Apostilles

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is a type of standardised certificate used between countries party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Hague Apostille Convention).

When validly issued, an Apostille authenticates the origin of a public document. This means it formally verifies, as applicable, the signature of the person who signed the document and that the person had the appropriate authorisation to sign, as well as the fact that the document has actually been issued by the authority appearing to have issued it.

The Convention is implemented in Australia through the Foreign Evidence Act 1994 (Cth).

Apostilles on Australian documents for use overseas

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is responsible for the legalisation of Australian public documents and affixing of Australian Apostilles to be used overseas. This is done through the Australian Passport Office in your capital city or your nearest Australian Embassy or consulate if you are overseas. Find out more about the notarial services DFAT provides, including the legalisation of documents, on the DFAT website.

You should always ask the receiving authority overseas what they need from you. Foreign recipients may be able to accept your Australian documents without an Apostille or formal legalisation. However, in some cases, there may also be specific requirements for your documents. For example, that they need to be recently issued (within a certain timeframe) or in a specific format (hard copy or electronic).

Apostilles on foreign documents for use in Australia

If you need an Apostille on a foreign public document for use in Australia, contact the relevant authorities of the country in which the document was issued. For more information, check the authorities listed on the Apostille Section of the Hague Conference website, or contact the embassy or consulate of that country.

You should always ask the receiving authority in Australia what they need from you. In many cases, Australian recipients may be able to accept your foreign documents without an Apostille or formal legalisation. However, in some cases, there may also be specific requirements for your documents, for example that they need to be recently issued within a certain timeframe or in relation to a specific hard copy or electronic format.

For more on the use of electronic signatures and documents in Australia, see our Electronic signatures, documents and transactions page.