Attesting Australian Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Australia is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Australian documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Australian documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication from the embassy of the destination country in Canberra.

For further information about Apostille certification in Australia, see:
Australia Apostille Services

Australian public documents that can be legalized with Apostille stamps or through embassy attestation include:

• Birth certificates, death and marriage certificates issued by a State or Territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
• National Police Certificates issued by the Federal Police.
• Degrees, diplomas, transcripts, letters and other certificates issued by Australian universities and other tertiary education institutions.
• Certificates of Company Registration, Company Extracts and other company filings issued by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).
• Proof of Divorce Certificates and other court documents.
• Australian citizenship certificates issued by the Department of Home Affairs.
• Translations certified by a translator who is recognised by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
• Documents issued by the Australian Taxation Office.
• Trade and export documents issued by an authorised Australian chamber of commerce and industry or Australian Government Department.
• Driver Licence History Certificates
• Certificates of no Impediment to Marriage, Single Status or Record of No Result certificates

Private documents, including certificates issued by private schools and colleges, powers of attorney, contracts and affidavits can be legalized after being certified by an Australian notary public.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Australia, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Australian apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Australian documents, see:
Australia Apostille Services

Australian Apostilles can normally be obtained in 2 - 10 business days

However, processing times vary by State and Territory in Australia or by embassy where Apostilles are obtained from an Australian Embassy of High Commission abroad, depending on the availability of appointments.

Australian Apostilles issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can be verified online.
Verify an Australian Apostille

Australian documents required for submission to authorities in the United Arab Emirates or in support of a UAE visa application must first be authenticated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and then by the UAE embassy in Canberra.

Australian Apostille Stamps are issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and are available from Australian Passport Office in capital cities. Apostilles can also be obtained abroad from a High Commission or Embassy

• Australia - Competent Authority

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Australian document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit an Australian birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Australia certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Australia and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Australia is a member of the Apostille Convention, Australian documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If an Australian document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Australian authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Australia or non-resident embassy accredited to Australia).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Australia including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services and certified translations. We can also assist with obtaining Australian police checks, court documents and corporate documents.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
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Australia Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Australian documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Australian Police Certificate with Apostille (PDF)
• Australian birth certificate with Apostille (PDF)
• Legalized Australian University Diploma (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Australian birth, death and marriage certificates are issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state where the event took place (New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Southern Australia, Western Australia). Applications for copies of certificates can generally be submitted online but are normally only available to the person named on the certificate or immediate family.

For further information on obtaining Australian birth, death and marriage certificates and links to application procedures in each state and territory, see:
Australian birth death and marriage certificates

If your divorce was granted in Australia (except Western Australia), proof that a divorce was granted and finalised can be downloaded from the Proof of divorce (Commonwealth Courts Portal) (divorces after 13 February 2010 where the applicant is a party to the divorce) or obtained by submitting an application online to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. This proof of divorce is a digital order with an electronic seal and signature and is the only proof of divorce provided by the Courts.

• Proof of divorce (divorce order)

Proof of divorce finalised in Western Australia can be obtained from the Family Court of Western Australia

A Certificate of no Impediment to Marriage for submission abroad can be obtained from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. At least one person applying for the CNI must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Certificates of No Impediment (CNI) to Marriage

While Australia does not issue specific certificates of good standing, a company can be shown to be in good standing by obtaining a Certificate of Registration from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). This certificate indicates the company's current registration status.

A Certificate of Registration of a Company includes the company name, company number, state of registration and date of registration. It also indicates the company's current registration status.

Certified Company Extracts include further information about a company, including registered addresses, details of Company officeholders and shareholders, and financial and other filings.

Certificates of Registration and Certified Company Extracts can be obtained from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and can be authenticated for submission to authorities abroad with an Apostille stamp from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Australian states and territories have different laws that limit the release of some older offences (spent convictions).
See Spent convictions (National police Certificates)

Australian criminal record certificates required for use abroad (e.g. visa, residency and foreign citizenship applications) are issued by the Federal Police. The reason for needing the police check must be given in the application and will be stated on the issued certificate. While State certificates are also available, these are generally intended for use within Australia.

Digital and paper certificates.are available - both formats can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp.

Applications may be submitted by post or online. You can only apply to receive your own police check. Most applications are name-based, but in some cases a fingerprint-based check may be required.

• Apply for a National Police Certificate
• Check Application Status

Isarey can assist in obtaining Australian National Police Certificates on behalf of applicants based abroad.
Please Contact us for further information.

Australian degrees required for submission to the authorities of Qatar must be attested by the Qatari embassy in Canberra. The embassy requires submission of the original testamur or certificate/final academic transcripts authenticated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), as well as a Completion letter (also authenticated by DFAT). The Embassy of Qatar will not authenticate any qualification completed through online study, distance study or external study.

Australian degree certificates and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates require an authentication certificate from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Apostilles are not valid. Once legalized by DFAT, certificates can be attested at the UAE embassy in Canberra.

Before submitting the certificate to DFAT it must be verified by the university, confirming the degree as a "true and accurate record" (verification may be available online and may not necessary if the degree can be verified by DFAT using a public online verification register). If submitting a copy to DFAT rather than the original, the copy must be certified by an Australian notary with the wording "the original record has been verified with the issuing institution".

In most cases, Australian degrees requiring authentication to submit to Taiwanese authorities need to be legalized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before submitting to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. However, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office can authenticate degrees from some institutions directly if they can be verified. Degrees must be submitted to the correct Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne) according to the State where they were issued.

Australian degree certificates required for submission to Chinese authorities can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Since China joined the Apostille Convention, attestation by the Chinese Embassy is no longer required.

Original primary and secondary school documents must be verified and signed by an authorised officer from the relevant state or territory government education body or notarised by an Australian Notary Public. They can be authenticated with an Apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

To find a notary in Australia, see:

• New South Wales - find a notary
• Victoria - find a notary
• Notary Public in the ACT
• South Australia - find a notary
• Western Australia - Current practising Notaries
• Queensland - find your nearest notary
• Tasmania - find a notary
• Northern Territory Public Notaries

To be eligible for an Apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, translations of Australian documents must be certified by a translator who is recognised by NAATI

Australian driving licence history certificates are issued by a State or Territory Driver Licensing Authority