Legalised, notarised, or both
DFAT describes legalisation as verifying a signature, stamp or seal on a public document, after which an apostille or an authentication certificate is put on the original. Notarising is something else: an Australian Notary Public verifies a document and confirms it with their own signature, stamp or seal. Some documents need notarising before they can be legalised, and many overseas authorities will accept a notarised document and may not ask for it to be legalised.
DFAT legalises only Australian public documents, which it defines as documents:
- “issued by an Australian government agency or official”
- “issued by an Australian educational institution”
- issued by a NAATI Certified Translator or Recognised Practicing Translator
- “notarised by an Australian Notary Public.”
Contracts, wills, bank statements and other papers from private bodies are private documents, and a private document becomes a public one once an Australian Notary Public notarises it.
Ask the overseas authority first
DFAT cannot tell you what an authority in another country needs, and says many do not ask for legalised documents. It suggests asking the person who wants the documents, or that country’s embassy, high commission or consulate in Australia, and finding 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.”
The apostille or authentication certificate goes directly onto the document. If you would rather your original stayed unmarked, DFAT suggests a notarised copy, once you have confirmed the overseas authority accepts one.
The certificates DFAT can legalise
Most documents from Australian registries of births, deaths and marriages count as Australian government documents. DFAT’s list of the Australian government documents it can legalise runs:
DFAT 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.”
DFAT 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, which it assesses case by case
- “private documents that have not been notarised”
- “documents that have only been certified by a Justice of the Peace.”
For documents from another country, DFAT points you to that country’s own authority.
DFAT’s five steps
DFAT sets out the process in this order.
Prepare your documents
Ask the overseas authority which documents it needs legalised; confirm DFAT can legalise them; find out from the authority or a legal representative whether you need an apostille or an authentication certificate; and if a document is not an original Australian public document, have an Australian Notary Public notarise it.
Complete the request form
Download and fill in DFAT’s Document Legalisation Request Form, and sign it only while an authorised witness watches. Incomplete requests cannot be processed.
Choose how to submit
Three options: in Australia, at any Australian Passport Office by appointment (someone can attend for you); overseas, at many Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates; or by registered post. Consulates run by an Honorary Consul do not provide legalisation services.
Wait while DFAT checks
Officers check the signature and seal against DFAT’s database. If the document passes, the apostille or authentication certificate goes directly on it; if not, DFAT returns it with an explanation. Processing times vary, and DFAT may contact the issuing authority.
Receive the documents
Collect them from the Passport Office or overseas post, or have them returned in the self-addressed envelope you supplied.
The fee
As at October 2026, DFAT’s fee schedule from 1 January 2026 sets an apostille and an authentication certificate at $105 each. Notarial fees rise with the consumer price index every 1 January, and in Australia DFAT takes EFTPOS, MasterCard or Visa, not cash.
Checking an apostille
An Australian Government apostille issued after 14 December 2015 can be checked online through DFAT’s apostille verification portal. For an older one, DFAT suggests asking the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, or the Australian Passport Office.
Before you send anything
Two things from the other guides on this site matter here. A laminated certificate cannot be legalised, and NSW separately suggests not laminating a standard birth certificate, so it stays in its original state; the guide to commemorative and official certificates has more. And a copy certified by a Justice of the Peace will not do; the guide to certified copies explains who certifies copies for use overseas.