Apostilles and Authentications
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Some documents, after certification or attestation by a notary, require legalisation before they can be used in another country. For some countries, an apostille provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is sufficient, whereas other countries require authentication both by DFAT and by the country’s embassy in Australia.
An apostille or an authentication is essentially a certification from DFAT that the document carries the genuine signature and seal of an Australian notary (or, in some cases, the genuine signature and seal of another recognised Australian official).
Examples of countries which require an apostille:
- Most European countries
- South Africa
- South Korea
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Most former Soviet Union countries
- Most South American countries
- Mexico
- USA
- China
Examples of countries which require both authentication by DFAT and legalisation by the country’s embassy in Australia:
- Egypt
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- UAE