Please ensure that documents relating to the notarial services you require from the Australian Consulate are presented in the correct form and that you provide the correct instructions for the notarial service you require. If you are unsure of the legislative requirements relating to the notarial service you require, you should seek independent legal advice. Please note that neither the Australian Government nor the Australian Consulate in Hong Kong guarantees the legal effectiveness of the notarised document or the accuracy of its content. Fees paid for notarial services are non-refundable.
Notice on attending appointments at the Australian Consulate-General
The Australian Consulate-General only allows entry to clients with appointments. Other members of the public should wait elsewhere while the appointment is completed. People assisting a client may be allowed entry and their details should be included in the ‘notes’ section when booking an appointment.
All clients (regardless of booking status) must present ID and pass through security screening.
Notarial services are available by Appointment only. More information, including booking policy, is available here.
Notarial Services
Some Australian Federal and State laws require that a signature on a document be witnessed by an Australian Consular Officer or have other procedures applied before the document can be considered legal. Solicitors, justices of the peace, and notaries public normally perform these functions in Australia. It is possible for solicitors, justices of the peace or public notaries in Hong Kong to perform these services.
Consular Officers can only notarise documents that are Australian in origin, or are intended for use in Australia, or have been requested by an Australian Federal, State or Local Government authority. We are unable to provide notarial services related to Australian visa or migration, please refer to our Visas and migration page of our website for further information.
Consular staff cannot provide advice on specific legal requirements, including what documents need to be signed or certified. You must present clear instructions to us. If you are unsure of the legislative requirements relating to witnessing signatures on a particular document, you should seek independent legal advice.
Please note, by witnessing a signature on a document, neither the Australian Government nor the Australian Consulate-General guarantees the legal effectiveness of the document or the accuracy of its contents.
Below is a summary of what services we can provide. For more detailed information, please visit:
http://smartraveller.gov.au/services/legalising-documents-overseas.html
Fees apply for all services
- Authentication and Apostilles including education documents
- Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage
- Certifying documents and certified passport letter
- Property and mortgage documents
- Notice of Intended Marriage
- Witnessing signatures (statutory declarations and affidavits)
- Witnessing renewal of Australian Driver's Licence
Authority to perform notarial acts
It is the responsibility of the person seeking notarial services from the Australian Consulate-General to provide legislative proof that an Australian Consular Official holds the authority to perform the notarial services requested.
Please make sure you check with the end recipient of the document(s), and/or with your lawyer, that a Consular Official has the authority to perform the procedure required on your documents.
When
Appointments are required for all notarial services. More information including booking policy is available here
Please allow two standard business working days for collection of certain documents - see guidelines for each document.
What to bring
Please bring photograph identification that has your current name and signature. A passport or photo driver's licence would normally be sufficient. Check the instructions that come with your documents as several forms of identification are sometimes required.
Consular staff are unable to make any endorsement as to the identity of a person. We cannot endorse photographs as being a true photograph of an applicant.
For the Consulate to witness your land transfer or mortgage document you must bring along written instructions from an Australian legal practitioner, law practice licensed conveyancer, or mortgagee (bank etc.)
Alternative Providers of Notarial Services in Hong Kong and Macau
A Consular Officer is not a Justice of the Peace (JP) or Notary Public.
Please check with the recipient of your documents whether a signature by a Consular Officer is acceptable. If the end recipient of your document specifies that it must be signed/witnessed by a Notary Public, please contact the Hong Kong Society of Notaries.
You may also investigate whether your document can be witnessed by another professional in Hong Kong (e.g. a local doctor or accountant), including one who may have accreditation in Australia, for instance an Australian Chartered Accountant.
For Macau, please refer to Notarial services in Macau.
Identity Certificate
The Consulate can complete the DFAT Identity Certificate for land, property or mortgage transactions. The Consulate cannot sign or complete any other 'Identifiers Certificates' or 'Verification of Identity Certificates'. You should ask your Australian representative if the DFAT Identity Certificate is suitable before attending your appointment. We cannot advise what documents you need to have witnessed or certified.
Our role is limited to:
- certifying copies of identity (e.g. passports) or supporting documents (e.g. rates notices);
- completing the DFAT Identity Certificate; and
- witnessing your signature on land or property documents (e.g. land transfer form, authority to appoint an agent form).
Letters of No Objection
The Consulate cannot provide Letters of No Objection on behalf of the Australian Government.
Fees
Fees are required under the Consular Fees Act. Certified copy fees are charged per document. Witnessing fees are charged per person per document.
You should contact a notary public to see if they can witness your documents for a lower fee (see 'Alternative Providers of Notarial Services in Hong Kong and Macau' here). There is no charge for the DFAT Identity Certificate.
The Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong are only able to accept Notarial Fees in Hong Kong Dollars by EPS, credit card (Visa and MasterCard) and AliPayHK. We cannot accept cash, American Express or cheques.
Fees are set in Australian dollars and converted into Hong Kong dollars. The exchange rate is reviewed monthly.
Feedback
You can submit feedback on our Consular, Notarial and Passport services by following the link here.