Apostilles and authentication · South Australia
The apostille is DFAT vouching for the Notary.
Most people are told they need an apostille without being told what one is. It is a government certificate that sits behind the notarial certificate, and it is the step that turns a document signed in Gawler into one a foreign authority will accept. We notarise, we can lodge, and we tell you the total before you start.
Where your document goes
Three stops between our desk and the authority overseas.
Most people arrive knowing only that someone abroad has said the word notarised. This is the whole journey, so you know what each step costs, how long it takes, and which ones we handle.
1 Adelaide Road, Gawler South
Steven M Clark, Public Notary
We check your identity, watch you sign (or attest the copy), then attach the notarial certificate and press the seal. The document is now recognised under Australian law for use abroad.
One appointment, 15 to 30 minutes
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australian Government, Adelaide office
DFAT checks the notary's seal and signature against the sample it holds on file, then issues an apostille (for Hague Convention countries) or an authentication (for the rest). Most clients take the pack to DFAT in Adelaide themselves. We can lodge it for you instead, through DFAT in Sydney.
Often within a day in Adelaide; three to four weeks if we lodge through Sydney. DFAT charges A$105 per document.
The authority that asked for it
Overseas court, land registry, bank, consulate, university or employer
They receive a document they can rely on without contacting Australia. A handful of countries outside the Convention add one more step: legalisation at their own embassy, which we tell you about before you start.
Your courier or theirs. We prepare the pack so it arrives intact.
If the document is only for use inside Australia, you will usually not need a Notary at all. A Justice of the Peace can witness it at no charge. We will tell you that on the first call rather than book you in.
How it works
Two certificates, one job, one appointment in Gawler.
Australia is a party to the Hague Convention of 1961 that abolished the old chain of legalisations. Under it, a public document from one member country only needs a single certificate, the apostille, to be accepted in another. For a privately signed document such as a Power of Attorney or a statutory declaration, the Notary's certificate is what makes it a public document, and the apostille then certifies the Notary.
For countries outside the Convention the principle is the same but the paperwork is longer. DFAT issues an authentication in place of the apostille, and the destination country's own embassy or consulate in Australia adds its stamp. We identify which route applies from the destination and the receiving authority's instructions, and build the appointment around it.
The practical difference for you is small. You come to one appointment in Gawler. We notarise the document and hand you the pack to take to DFAT in Adelaide, where it is often done within a day. If there is no rush we can lodge it for you instead: we prepare DFAT's request and send it to Sydney, which takes three to four weeks. Either way, DFAT checks the notary's seal against the sample it holds on file, charges A$105 per document, and attaches its certificate to your document.
Which one you need
It depends on where the document is going.
Your destination is a Hague Convention country.
The United Kingdom, India, Italy, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, New Zealand, the United States, and since late 2023 China, are all members. Notarisation plus a DFAT apostille is the complete package. No embassy visit.
Your destination is not in the Convention.
Several countries in the Middle East and parts of Asia are outside it. DFAT issues an authentication instead of an apostille, and the destination country's embassy or consulate then legalises the document. We tell you before you start whether this applies.
You are not sure which one you need.
Send us the document and the instructions the overseas authority gave you. We check the destination against the current Convention list and the authority's own wording, and tell you the exact steps and the total cost before you book.
Common questions
What people ask about apostilles.
An apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirming that the signature and seal of the Australian Notary on your document are genuine. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept it without any further legalisation. It is attached to the notarised document, not issued on its own.
They do the same job for different destinations. DFAT issues an apostille for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention and an authentication for countries outside it. An authentication usually then needs to be legalised by the destination country's embassy or consulate in Australia. Both cost the same at DFAT.
No. Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentications in Australia. The Notary prepares and certifies the document; DFAT certifies the Notary. That is why the two steps go together, and why we prepare the document with DFAT's requirements in mind.
DFAT's fee is A$105 per document as at September 2026, payable to DFAT. That is separate from our notary fee. If a courier is needed to get the document to its destination, that is on top as well. We set all three out before you book.
If you take the notarised document to DFAT in Adelaide yourself, it is often done within a day. If we lodge it for you, it goes through DFAT in Sydney and takes three to four weeks, longer around public holidays. Because we check the document against DFAT's requirements before it leaves our office, corrections are rare.
It is usually the quickest way, and most of our clients do: we hand you the notarised pack and tell you what to expect at the counter. If there is no urgency, we can lodge it on your behalf instead, but it goes through DFAT in Sydney and takes three to four weeks.
We'll call you back the same business day.
Tell us briefly what's happening. Steven will call you back for a free 15-minute conversation, the same business day. No obligation, no pressure to engage us afterwards.
For certain matters, new national rules mean we verify your identity before we start acting. What to expect →
Thank you. We'll be in touch today.
Your message is with our team. If it's urgent, you're welcome to call us directly on (08) 8522 6025.