Notary Public
Certified copies, powers of attorney, declarations and apostilles for documents going overseas. Appointments at our Frankston office, in English or Polish.
Documents for use overseas
When a bank, court, registry or government office overseas asks for a document to be notarised, it wants an independent lawyer to confirm who signed it, or that a copy matches the original. In Australia that lawyer is a notary public. Radek Dajer, the principal of Professional Edge Lawyers, is a public notary admitted by the Supreme Court of Victoria under the Public Notaries Act 2001 (Vic).
Radek sees every notarial client himself, in English or Polish, at our office at 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston. Clients come from across Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and regional Victoria, many of them with documents for Poland.
How we help with notarial documents
Apostille or legalisation
After a document is notarised, most overseas authorities also want the notary’s signature and seal verified. In Australia this is done by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Australian Passport Office. The certificate it issues depends on where the document is going.
- Apostille: for countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention, including Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, the Philippines, mainland China and Saudi Arabia. The apostille replaces embassy legalisation.
- Authentication and legalisation: for countries outside the Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, DFAT issues an authentication, which the country’s embassy or consulate in Australia then legalises. Some countries also require a step by their own foreign ministry.
- Lodging with DFAT: documents can be lodged at a passport office by appointment or sent by post, and DFAT charges its own fee for each certificate. We can lodge the documents for you after your appointment.
- Check with the receiving body first: DFAT does not advise on what other countries require, and an apostille does not guarantee acceptance. Ask the bank, court or office overseas, in writing, what format, translation and time limits it expects.
Preparing for your appointment
Most appointments take less than an hour. A little preparation avoids a second visit.
- Send the documents first: email copies of the documents, the country they are going to and who asked for them. We check what is needed and give you a quote before the appointment.
- Bring originals and photo identification: a current passport or driver licence, and the original of any document to be copied. We cannot certify a copy from a scan or a photograph.
- Do not sign beforehand: documents must be signed in front of the notary, who then completes the notarial certificate.
- Signing for a company: bring a current ASIC extract and evidence of your authority, such as the constitution, a board resolution or a power of attorney.
- Other languages: if you are not comfortable in English or Polish, bring an interpreter with you.
In person, at our Frankston office
Notarial appointments take place at 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston. Documents for use overseas need to be signed in the notary’s presence, and a certified copy can only be made after the notary has seen the original.
Documents for Poland
Radek is one of only two Polish-speaking notaries in Victoria. He can explain each document in Polish, and notarial certificates for Poland can be prepared in English and Polish. Poland has been party to the Apostille Convention since 14 August 2005, so documents need an apostille from DFAT but no consular legalisation.
Czytaj po polsku: polski prawnik i notariusz.
- Powers of attorney (pełnomocnictwo): for selling or managing property, bank accounts and inheritance matters in Poland. For real estate, we confirm the required form with the Polish notary before you sign.
- Inheritance declarations: accepting or renouncing an inheritance (oświadczenie o przyjęciu lub odrzuceniu spadku), including declarations made by parents for their children. Polish law sets a six-month time limit, so act early.
- ZUS and KRUS pensions: certifying your signature on the declarations that Polish pension authorities ask pensioners living abroad to send.
- Civil status and citizenship: certified copies of birth and marriage certificates and other records for the civil registry office (urząd stanu cywilnego) and for citizenship confirmation.
- Translations: Polish courts and offices may ask for a sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) of documents in English. Check with the office before your appointment.
Book a notary appointment
Email your documents first and tell us where they are going. We will confirm what is needed, give you a quote and book a time at our Frankston office.
We reply to every enquiry within one business day, by phone, email or text, whichever you prefer.
Prefer to talk? Call 1800 776 529. You can also email your documents to info@prolawyers.com.au.
Would you like a quote first? Request a quote.
Common questions
Can’t see your question? Call 1800 776 529 or send us a message.
A notary public is a senior lawyer authorised to witness signatures, certify copies, administer oaths and prepare notarial certificates for documents used overseas. In Victoria, notaries are admitted by the Supreme Court. DFAT can then verify the notary’s signature and seal with an apostille or authentication.
For documents used in Australia, a justice of the peace or another authorised person can usually certify copies and witness statutory declarations, generally free of charge. For documents going overseas, the receiving body usually asks for a notary, and DFAT’s apostille verifies the notary’s signature and seal. Some Australian public documents, such as certificates issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, can go to DFAT for an apostille without a notary.
An apostille is a certificate issued by DFAT confirming the signature and seal on an Australian public document, including a notarised document. Countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention accept it in place of embassy legalisation. Other countries need an authentication from DFAT followed by legalisation at their embassy. The body that asked for your document can confirm which it needs.
Most appointments take less than an hour. If the document needs an apostille or authentication, DFAT’s processing adds further time, which grows in busy periods such as the end of the year. Embassy legalisation adds more. If you have a deadline overseas, tell us when you first contact us.
Notaries set their own fees. We give you a quote once we have seen the documents, before your appointment. DFAT charges a separate fee for each apostille or authentication, and embassies charge their own legalisation fees.
No. Notarial appointments take place at our Frankston office only. Documents for use overseas must be signed in the notary’s presence, and a certified copy can only be made from the original document.
Yes. Radek Dajer speaks Polish and can explain the documents and take you through the appointment in Polish. Notarial certificates for Poland can be prepared in English and Polish. See our Polish-language page.
We prepare documents to meet the requirements you give us, but the receiving body decides what it accepts. Some set their own format, translation or time limits, or want particular wording. Getting their requirements in writing before the appointment helps avoid a document being refused.
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