Documents we can legalise

 

On this page:

• Legalisation and notarisation explained
• What are public and private documents?
• Do I need my document legalised?
• Who can legalise a document for use overseas?
• Documents we can legalise
• How to submit a document for legalisation

Legalisation and notarisation explained

Some foreign authorities will ask you to prove your documents are genuine before they accept them. To do this, you may need to get them either:

• legalised
• notarised
• both notarised and legalised.

Document legalisation

Document legalisation is the process of verifying a signature, stamp or seal on a public document. Once verified, officials issue an apostille or authentication certificate on the original document.

After your document is legalised, you can use it in another country.

In some cases, you will need to get your documents notarised before they can be legalised.

Document notarisation

Notarising a document is different from legalising one.

Australian Notary Publics can notarise documents for use overseas. They will verify the documents and confirm their authenticity by affixing their signature, stamp or seal.

Many overseas authorities will accept a notarised document. They may not ask you to get it legalised. We can't tell you what an overseas authority wants. Always ask them to specify what they need.

Find an Australian Notary Public in your state or territory.

What are public and private documents?

Australian public documents are documents that have been:

• issued by an Australian government agency or official
• issued by an Australian educational institution
• issued by a Certified Translator or Recognised Practicing Translator from the National Accreditation Authority for Translator and Interpreters (NAATI)
• notarised by an Australian Notary Public.

Private documents are documents issued by a private entity. For example:

• contracts
• mortgages
• Power of Attorney papers
• wills
• bank statements
• employment records.

If a private document is notarised by an Australian Notary Public, it becomes a public document. 

Do I need my document legalised?

We can't tell you what an authority in another country needs. Ask the person requesting your documents what you need to do. Or ask an official from the country's embassy, high commission or consulate in Australia.

Many authorities don't ask for legalised documents. They may accept your originals or copies as-is. Or they may just want them notarised.

Find out:

• which documents they want
• if they will accept copies
• whether they want the documents notarised or legalised
• whether the documents need an apostille or an authentication certificate.

Below are some common examples of when you may need legalised documents.

Going overseas to study or work

Academic fraud is a common issue worldwide. Your potential employer or institution may ask to verify your credentials. This could include your:

• degree
• academic transcript
• high school, college or TAFE certificates
• identity documents.

Going overseas to get married

The overseas authority may want proof that you're free to marry.

This could include:

• a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI)
• divorce certificate
• other evidence.

Your child is travelling without both parents

You may need to prove your child can travel with only one parent.

This may include:

• your child's birth certificate
• marriage or divorce certificates
• a letter from the parent who is not travelling
• a court order.

This helps prevent international parental child abduction.

Who can legalise documents for use overseas?

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the Australian legalisation authority. No one else in Australia can legalise documents.

We deliver our legalisation services in Australia and overseas.

We can only legalise Australian public documents. If you have documents from another country, you will need to contact the authority in that country.

Authentication certificates and apostilles

We legalise Australian public documents by applying either an apostille or an authentication certificate.

The apostille or authentication certificate verifies:

• the signature, stamp, or seal on an Australian public document
• a Notary Public's signature, stamp, or seal for documents they've notarised.

We can't tell you which one you need. Ask the person requesting your documents. Or, ask an official from their country's embassy, high commission or consulate in Australia.

NOTE: The apostille or authentication certificate is applied directly on to your documents. If you do not want your original documents marked, get a notarised copy for us to legalise. You should confirm the receiving authority will accept notarised copies.

Need to verify an apostille? Use our online portal

Documents we can legalise

We can usually legalise:

• original Australian Government documents, or a notarised copy
• a certified copy of an Australian passport that has been prepared by an Australian Passport Office or Australian Notary Public
• most original documents from Australian tertiary educational institutions, or a notarised copy
• documents issued by a Certified Translator or Recognised Practicing Translator from the National Accreditation Authority for Translator and Interpreters (NAATI) a limited range of electronic official Australian public documents.

If notarised by an Australian Notary Public, we may also legalise:

• documents from Australian primary, secondary and private schools, and vocational education providers
• documents issued by an authorised Australian chamber of commerce and industry where an apostille is required
• documents in a foreign language, translated by an Australian Government-recognised translator other than NAATI
• private documents.

We can't legalise:

• foreign-issued educational documents, even if notarised by an Australian Notary Public
• documents that are laminated, framed or altered in any way
• damaged documents. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• private documents that have not been notarised
• documents that have only been certified by a Justice of the Peace.

Australian Government documents

Australian Government documents include:

• most documents issued by Australian births, deaths and marriage registries
• documents issued by courts and police
• documents issued by government departments.

We can legalise Australian:

• birth certificates, including commemorative certificates and extracts
• marriage certificates, excluding ceremonial and commemorative certificates
• death certificates
• Single Status certificates
• Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI)
• Record of No Result certificates
• court documents, including divorce certificates
• National Police Checks
• fingerprint reports
• Australian citizenship certificates
• Australian International Movement Records 
• Australian government issued commercial documents (for example, from ASIC, ATO or TGA)
• other Australian government-issued documents.

Documents from Australian educational institutions

These documents include:

• official documents from Australian public and private universities
• official documents from Australian Public Colleges of Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
• documents from Australian private schools, colleges, and vocational education and training (VET) providers, when notarised
• some original primary and secondary school documents, when notarised or verified by a state or territory government education body or the Department of Education.

Who can verify primary and secondary education documents

ACT

• ACT Government Education Directorate (Primary Schools)
• ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies

New South Wales

• NSW Education Standards Authority
• NSW Department of Education

Northern Territory

• NT Department of Education

Queensland

• Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
• QLD Department of Education and Training

South Australia

• SACE Board of South Australia

Tasmania

• Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards & Certification
• Department of Education Tasmania

Victoria

• Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority
• Department of Education Victoria

Western Australia

• School Curriculum and Standards Authority
• WA Department of Education

University degrees

Your university must verify your degree before we can legalise it.

If you are getting the original legalised, you can verify your university documents by:

• contacting your university to have a verification stamp applied to the documents
• accessing a copy of the document from your My eQuals account for verification or similar online portal
• arranging for your university to email verification directly to the relevant Australian embassy, high mission consulate or the Australian Passport Office. The university must include a copy of the document in the email.

If you are getting a copy legalised, an Australian Notary Public must:

• get the copy verified by the university
• state that 'the original record has been verified with the issuing institution'. A statement that the document is a 'true copy' will not meet this requirement.

Translated documents

We can legalise some translated documents. The translation must include:

• the translator's name and practitioner ID
• the official National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) original stamp and signature or QR code
• the date of translation

You must also submit a copy of the original document, with the NAATI translator’s original stamp and signature or QR code on every page.

We only accept translations completed by a NAATI-certified or recognised translator.

More information:

• DFAT Requirements for Translators - NAATI

Electronic official Australian documents

We accept a limited range of electronic public documents for legalisation.

• We can't confirm if we can process your electronic document until we have seen it. We will assess the document when you lodge it.
• We may ask you to forward the original email or log in to a portal to prove the authenticity of the document.
• We will not process scanned copies as electronic documents.

We only accept a limited range of electronic documents with no signature or seal. We will tell you if you need to get the document notarised.

How to submit a document for legalisation

The process to get your documents legalised depends on where you are.

In Australia

In Australia, we deliver our services:

• by mail
• through Australian Passport Offices.

See documents in Australia.

For more information about legalisation services in Australia, email legalisations.australia@dfat.gov.au or contact us online.

Overseas

Overseas, we deliver our services through our embassies, high commissions, and consulates. 

See documents overseas. 

Contact your nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate for further information.

Read more

• Learn about the notarial services we provide.
• Read how to submit documents in Australia or overseas.
• See how to get a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI)
• Find the list of notarial forms.

See also

• Find how to contact a foreign embassy, high commission or consulate in Australia.
• Find a NAATI Certified Translator or a Recognised Practising Translator.