The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents came into force for Australia on 16 March 1995. This means that the Department can now issue an Apostille Stamp on public documents which have been executed in the territory of one contracting state and which have to be produced in the territory of another contracting state. The issue of an Apostille allows for document to be used without re-certification by a foreign mission in Australia.

Apostille is the documentary device by which a government department, usually the State Department, Justice Ministry or Foreign Ministry, authenticates a document as genuine, thereby legalizing it for use in another member country under the terms laid out in 1961.

Once a document has been Apostilled, thereby providing official government authentication of the signatures and stamps appearing on it, it is automatically deemed legalized for use in another member country.

Authorities in Greece need proof that Australian documents, or the signatures of Australian officials on documents, are genuine before they will accept them.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will be able to certify that a signature, stamp or seal on a document is genuine by checking it against a specimen held on file, and then stamp the document with an Authentication or Apostille.

This is a legal process. The DFAT will only issue stamps when it satisfied the signature, stamp or seal on a document is not fraudulent.

An Apostille consists of the following:

(1) name of country from which the document emanates;
(2) name of person signing the document;
(3) the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted;
(4) in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority which has affixed the seal or stamp;
(5) place of certification;
(6) date of certification;
(7) the authority issuing the certificate;
(8) number of certificate;
(9) seal or stamp of authority issuing certificate;
(10) signature of authority issuing certificate.
 

The simplicity and lack of ambiguity has led to the Apostille becoming a favored form of validation of documents worldwide, even in countries that are not actually signatories to The Hague Conference.

An Apostille may be obtained from a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade state or territory office. Contact details are provided below:

Authentications Officer

Passport Office

R G Case Building

Sydney Avenue entrance, Barton ACT

Tel: +61 2 6261 3644

e-mail: consular.feedback@dfat.org.au

Office hours: Mon – Fri 9:30 – 12:30 No appointment required