Notarial Services
Notarial services are available by 1) In-person Appointment or 2) Mailed-in applications.
If you wish to visit the Embassy in person, please book an appointment.
Notarial Services by mail
The Embassy provides legalisation/certification services by mail.
What are notarial services?
Some Australian Federal and State laws require that a signature on a document be witnessed by an Australian Consular Officer or have other procedures applied before the document can be used for legal purposes, or in an Australian court of law. Solicitors, justices of the peace, and notaries public normally perform these functions in Australia. It is possible for solicitors, justices of the peace or public notaries in Korea to also perform these services.
Notarial services are provided by Consular Officers for Australians. They are also provided in cases where the documents are Australian in origin, or are intended for use in Australia, or have been requested by an Australian Federal, State or Local Government authority. We are unable to provide notarial services related to visa or migration.
Notarial services we provide
The Embassy can certify copies of original documents. The documents must be Australian, or documents that will be used in Australia.
We will photocopy your documents in black and white copies and apply the following certification stamp: “This is a true copy of the document presented to me.” For photos, we apply "a true likeness of [client's name]". These are DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) approved words and cannot change. If you need a different form of words, then you will need to take your documents to an alternative provider.
If coloured copies are required, please show the instructions from the receiving authority to the Consular staffs at your appointment.
The Embassy issues a certified copy of Australian Driver's Licence for clients who intend to exchange their Australian Driver's Licence into Korean Driver's Licence. We cannot certify a digital version of the driver's licence.
For electronic documents, sources must be checked prior to certifying. Select one of the options below.
- Forward the source email (i.e. email sent by the issuing authority) to [email protected] on the day of your appointment.
- Ask the issuing authority to email your documents to [email protected]
- You log in to the relevant portal and download the document in front of Consular staffs on the day of your appointment. (This option is not available for mailed-in services.)
- Documents issued by the Korean Government should have issuance number or QR code for verification.
For detailed information on certifying copies, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
Foreign governments sometimes need proof that the signatures of Australian officials on public documents are genuine before they can be accepted. The Embassy will certify that a signature, stamp or seal on an official Australian public document is genuine by checking it against a specimen held on file, and provide a certificate (stamp) in the form of an ‘Authentication’ or an ‘Apostille’ stating certain facts. The Authentication or Apostille is then signed by the Embassy staff and sealed with a wet and a dry seal.
We may bind together multiple page or double sided documents at no extra cost, where there is insufficient space to affix the certificate on the document. To bind documents together we will need to punch a hole through the papers so we can insert our binding ribbon. Pages, once bound together, cannot be separated.
Please allow 2-3 working days for collection of an Apostille or and Authentication.
We can only legalise original documents. Documents that have been laminated, framed or altered in any way are not acceptable for legalisations. Photocopied documents will not be accepted unless they are first notarised by an Australian Notary Public. For electronic documents in .PDF format, please refer to the instructions at the bottom of this tab.
Some documents need to satisfy specific requirements prior to Legalisation. Please see the instructions below.
-Australian public university documents
All Australian public university education documents must be verified as a ‘true and accurate record’ before the document can be legalised by Australian Embassy Seoul. Please choose one of the options below to meet verification requirements.
1) Share My eQuals documents to [email protected] on the day of your appointment.
2) Most Australian Universities have an online verification available on their website, either through a public roll or searchable database. Please print out the result page and present it to the Consular Officer at your appointment. Please click here to see the list of universities with online verification services.
3) Request Student Centre to send an email to [email protected]. The email must include your academic details-name, date of the conferral and award.
4) If your university requires a third party (i.e. Embassy) to send a request email, then please send the detailed instruction to [email protected]
-Australian private university documents
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian private university documents must be first notarised by an Australian Notary Public prior to legalisation. They must state that 'the original record has been verified with the issuing institution'. A statement by a Notary Public that the document is a ‘true copy’ does not satisfy verification. Please note, Justice of Peace (JP) are not Notary Public. The documents certified by JP are not eligible for legalisation.
-Australian TAFE Certificates
We can legalise original TAFE Certificates with seals/signatures/stamps of the issuing authority. Verification is not required for TAFE Certificates.
-Australian primary and secondary school documents
We can legalise original primary and secondary school documents notarised by an Australian Notary public (not JP), or verified and signed by an authorised officer from the relevant state or territory government education body below.
-
ACT – ACT Government Education Directorate & ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
-
New South Wales – NSW Education Standards Authority & NSW Department of Education
-
Northern Territory – Department of Education
-
Queensland – Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority & Department of Education and Training
-
South Australia – SACE Board of South Australia
-
Tasmania – Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification
-
Victoria – Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority & Department of Education Victoria
-
Western Australia – School Curriculum and Standards Authority and Department of Education WA
-Private documents
We can legalise private documents (Power of Attorney, wills, bank statements, employment letter) once they are notarised by an Australian Notary Public. Please note, Justice of Peace (JP) are not Notary Public. The documents certified by JP are not eligible for legalisation.
-Electronic documents available as PDF. format
It is becoming more common for public documents to be issued electronically, bearing an electronic signature and/or seal. We accept a limited range of official Australian public documents electronically including:
1) Australian public university documents on My eQuals website – We can legalise your Australian public university documents if they have seals/signatures/stamps of the issuing authority. Please log in to your My eQuals account and share your documents to [email protected] on the day of your appointment.
2) Digital National Police Certificate – We can legalise your Digital National Police Certificate issued from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Please forward the email from AFP to [email protected] on the day of your appointment.
3) International Movement Records issued by the Department of Home Affairs, Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Certificate of Registration issued by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) - These documents are issued without seals/signatures/stamps of the issuing authority. The Embassy can only issue a certificate in the form of Authentication. If you are requested to get Apostille on these documents by the receiving authority, then the documents must be first notarised by an Australian Notary Public.
For other electronic documents, please contact us prior to your appointment.
Scanned copies are not considered as electronic document.
For detailed information on legalisation, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents
A Certificate of No Impediement to Marriage (CNI) is a general statement of the law in Australia concerning the recognition of foreign marriages. It states that the person named in the certificate has signed a declaration and, on the basis that the declaration is true and correct, there is no legal reason why they cannot marry in another country.
The CNI does not states the applicant is currently single. If you need to prove that you have not been married, please contact the Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages in Australia, and apply for Single Status Certificate.
Required documents for CNI (Original document only, copies not acceptable)
- For Applicant
1) Please download and complete the CNI application form (Do not sign the last page as the consular officer will witness your signature on your appointment day.)
2) Australian passport
3) Divorce Order or Death Certificate (If divorced or widowed)
-For your partner
1) Foreign passport
2) Divorce Order or Death Certificate (If divorced or widowed)
Documents not in English must be accompanied by an English translation that's performed by a professional translator.
For detailed information on CNI, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/cni
We can witness signatures on many official Australian documents, for use in Australia. We are not able to witness signatures on documents that will be used in other countries.
Please bring your ID with your photo and your signature (e.g. Passport, Australian Driver’s License) to the appointment.
Multiple witnesses in one document will incur multiple charges. We cannot witness signatures over the phone and video calls.
Update on Digital Commonwealth Statutory Declaration
You can now use myGov to create a digital Commonwealth statutory declaration, using your Digital Identity in place of a witness to verify your identity. There are no fees associated with this service at the moment. Please see the Attorney-General’s Department website for more details on digital Commonwealth statutory declarations and the myGov website for steps to create a myGov account. Clients are still welcome to visit the Embassy in person via appointment to make a Commonwealth statutory declaration using a witness. Please note a service fee will apply.
Update on South Australia (SA) Statutory Declarations
During the COVID-19 pandemic, interim measures in South Australia allowed Embassy staff to witness SA statutory declarations. These measures were revoked in 2021 and we can no longer witness SA statutory declarations. We advise you contact the receiving authority of your SA statutory declarations and get information on alternative authorised witnesses.
For detailed information on witnessing signatures, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-overseas#witnessing
We can witness your signature on some land, mortgage or property documents for use in Australia.
In some cases, you might need to get your identification documents (e.g. Passports, Driver’s Licence, Medicare card) certified, and get a DFAT Witnessing and Identity Certificate completed by a Consular Officer. Please seek advice from your Australian legal practitioner, Conveyancers, Mortgagees and bring the detailed instruction at your appointment.
Multiple witnesses in one document will incur multiple charges.
We cannot witness signatures over the phone and video calls.
For detailed information on witnessing signatures, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-overseas#witnessing
We can verify your identity using a DFAT Identity Certificate. Please note we are only able to verify identities using the DFAT Identity Certificate.
1) DFAT Identity Certificate - Identity certification only
2) DFAT Identity Certificate - Witnessing signature and identity certification
We cannot use, complete or sign any other organisation's document to verify your identity. For example, we cannot complete ‘Section D – Details of prescribed person’ in the Certified Copies Identification Form made by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and ‘Part B – Certifier Details’ in the Certified Copy Certificate – Customer Identification Documents form made by Westpac.
Please ask the end user of the document (i.e. receiving authority) and see if they accept a DFAT Identity Certificate as a replacement.
For detailed information on DFAT Identity Certificate, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-overseas#id-certs
Notarial services we cannot provide
We can witness signatures on many official Australian documents, for use in Australia. We are not able to witness signatures on documents that will be used in other countries. Ask local authorities who can witness for you. Or get legal advice.
If you have any documents necessary for inheritance and real estate registration in Korea, please inform the relevant registry office that the Embassy cannot witness signatures on documents for use in Korea, and receive information on alternative documents.
For detailed information on witnessing signatures, please visit the DFAT Smartraveller website below.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-overseas#witnessing
Australian Justice of the Peace (JP) services are available within Australia only. JPs work under the jurisdiction of each state or territory in Australia, so there are no JPs in South Korea. Consular Officers at the Australian Embassy in Seoul can provide Notarial Services (as seen above) as Authorised Consular Employees or Consular Officers, empowered under the Consular Fees Act 1955.
If you are requested to get a JP services, please relay the information above to the receiving authority and ask if Authorised Consular Employees or Consular Officers at the Embassy can be an authorised certifiers or witness for your documents.
Fees apply for all services. Fees are only accepted by credit card or debit card.
If you have difficulties booking an appointment online, please email the consular section at [email protected].
Authority to perform notarial acts
It is the responsibility of the person seeking notarial services from the Australian Embassy to provide legislative proof that an Australian Consular Official holds the authority to perform the notarial services requested.
Please make sure you check with the end recipient of the document(s), and/or with your lawyer, that a Consular Official has the authority to perform the procedure required on your documents.
Please check with the recipient of your document/s whether a signature by a Consular Officer is an acceptable substitute for a JP or Notary Public. If the end recipient of your document specifies that it must be signed/witnessed by a Notary Public, please ask for a listing of Notaries in Korea.
You may also wish to investigate whether your document can be witnessed by another professional in Korea (for instance a local doctor or accountant), including one who may also have accreditation in Australia, for instance an Australian Chartered Accountant living in Korea.
Consular staff cannot provide advice on specific legal requirements, including what documents need to be signed or certified. Papers should be presented to officers in an ordered fashion and clear instructions should be given on your particular requirements. If you are unsure of the legislative requirements relating to witnessing signatures on a particular document, you should seek independent legal advice.
Please note, by witnessing a signature on a document, neither the Australian Government nor the Embassy of Australia Seoul guarantees the legal effectiveness of the document or the accuracy of its contents.
Letters of No Objection
The Embassy will not provide Letters of No Objection on behalf of the Australian Government.
Privacy Policy
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) uses third-party software (Setmore) to manage the Embassy’s appointments. Your personal information (including your name and contact details) will be collected by DFAT via Setmore to book your appointment and for related purposes. By proceeding with this booking, you are consenting to the collection of this information by Setmore on DFAT's behalf for these purposes. If this information is not collected, DFAT's ability to arrange your appointment will be limited. Your personal information will be handled by Setmore in accordance with Setmore's Privacy Policy, and by DFAT in accordance with DFAT's Privacy Policy.
Notarial Disclaimer
Please ensure that documents relating to the notarial services you require from the Australian Government/Embassy/Consulate, are presented in the correct form and that you provide the correct instructions for the notarial service you require.
If you are unsure of the legislative requirements relating to the notarial service you require, you should seek independent legal advice.
Please note that neither the Australian Government nor the Australian Embassy/High Commission/Consulate in Post/Country guarantees the legal effectiveness of the notarised document or the accuracy of its content.