Notary Services
Our hours for notarial work are:
9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday
All of our services are by prior appointment only.
Our Notary Services
Notarisation of Documents
Notarisation of any document required to be sent overseas.
True Certification of Copy Documents
Passports, Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates etc.
Notarisation of Company and Trade Mark Documents
Various corporate and trade mark certificates for overseas applications.
Affidavits and Declarations
For court cases, estate matters and wills and probate matters overseas.
Official Government Documents
Notarisation of any document for an overseas government department
Other types of documents
To view our full list of documents please click here
Apostille and Legalisation from DFAT
We 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
We 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).
How it works
Step 1. Email your documents together with your contact details directly to info@parkstonlaw.com.au.
- INCLUDE in the SUBJECT LINE: ‘’Notary Enquiry & Your Full Name’’
Step 2. We will contact you to make an appointment time.
Step 3. Attend our offices in person at your allocated appointment time. Please bring your original documents and photo identification.
* Please be aware that due to COVID 19 it is a condition of entry for your appointment that you follow our COVID 19 policies and government regulations including the wearing of facemasks and checking in using our QR code.
Who is a notary public?
A notary public, public notary or notary describes the same person, namely a public officer (in Victoria they have to be a practicing solicitor with at least 5 years’ experience as a partner of a law firm) appointed for life by a State or Territory Supreme Court. They have broad powers to witness documents, administer oaths, certify copies of documents and other administrative functions, usually for production overseas.
What is the difference between a notary public and a justice of the peace (JP)?
Unlike notaries, who in Victoria must be senior practicing lawyers, justices of the peace are a group of volunteers who are appointed by the Victorian Governor and trained by the Victorian Department of Justice and the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices. JP’s are not lawyers and a person who is a JP cannot work as a lawyer. The other key difference between justices of the peace and notaries is that justices of the peace are authorised to witness signatures and administer oaths only in Australia while a notary public is recognised in international jurisdictions.
RVAHJ
Notary or JP, what’s the difference?
What does a notary public do?
Notaries perform a wide range of functions, including authenticating official, government and personal documents and information for use overseas; witnessing signatures of individuals to various documents and verifying their identity; witnessing signatures to statutory declarations, affidavits, powers of attorney, contracts and other documents for use both in Australia and internationally; witnessing documents and verifying status and transactions for companies, including certifying that a corporation is of good standing; certifying copy documents; preparing notes and bills of exchange; preparing ships’ protests and dealing with documents for land, property and deceased estates overseas. A notary has to confirm the identity of a signatory by having them produce identity documents, such as driver’s licences and passport, and examining those identity documents. Notaries must also ensure that a person signing a document does not have any legal incapacity, such as a physical or mental illness, and that they understand the nature and the content of the documents that they are signing.
Legalisation of a notary’s signature and seal
In many cases a document which is to be sent to an overseas country will require the notary’s signature and seal to be ‘legalised’ (meaning certified as correct) by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (DFAT). Once DFAT legalises the document (by endorsing the document with its own seal and certificate) the document may then need to be certified at the consulate or embassy of the foreign country to which the documents is to be sent. Once it is certified by the consulate or embassy, the document is then sent overseas. A large number of countries are signatories to a convention (commonly known as the ‘Hague Apostille Convention’) that removes the requirement of certification by a consulate/embassy of a foreign country before the document can be sent overseas, and that only requires an ‘apostille’ from DFAT before the document can be sent to the foreign country. The apostille is a stamp and statement identifying the notary’s signature and is usually affixed to the back of the notary’s signed document. Our notary can assist you with not just notarising your documents, but also explaining the legalisation/apostille process and assisting you with that process if required.
Printing Of Documents
To protect our computer network from viruses and malware our firm does not allow clients to print any documents from their emails or USB sticks. Please ensure that if required, you have printed your document prior to your appointment.
Our Fees
Parkston Lawyers offers a fixed fee for our Notary services, as recommended by The Society of Notaries of Victoria. Payment is required on the day of your appointment. Our fees may change once our Notary has examined your documents and depending on any further instructions or additional requests, we receive from you. Please contact our office directly by email at info@parkstonlaw.com.au for a quote.