In Australia, a Notary Public (also known as a Public Notary or Notary) is an experienced and specially trained lawyer who is authorised to certify and authenticate documents for use overseas. Notaries play a crucial role in facilitating personal and business transactions overseas. 

The principal functions of a Notary Public are to:
- verify and certify documents for use overseas; and
- witness the execution of documents for use overseas

‍Australian Government Issued Documents
- AFP National Police Certificate
- ASIC Business Name Extract
- ASIC Certificate of Registration of a Company
- ASIC Current Company Extract
- ASIC Current & Historical Company Extract
- Birth Certificate
- Change of Name Certificate
- Citizenship Certificate
- Court Document (available on Commonwealth Courts Portal)
- Death Certificate
- Divorce Order (available on Commonwealth Courts Portal)
- Marriage Certificate
- Relationship Certificate
- Single Status or Record of No Result Certificate

Australian Academic Documents
- University Degree (available on My eQuals)
- University Transcript (available on My eQuals)
- TAFE Degree (available on My eQuals)
- TAFE Transcript (available on My eQuals)

In Australia, the main difference between a Notary Public and a Justice of the Peace (or JP) is that a notary public is recognised overseas (i.e. outside of Australia) while a Justice of the Peace is only recognised in Australia.

A Notary Public is an experienced and specially trained lawyer who is authorised to certify and authenticate documents for use overseas.

Justices of the Peace are community volunteers. The main role of a JP is to witness a person making a statutory declaration or affidavit, and to certify copies of original documents.

A JP is typically not authorised to certify documents for use overseas and DFAT cannot issue Apostilles or Authentication Certificates for documents certified by a JP.  

We offer fixed price and transparent Notary services. You can view our pricing on our Pricing page or in the booking platform.
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All of our prices include GST, complimentary express postage of any hard-copy documents to Swift Notary and complimentary express postage of the completed documents anywhere in Australia.

An Apostille is a specific type of certification issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) certifying that a document is either an original Australian government document or a document that has been notarised by a Notary Public. An Apostille confirms the authenticity of the document's signature, seal, or stamp and the authority of the person or organisation that issued it. DFAT is the only body in Australia that can issue an Apostille.

An Apostille will only be recognised in a country that is a signatory to the Apostille Convention (Hague Apostille Convention). The Apostille Convention simplifies the process of authenticating documents for international use. Under this Convention, participating countries agree to recognise an Apostille as a valid certification for documents issued by authorities within the same country. Refer to our List of Countries Accepting an Apostille.

If the intended destination country is not a signatory to the Apostille Convention, then you may need to have your document "authenticated" by DFAT.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the only body in Australia that is authorised to issue Apostilles. DFAT issues Apostilles through the passport offices in each capital city in Australia.  

The current DFAT processing time for an Apostille is up to 3 business days.

We can have your document Apostilled by DFAT for you. We attend DFAT daily and offer a fully managed service - no appointment required.

Book online instantly by following this link to our booking platform. The platform will guide you through the process and provide a summary of the service and price prior to payment.

DFAT charges a fee of $102 per Apostille.

Book online instantly by following this link to our booking platform. The platform will guide you through the process and provide a summary of the service and price prior to payment.

The Apostille Convention, officially known as the 'Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents', is an international treaty which simplifies the certification of documents for use in different countries. A certification under the Apostille Convention is called an Apostille (or Hague Apostille).

An Apostille confirms the authenticity of the document's signature, seal, or stamp and the authority of the person or organisation that issued it. DFAT is the only body in Australia that can issue an Apostille.

Documents that have been issued with an Apostille Certificate will be recognised in countries that are also signatories to the Apostille Convention. Legalisation by the foreign consulate or embassy is not required.

View the List of Countries Accepting an Apostille. If the intended destination country of the document is not a signatory to the Apostille Convention, then any documents sent to that country will need to be authenticated by DFAT.

‍Authentication is the process of certifying a document for destination countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention or for documents that do not meet the criteria for an Apostille.

Authentication involves DFAT verifying that the seal and signature on the notarised documents belong to the Notary Public who notarised them.

Once the document has been authenticated by DFAT, it may need to presented to the relevant foreign consulate or embassy in Australia before it can be sent to the destination country.