A Notary Public is an experienced legal practitioner who has been admitted by the Supreme Court of South Australia to the office of Notary Public.

Notaries principally witness, verify and certify documents intended for use overseas. A notarial act may include verifying a person's identity or authority, witnessing a signature, certifying a document as a true copy, administering an oath or declaration, or preparing a notarial certificate bearing the Notary Public's signature and official seal.

Depending on the country in which the document will be used, the Notary Public's signature and seal may then be authenticated or apostilled by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

A Justice of the Peace may be able to witness or certify documents for use within Australia.

International authorities may instead require certification by a Notary Public because notarial acts are intended to be recognised internationally.

The instructions provided by the overseas organisation should usually indicate what is required.

Please tell us:

what the document is;
where the document will be used; and
what you have been told is required.

If you have written instructions from an overseas lawyer, government agency, bank or other organisation, please mention those instructions in your enquiry and provide their contact details.

For privacy and security reasons, please do not send passports or other highly sensitive identity documents through the general website contact form unless specifically requested.

If your signature needs to be witnessed, you will generally need to sign in the physical presence of the Notary Public.

If you are unsure, leave the document unsigned.

Possibly.

An apostille is a certificate issued in Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for documents being used in countries that recognise apostilles under the Hague Apostille Convention.

Whether an apostille is required depends on the destination country, the document and the requirements of the receiving authority.

Not every notarised document requires an apostille.

Authentication is another process by which the signature and seal on certain Australian public or notarised documents can be authenticated for international use.

The appropriate process depends upon the country receiving the document.

Please contact us about your particular document.

We can explain the relevant next steps and any additional services that may be available in relation to DFAT apostille or authentication.

A straightforward appointment may be completed relatively quickly, but the time required depends upon the document and the checks the Notary Public needs to undertake.

Corporate documents, multiple documents and matters requiring additional verification may require more time.

If your matter is urgent, please tell us when making your enqui

Australian notarial documents are commonly used throughout the world, but each country and receiving organisation may impose different requirements.

Where you have received specific instructions from an overseas authority, please provide them.

Koch Notary Services provides Australian notarial services and does not advise on the substantive law of foreign jurisdictions.

Where foreign legal advice is required, you should obtain advice from a suitably qualified lawyer or notary in that country. We are happy to work with your overseas lawyer or adviser to ensure the relevant notarial requirements are followed.

Generally - Koch Notary Services will provide only notarial services.

A notarial appointment is not necessarily the same as engaging a lawyer to advise upon the substantive legal effect of a document or transaction.

Where separate legal advice is required, this will be identified where appropriate and a suitable referral to an appropriate legal advisor may be provided or suggested.