Notary fees · South Australia
A fixed fee, told to you before you come in.
Notary work is one of the few things a law firm can price exactly, so we do. You send the document and the overseas instructions, we tell you the fee, and that is the fee. This page explains what it depends on and what other costs to expect from DFAT and couriers.
How the fee is set
Priced on the job, not the clock.
Notarial work is measured in documents, signers and certificates, not hours. A single Power of Attorney with one signer and a DFAT apostille is a known job. Four attested copies of degrees for a university application is another known job. We price each on those facts and confirm it in writing before you book, so the appointment is about the document and not the bill.
Three things sit outside our fee and we set them out separately: DFAT's charge of A$105 per document for an apostille or authentication, any embassy legalisation fee for a country outside the Hague Convention, and courier costs to the destination. You can pay those through us or handle them yourself. Either way you see the total first.
The honest caveat is at the other end of the scale. If your document is only for use in Australia, you do not need a Notary and should not pay for one. A Justice of the Peace does that at no charge, and we will tell you so on the free first call rather than take a booking.
What changes the number
The variables, plainly.
What moves the fee up.
More documents. More people signing. Attested copies of several originals. A company signer needing an extract checked. DFAT paperwork prepared, or lodged for you through Sydney. A document in another language that needs an interpreter. Each is a known amount, not a surprise.
What does not.
Where you live. How urgent it is, within reason. Whether you have used us before. Asking questions. The free call at the start is genuinely free, and if a JP would do the job we say so and you pay nothing.
What is on top, and paid to someone else.
DFAT charges A$105 per document for an apostille or authentication. An overseas embassy may charge to legalise a document for a non-Convention country. Couriers charge by destination. We tell you each figure before you decide, and you can lodge or post yourself if you prefer.
Common questions
About the cost.
There is no set scale. Each Notary sets their own fees, and ours are fixed per job rather than charged by time. The fee depends on the number of documents, the number of people signing, whether attested copies are needed, and whether we are handling the DFAT step. Send us the document and the overseas instructions and we confirm the figure before your appointment.
Because two documents that look the same can be very different jobs: one a single signature, the other three signers, four attested copies and a DFAT lodgement. Publishing one number would either overcharge the simple job or mislead on the complex one. A fixed quote on your actual documents is fairer, and it takes us minutes to give.
For documents used inside Australia, yes: a Justice of the Peace, at no charge. For documents going overseas, no. Only a Notary's certificate is recognised abroad and by DFAT. Beware services advertising cheap notarisation that turn out to be JP witnessing; the document will be rejected at the far end.
A$105 per document for an apostille or an authentication, as at September 2026, paid to DFAT. That is a government charge and the same whoever lodges the document.
Yes. The fee is confirmed in advance, so there is nothing to work out at the desk. Ask when you book how you would like to pay.
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.
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