What does it cost?
The fees charged by notaries are discretionary, but there is a recommended scale of minimum charges.
When you contact a notary he/she will advise you of the relevant fee. Fees can cover matters such as correspondence, review of documents and instructions from overseas, advice on form, preparation of the notarial act or certificate, as the case may be, DFAT Apostille and Legalisation or even Consular legalisation services, to name a few.
What is a Notary?
The Society represents the practising Notaries Public in Victoria. It assists members of the public, government and institutions with general enquiries about aspects of notarial practice as well as the location of notaries in Victoria.
Notarial practice includes these services and more – just ask one of our members.
A notary public in Victoria is a senior lawyer who is responsible for certifying and attesting documents intended for use anywhere in the world.
All information to be found on this site is provided by the Society and is necessarily general. If you have a specific query, you should raise it with a notary during the consultation.
Process
Like other professionals, notaries appreciate clients making appointments prior to interviews, so they can be fully prepared.
In order for the document to be acceptable overseas, after notarisation, it may require intervention by an Embassy or Consulate [fees in addition to the notary’s fee are charged] and/or an Apostille or Legalisation that can only be obtained from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT]. Notaries can advise you about these requirements dependent upon the destination country. You will generally need to:
- Provide the notary with your original identification documents together with your address. This varies for company, institutional or government clients with additional requirements.
- Sign and complete the document in the presence of a notary.
- Ask the notary to lodge and collect [the notary will charge for this] or you present the document to DFAT (by appointment or by mail) to get an Apostille or Legalisation for the current 2020 fee of $84 [in addition to the notary’s fee] but check first.
What's the difference between a Notary and a JP?
Notarial Services
Notarisation of Documents
Notarisation [by public/authentic or private notarial act] of any Document by a Notary Public where the document is required to be sent overseas. Non-exhaustive examples of notarial acts:
Affidavits and Declarations
For overseas Court Cases, Estate matters, Wills and Probate and litigation in overseas countries anywhere in the world.
True Certification of Copy Documents
Such as Passports, Educational Qualifications and Birth, Death and Marriage certificates.
Official Government Documents
Notarisation of any document for an overseas government department or institution.
Notarisation of Company and Trade Mark documents
Various Corporate and trade mark certificates can be provided by a Notary Public.
Apostille and Legalisation from DFAT
A Notary Public can advise you about the requirement for an Apostille or Legalisation for a document and how to obtain this from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT].
Embassies and Consulates
A Notary Public can assist where acts require Embassy or Consular legalisation or certification.
Consent to Travel Documents
Drafting and Notarisation of Consent to Travel Document (for when a child is travelling without one or both parents).
Other documents
The non-exhaustive types of documents requiring a notary are:
- Foreign language and translation documents
- Powers of Attorney, Proxies and Authorities
- Administrative and Intellectual Property documents
- Conveyancing, Real property, Personal property, Lease and Mortgage instruments
- Company and Corporate, Certificates of Good Standing
- Certificates as to Australian law
- Certificates as to foreign law
- Ship’s protests
- Bills of exchange
- Trust documents
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