documents for our purposes and cannot be accepted for Apostille and Authentication. **

We can Apostille and Authenticate some electronically-issued Australian public documents.

In order to do so, we MUST be able to access and print the document(s) ourselves. This means that you will be asked to forward the source email sent by the issuing authority or provide login details to the issuing authority's online portal.

To confirm whether we can Apostille and Authenticate your electronically-issued document(s), email consular.washington@dfat.gov.au. Provide details of the service you require, the source email sent by the issuing authority or login details to the issuing authority's online portal, and daytime contact details.

We will assess your document(s) and advise whether or not we can assist.

To verify an Apostille issued by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on or after 14 December 2015, visit https://orao.dfat.gov.au/pages/verifyapostille.aspx. 

To verify an Apostille issued before this date, contact your nearest Australian embassy or consulate or the Australian Passport Office in Australia.

Witnessing signatures

No - we MUST witness you sign your document(s) IN PERSON. 

Information on scheduling an appointment to have your signature witnessed at the Embassy or your nearest consulate can be found on our In-person services page. 

In some cases, you may not require our services - a local notary or similarly authorised person, such as a police officer or attorney, may be able to witness your signature.

Documents requiring you to sign in front of an authorised witness will typically contain specific instructions. Read those instructions carefully.

If there are no instructions, confirm the requirements with the requesting authority or seek independent legal advice. If a document is witnessed incorrectly, it may be invalid.