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Apostille - Authentication of foreign public documents
Australia lodged its Instrument of Accession to The Hague Convention abolishing the requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents on 9 August 1994. Accession came into force for Australia on 16 March 1995. Therefore it is no longer necessary to have the Portuguese authorities authenticate an Australian publicly issued document which has had an Apostille affixed.
The Convention applies to documents which in the past would have been subject to the process of formal legalisation. In other words, having an Apostille simplifies the series of formalities associated with using public documents outside Australia.
Under the Convention an Apostille, which involves the addition of a simple certificate, either stamped by a rubber stamp on the document itself or put on a separate piece of paper firmly attached to the document, assists the Portuguese authorities to rely on the facts set out in the document.
In general, the most common 'public documents' which Australian and foreign nationals who were born or who have lived in Australia are asked to provide to the Portuguese authorities with an Apostille are birth, marriage, death certificates and divorce decrees.
The Australian Embassy in Lisbon does not have an Apostille to affix to Australian publicly issued documents and you are kindly requested to comply with the procedures mentioned below. If you have a relative or friend living in Australia you may wish to forward the document to him/her to arrange and pay for the Apostille in person or by mail at one of the Regional Offices of the Department listed overleaf. He/she may then return the document, with Apostille affixed, to you in Portugal.
The Apostille (certificate/stamp) is in the form of a square with sides at least 9 cms long. The fee for the issue of the Apostille is $A 60.00 (per document) if there is room available to place the stamp either below the signature to be authenticated or on the blank reverse side of a document. If there is insufficient room, however, and the stamp has to be placed on a separate sheet of paper with a seal affixed to the fastening, please add an additional $A 20.00 (per document) to your payment. These fees are payable under the Consular Fees Act 1955.
Mail the original of your document to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the State or Territory which issued the document. The document should be accompanied by a letter specifically requesting an Apostille. If you do not specifically request an Apostille, another type of authentication may be given in Australia which is not acceptable to the Portuguese authorities.
Print your name and address in Portugal clearly in block letters at the top of the letter. Do not forget to include Portugal as part of your return address. If you have documents issued in different States and Territories of Australia which require Apostilles, you may send them all to one office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers for which are listed overleaf.
Send the correct amount of money mentioned above, i.e. $A 60 or $A 80 per document. Your document will be returned by ordinary airmail, not by express airmail, nor by registered post. If you need your document urgently, you will need to make your own arrangements with an international courier service.
Payment is to accompany your letter and documents. Regional Offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which accept payment by credit/charge card are noted overleaf. Payment by the credit/charge card facility should be arranged directly with those Offices. Payment to those Regional Offices without credit/charge card facilities may only be made by Australian cheque or international bank cheque made payable in Australian dollars to ‘The Collector of Public Moneys’. Please do not send cash. It is not possible to make bank transfers to accounts in Australia to pay these fees. Apostilles will not be affixed until payment is received by the respective Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Please note that if you do not already have the publicly-issued document, for example a birth or marriage certificate, on which you need to have an Apostille affixed, you will need to obtain one from the appropriate State or Territory Registry of Births, Deaths or Marriages.
Apostille stamps may not be affixed to marriage certificates issued by a marriage celebrant at your marriage. An Apostille stamp may only be affixed to a marriage certificate issued by one of the State or Territory Registering Authorities.
Please note that after issue of a certificate by one of the Registries, the Registries are not responsible for sending the certificate to a Regional Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to affix an Apostille. This may mean you will need to have your certificate mailed back to you in Portugal from the Registry Office and then forward the certificate, together with payment, to the Regional Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
If you have further queries, please telephone the Consular and Passports Section, at the Embassy on 21 310 1500 for assistance.
HEAD AND REGIONAL OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE
HEAD OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Consular Branch,
R G Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-2-62611111 Fax: +61-2-62612820
NEW SOUTH WALES REGIONAL OFFICE
www.dfat.gov.au/sydney
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 10, Angel Place
123 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-2-93566222 Fax: +61-2-93564238
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), MasterCard, Visa
NORTHERN TERRITORY REGIONAL OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
5th Floor, Northern Territory House
22 Mitchell Street
Darwin NT 0800 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-89824199 Fax: +61-8-89824155
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), MasterCard, Visa
QUEENSLAND REGIONAL OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
4th Floor, Commonwealth Government Centre
295 Ann Street
Brisbane QLD 4000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-7-34054799 Fax: +61-7-34054782
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
5th Floor, Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-84034899 Fax: +61-8-84034873
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only),
Visa, MasterCard
TASMANIAN REGIONAL OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
4th Floor, 25 Argyle Street
Hobart TAS 7000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-3-62384099 Fax: +61-3-62384022
VICTORIAN REGIONAL OFFICE
www.dfatmelb.gov.au
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 14, Casselden Place
2 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne VIC 3000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-3-92215555 Fax: +61-3-92215455
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), Visa, MasterCard
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL OFFICE
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 17, Exchange Plaza
Sherwood Court
Perth WA 6000 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-92314499
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only),
Visa, MasterCard
Disclaimer: This information has been compiled to assist those persons making enquiries about and/or those wishing to have Apostille stamps affixed to Australian publicly-issued documents. Whilst every care has been taken in preparing this information and to ensure its accuracy, the Australian Embassy in Lisbon cannot accept any responsibility for the success or otherwise of your enquiries, nor for any costs involved in them.