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Certified True Copies Melbourne

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In simple terms

“A copy that an authority overseas will accept exactly as if it were the original.”

Service Overview

What Is a Certified True Copy?

A certified true copy is a photocopy or scan of an original document that a notary public has compared against the original, side by side, and then stamped, signed and sealed with a formal declaration that the copy is faithful. The copy itself becomes a legal document carrying the notary’s registered seal — the same seal that DFAT and foreign embassies recognise.

Australians need certified true copies whenever they cannot, or should not, surrender an original — a passport, a degree parchment, a company register extract — but still need to give an overseas authority something with the same legal weight.

Side-by-side check

We sight the original and the copy in person.

Notarial seal

Embossed and signed on every page of the copy.

Register entry

Recorded in our notarial register — kept seven years.

Apostille-ready

Accepted at DFAT for the next step in legalisation.

Common Scenarios

When Certified Copies Are Required

You will be asked for a certified true copy almost any time an overseas authority — a government, a university, a bank, a registrar or a court — needs proof of an Australian document but cannot keep the original. Here are the situations we handle weekly.

01

Visa & Migration Applications

Embassies and immigration departments overseas accept certified copies of passports, birth certificates and police checks so the applicant retains the original throughout the process.

02

Overseas Study Enrolment

Foreign universities and credential evaluators require certified copies of degree parchments, academic transcripts and English-language test results — never the originals.

03

Employment Abroad

Employers in the Gulf, Asia and Europe ask for certified copies of qualifications, professional licences and references as part of the visa-sponsorship and background-check process.

04

Foreign Bank Accounts

Opening a bank account, brokerage or trust overseas almost always requires certified copies of ID, proof of address and — for companies — the certificate of incorporation and ASIC extract.

05

Property Transactions Overseas

Buying, selling or inheriting property in another country: foreign land registries and conveyancers want certified copies of ID, marriage certificates, wills and powers of attorney.

06

Foreign Court & Probate Matters

Overseas courts and probate registries treat a notarised certified copy as admissible evidence — useful for affidavits, succession, divorce recognition and contractual disputes abroad.

07

Professional Registration

Medical, legal, accounting and engineering bodies overseas verify Australian qualifications via certified copies of registrations, transcripts and CPD records.

08

Cross-Border Contracts

Counterparties signing commercial contracts in another jurisdiction frequently want certified copies of the company’s constitution, board resolutions and director IDs before completion.

09

Insurance & Pension Claims

Foreign insurers, super funds and pension administrators ask for certified copies of death certificates, ID and policy paperwork rather than mailing originals overseas.

Unsure if you need an original or a certified copy? Send us a photograph of the request from the overseas authority — we’ll read the requirement and confirm exactly what is needed before you book in. Ask for a free check →

For Use Abroad

Certified Copies for Overseas Use

A certified true copy intended for use inside Australia — for AUSTRAC, a state regulator or a Centrelink claim — needs only the notary’s seal. But the moment that copy is bound for an overseas authority, it has to be made internationally recognisable: the notary’s signature must itself be authenticated, and depending on the destination, an embassy may need to add its own stamp.

We prepare every overseas-bound copy with that next step in mind. The certification wording, the binding, the pagination and the seal placement all conform to DFAT’s specification, so the document moves through the apostille or authentication channel without being rejected and sent back.

01

Bound & paginated for DFAT

Multi-page documents are securely bound with notarial ribbon and embossed across the binding so no page can be substituted.

02

Translation co-ordination

Where the destination requires a certified translation, we attach the translator’s affidavit to the certified copy before lodgement.

Category 01

Identity Documents

Personal identity papers are the most-requested certified copies — for visas, migration, banking, marriage abroad and inheritance. Bring the original to the appointment; we keep the original and you walk out with the certified copies.

01

Passport

Australian or foreign passport — every page

  • Bio page certified on a single sheet, or full passport bound
  • Most common request for overseas banking & visa work
  • Apostille-ready for Hague destinations

02

Driver's Licence

Front and back, full colour

  • Accepted as secondary ID by most foreign authorities
  • Both sides bound to a single notarial cover page
  • Reissued copies retained on register for seven years

03

Birth Certificate

Full or extract — state-issued

  • Required for marriage abroad, citizenship and inheritance
  • Watermarks and security features visible on the copy
  • Re-issue from BDM if your original is laminated

04

Marriage & Divorce Certificates

BDM marriage / Family Court divorce order

  • Spousal visa, name-change and inheritance proof
  • Recognised by foreign registrars after apostille
  • We can bind both certificates into one notarial file

05

Citizenship Certificate

Australian citizenship by grant or birth

  • Required when applying for second citizenship overseas
  • Treated as primary proof of nationality after apostille
  • We retain a complete file copy for your records

06

Police & Background Checks

National Police Check / AFP certificate

  • Embassies require these dated within 3–6 months
  • We bind the original certificate with our notarial cover
  • Same-day apostille often available — call ahead

Unsure if you need an original or a certified copy? Send us a photograph of the request from the overseas authority — we’ll read the requirement and confirm exactly what is needed before you book in. Ask for a free check →

Category 02

Business & Corporate Documents

Companies expanding overseas, opening foreign bank accounts, signing cross-border contracts or registering subsidiaries abroad need certified copies of their corporate paperwork — issued in the format DFAT and foreign regulators expect.

01

Certificate of Incorporation

ASIC-issued — original or certified extract

  • Required to open foreign bank accounts & subsidiaries
  • Often bundled with the company constitution
  • Apostille usually requested for Hague destinations

02

Company Constitution

Including any amendments & share-class rules

  • Bound and notarised as one sealed bundle
  • Required by foreign counsel for cross-border M&A
  • Page-by-page notarial seal on every leaf

03

ASIC Company Extract

Current organisation extract — dated within 14 days

  • We can pull the extract live during your appointment
  • Shows directors, shareholders and registered office
  • Best dated as close to overseas lodgement as possible

04

Board & Shareholder Resolutions

Minutes, circular resolutions, written consents

  • Notarised as a true copy of the executed resolution
  • Director identity verified at the same appointment
  • Common for foreign tender, lease and litigation filings

05

Financial Statements

Audited or directors’-signed accounts

  • Used for foreign tax registration & tender prequalification
  • Multi-volume statements bound under a single seal
  • We can certify the auditor's signature simultaneously

06

Powers of Attorney & Contracts

Including IP assignments & distribution agreements

  • Certified true copy plus witnessing of the signature
  • Pre-cleared for the Australia–Arab Chamber where needed
  • Co-ordinated with embassy stamps for the Gulf region

Need a complete corporate kit? We assemble certificate of incorporation, constitution, current extract, directors’ IDs and a board resolution into one notarial bundle — apostille-ready — for a fixed package fee. Request the corporate kit quote →

Book Now

Book Your Apostille Appointment

Tell us about your document and destination. We’ll come back with a fixed quote and an appointment slot — usually within two hours during business hours, and the same day on after-hours requests.

Call Us Directly

(+021) 4825 658 · Monday–Friday, 9–5

Email the Practice

support@domain.com · response within 2 hours

Visit Our Chambers

Jl. Raya Kuta No.70, Kuta · By appointment

After-Hours & Emergency

Evenings & weekends by arrangement

Request Apostille Appointment

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