Notary Publics are experienced lawyers who are authorised to certify and authenticate documents for use overseas. Notaries Public play a crucial role in facilitating personal and business transactions overseas.

A Notary Public is appointed by the Supreme Court and charge fees for their services. Notary fees in NSW are regulated by the Legal Profession Admissions Board and published on the Society of Notaries of NSW website.

Do I need a Notary Public?

Since Notary Publics are lawyers and charge a fee for their service, consider whether you need a Notary Public or you can use a Justice of the Peace:

• If you are going to be using your documents in Australia then in most cases you can have your documents certified by a Justice of the Peace.
• If you are going to be using or sending your documents overseas then you generally must have your documents notarised by a Notary Public.

The main difference between a Notary Public and a Justice of the Peace is that documents certified by a Notary Public may be recognised and accepted overseas, whereas documents certified by a Justice of the Peace may only be recognised in Australia.

Do your documents need to be stamped with an Apostille or Authentication from DFAT or be legalised by a foreign Embassy or Consulate in Australia?

If you are going to be using or sending your documents overseas and you've been informed by the overseas authority that the document must be stamped with an Apostille or Authenticated by DFAT, then your documents must be notarised by a Notary Public. Unfortunately, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will not accept documents certified by a JP for Apostille or Authentication. DFAT only accepts original Australian government issued documents or documents certified by an Australian Notary Public.

How Swift Notary can help

Swift Notary is a leading provider of Notary Public services in Australia - serving clients Australia-wide and overseas. We can certify, authenticate and notarise a wide range of personal and company documents, including:

• Academic Documents
• AFP National Police Certificates
• ASIC Documents
• Birth Certificates
• Certificates of Good Standing
• Certificates of Residency issued by the ATO
• Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage (CNI)
• Change of Name Certificates
• Citizenship Certificates
• Courts Documents
• Death Certificates
• Divorce Orders
• Drivers Licences
• Fingerprint Reports issued by ACIC
• Marriage Certificates
• Passports
• Professional Qualifications
• Police Certificates issued by State or Territories
• Relationship Certificates
• Single Status or Record of No Result Certificate
• State of Territory Certificates of Incorporation as an Association
• Work Experience Letters
• Medical Reports

We can obtain an Apostille or Authentication certificate from DFAT, issue Certificates of Good Standing for a Australian Companies and have your document/s Legalised by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait or Qatar Embassy (if required). Please kindly note that we do not provide witnessing services i.e. we do not notarise any documents where you are required to sign the document as Australian Notary Publics are unable to witness the signing of documents electronically.

Book Online Instantly

Book online instantly by follow this link to our booking platform. The booking platform will guide you through the process for each document type and provide a summary of the price prior to payment.

Why Choose Swift Notary

Swift Notary is the only Notary Public in Australia which provides transparent pricing - all of our Notary Public, Apostille, Authentication and Legalisation services are available to book and pay online instantly. Our online booking platform will provide you with an instant price for your selected services. Simply follow this link to our booking platform to get started! We provide complimentary express postage of your completed documents anywhere in Australia. Need a PDF of your document or your document to be sent overseas? We can arrange that too.