Notary Public
Signed. Sealed. Sorted.
When you need a document recognised outside Australia, a Notary Public is the professional authorised to verify, certify, and authenticate documents for international use.
At Latitude Legal, our notarial services draw on deep cross-border experience to help you ensure your documents are accepted wherever they need to go.
Our Principal Lawyer and Director, Michael D. McLaws, is a Notary Public for Queensland. He’s also a Notary Public for Alberta and a Canadian-qualified lawyer, so your documents are handled by someone who knows how to navigate overseas jurisdictions.
How we help
We help individuals and businesses get personal, legal, and business documents notarised and certified for use overseas. Our approach is clear, efficient, and informed by real cross-border knowledge
A document that’s rejected overseas can mean missed deadlines, extra cost, and a lot of back and forth. We take that off your plate.
Tell us where your documents are going and what the receiving authority needs. We review everything before your appointment, tell you exactly what’s required and what it will cost, and guide you through legalisation if you need it.
Clear scope, transparent fees, no surprises
Our services
From a single certified copy to a full set of corporate or cross-border documents, we help individuals, families, and businesses get their papers ready for use overseas. An overview of our notarial services is summarised below.
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Business + Commercial
Notarial support for companies trading, investing, or expanding across borders.
Company powers of attorney for use overseas
Board and shareholder resolutions and minutes
Certifying ASIC records, company constitutions, and certificates of incorporation
Certificates of corporate authority and good standing
Verifying the identity and authority of directors and signatories
Commercial contracts and agreements for use in foreign courts
Trade and shipping documents, including bills of lading, certificates of origin, and export papers
Ship's protests and other maritime documents
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Personal + Family
For individuals needing documents certified for travel, migration, study, or family matters.
Witnessing and attesting signatures on documents for overseas use
Certified true copies of passports, identity documents, and certificates (birth, marriage, death)
Statutory declarations and affidavits for overseas courts and authorities
Powers of attorney for personal use abroad
Consent-to-travel documents for children travelling without a parent
Verifying academic qualifications and testamurs
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Property + Real Estate
Keeping international property and legal transactions smooth and compliant.
Documents for overseas property purchases, sales, and transfers
Mortgage, lease, and title documents for use abroad
Deeds and legal contracts for cross-border enforcement
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Urgent, Mobile & Regional Services
Need it fast or cannot come to us?
Same-day and after-hours appointments, subject to availability
Mobile service, where we come to your office, home, or another location
Corporate on-site signing for multiple signatories
Regional Queensland: reach out about scheduled visits to Central Queensland, the Darling Downs, and the Wide Bay Burnett
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Apostille, Authentication + Legalisation
The final step to international acceptance.
Guidance on the apostille process through DFAT for Hague Convention countries
Authentication and consular or embassy legalisation for other countries
End-to-end guidance on what your destination country requires
Referral to NAATI-certified translators where a translation is needed
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Alberta (Canada) Notarial Services
Our point of difference, handled with knowledge of both legal systems.
Notarising and certifying personal, legal, and business documents for use in Alberta
Witnessing signatures on Alberta forms
Preparing and certifying statutory declarations and affidavits for use in Alberta
Advising on Alberta-specific legal and administrative forms and documents
Guidance on the authentication pathway at both ends
Coordinated with our Cross-Border practice where a matter needs more than notarial work
1. Tell us what you need
Contact us by email and tell us about your documents and what you require, the destination country and who the receiving authority is, and whether legalisation is also required. Please attach a copy of your documents so we can give our fee quote.
Our process
Here are typical steps involved in notarisation and legalisation of a document for use internationally.
2. We confirm our scope and fee
Once we have reviewed your documents, we will confirm with you by reply email if we can assist you. If we can assist you, we will provide our fee quote and a link to book your appointment with us.
3. Verify identity + capacity
At your meeting, our Notary will:
Verify your ID (100 pts)
confirm you understand the document and are signing voluntarily
ensure your legal capacity and authority to sign (if acting for a company).
verify your capacity (if applicable)
4. Verification + authentication
If you are signing a document, our Notary will witness or attest, as required. If your document is already signed, our Notary will authenticate the document’s signature. If verifying true copies, our Notary will authenticate and then sign, seal, and stamp the true copies.
5. Notarial certificate
If required, our Notary will prepare a notarial certificate, which is bound to your document. The certificate records the:
identity of the person or document
notarial act performed,
place and date
Notary’s signature, seal, and jurisdiction.
6. Legalisation
Depending on the destination country, document legalisation is completed by either:
Apostille – for Hague Convention countries
Authentication and Consular Legalisation – for non-Hague Convention countries.
If required, we will advise you on the process.
Our fees
We offer competitive fees for notarial services, payable at the end of your appointment with our Notary Public.
To get started - please email us copies of your documents with details on the destination country and their intended purpose. We will confirm whether we can assist, outline what is required, and provide a tailored fee quote. Total fees will be unique to each client and will depend on your requirements.
The table below summarises indicative fees (excluding GST).
| Notarial Services — Fee Guide (if viewing on a mobile phone, the table scrolls left to right) | |
|---|---|
| All fees are quoted and accepted before any work begins, and are payable in full before we release your documents. Fees below are indicative and exclude GST. Out-of-pocket costs (DFAT, consular, courier, ASIC searches, and translation) are additional and passed on at cost. | |
| Oaths, Declarations & Attestations | |
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Witnessing a signature (no notarial certificate) We verify your identity and witness you sign. |
From $100 |
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Oath, declaration, or attested signature (includes a notarial certificate) We administer your oath or declaration, or witness your signature, and prepare the bound notarial certificate authorities expect. |
From $200 |
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Each additional person signing (same appointment) |
From $80 |
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Exhibit note or annexure certificate For an exhibit or annexure attached to your document. |
From $100 |
| Certifying Copy Documents | |
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Certified true copy of a document We compare your original and certify a true copy of your original document. e.g., passports and identification documents, birth, marriage, and death certificates, academic transcripts and qualifications, ASIC company records, and wills (including a foreign will, or an Australian will used overseas for a foreign grant of probate). |
From $100 |
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Each additional certified copy (same appointment) |
From $50 |
| Powers of Attorney (Private Form) | |
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Power of attorney for use overseas We verify your identity, witness you sign, and prepare the notarial certificate confirming your identity and the attestation. e.g., property, banking, or company powers of attorney for use overseas. |
From $150 |
| Other Notarial Certificates | |
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Certifying company or regulatory documents Certifying ASIC records, company constitutions, certificates of incorporation, board minutes and resolutions, or financial statements. |
From $200 each |
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Certificate of good standing (Australian or Canadian company) A notarial certificate confirming your company's current standing, with supporting searches. |
From $450 |
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Certificate on a point of Australian or Canadian law A formal notarial certificate addressing a specific legal question for an overseas authority. |
From $330 |
| Authentic (Public) Form Documents | |
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Authentic-form notarial act, prepared by others A formal notarial record drawn up by another party and completed and sealed by us. Mainly for civil-law countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, or Indonesia. e.g., a power of attorney drafted by an overseas notary for a Spanish property purchase, which we complete and seal. |
From $360 |
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Authentic-form notarial act, prepared by us We draft and execute the formal notarial record, and retain the original in our notarial register. e.g., an authentic-form power of attorney we draft for a client's matter in Indonesia or Brazil. |
From $650 |
| Duplicates | |
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Additional sealed original of the same document A second or third fully sealed original of the same notarial act, produced at the same time. Different from a plain, uncertified copy, which carries no seal. |
Half the original fee, from $75 each |
| Ship's Protests | |
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Noting a ship's protest We record a master's protest of an event at sea, enter it in our register, and provide one copy. |
From $385 |
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Each further copy |
From $175 |
| Cross-Border | |
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Alberta notarial services Notarising Alberta documents under Michael's Alberta Notary Public appointment. |
From $250 |
| Appointments & Attendance | |
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Weekend or after-hours appointment By prior arrangement, subject to availability. |
From $150 |
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Mobile / call-out service We come to your office, home, or another location. |
From $150 |
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Urgent / same-day appointment Subject to availability. |
Quoted |
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Complex matters, multiple documents, or extended attendance Charged in 15-minute blocks. |
$650/hr |
| Miscellaneous Fees & Charges | |
| As Notaries are also lawyers, we set our own fees, guided by the Society of Notaries Queensland recommended scale. The services below are charged at our notarial hourly rate of $650 plus disbursements, and quoted before we start. | |
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Attending DFAT or a consulate, or lodging documents by post Uplifting or lodging your documents in person or by post. |
$650/hr + disbursements |
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Coordinating apostille, authentication, or consular legalisation We manage the legalisation process on your behalf, including priority lodgement directly with DFAT to avoid the standard multi-week wait. DFAT and consular fees are additional. |
$650/hr + disbursements |
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Coordinating translation or handling foreign-language documents Arranging NAATI translation or working with documents in another language. |
$650/hr + disbursements |
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Anything outside our usual scope of services |
Quoted, at $650/hr + disbursements |
Frequently asked questions
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A Notary’s authority and functions are internationally recognised under the Hague Convention and private international law. Common notarial services include:
Attesting and certifying that a document has been properly signed or executed
Common examples: powers of attorney, contracts, company resolutions, property transfers, banking forms, consent to travel documents for unaccompanied minors.
Verifying the identity, capacity, and authority of the person signing on behalf of themselves or a company
Common examples: corporate appointments, agent authorities, or director certifications for use overseas.
Taking affidavits and statutory declarations for use in jurisdictions outside Australia
Common examples: affidavits, wills, and probate documents for overseas courts, and declarations of residency or financial status.
Verifying true copies of documents against their originals
Common examples: passports, birth, death, and marriage certificates, education qualifications, ASIC company records, and intellectual property certificates.
Advising on legalisation requirements – by apostille or consulate/embassy
Depending on the destination country and whether it is a Hague Convention member or not will determine your legalisation requirements.
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While notarial and legal practice are separate professions, in Queensland, all Notaries are also senior lawyers who are authorised to validate documents for use internationally. Importantly, not all Queensland lawyers are Notaries. As for JPs and CDecs, their functions are limited to domestic purposes only and do not need to be a lawyer.
Only Notaries are recognised internationally for their role in validating documents for use abroad. If your documents are intended for international use, they likely need a Notary, but please confirm your specific requirements with the receiving authority in the destination jurisdiction.
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Yes. In Queensland, notaries are senior lawyers appointed for life, and a Queensland notary’s seal and signature are recognised by foreign courts, governments, banks, and institutions worldwide. Depending on the destination country, an apostille or consular legalisation may also be required, which we can guide you through.
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Yes, and it is an area we focus on. We help companies notarise powers of attorney, board and shareholder resolutions, ASIC records, certificates of incorporation, commercial contracts, and trade and shipping documents for use overseas, and we verify the authority of directors and signatories. On-site signing for multiple signatories can be arranged.
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Yes. Appointments ensure your documents are reviewed in advance so we can clearly understand what you require and provide you our fee quote before. Book your appointment on our website.
Most appointments take 15–30 minutes. But depending on what needs to be done with your documents, it may take longer to allow our Notary to prepare a notarial certificate and bind your documents. We will let you know when we provide you our fee quote before you book your appointment with us.
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Bring the document you need notarised, unsigned if we are witnessing your signature, and current photo identification (100 points is ideal, e.g., a passport plus a driver licence). The name on your ID must match the name on the document. If a document is not in English, we may need it translated first.
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If we are witnessing your signature, sign at the appointment, in front of the Notary, after we verify your identity. For certified true copies you do not sign anything: just bring the original so we can compare it to the copy.
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No. Queensland notarisation is done in person, on paper. Remote or electronic witnessing is not available, so you will need to attend with your printed documents. In some cases we can certify original documents sent to us by post: contact us to discuss.
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Yes. After-hours and weekend notarial appointment may be available by prior arrangement (subject to our availability). An after-hours fee may apply. Please email us to discuss.
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Yes, in certain circumstances, if you are unable to meet us at our office, we can come to you. Additional fees for services by call-out may apply. Please email us to discuss.
Coming soon – as part of our commitment to serving the notarial needs of Queensland’s regional areas, Latitude Legal will be implementing scheduled regional Notary visits to Central Queensland, the Darling Downs, and Wide Bay Burnett regions.
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No. Latitude Legal does not provide any translation services. If required, we recommend using a NAATI-certified translator to assist you in preparing any documents for notarisation. You can find a directory of NAATI-certified translators and interpreters on NAATI’s website (www.naati.com.au). If you have any questions on notarisation of foreign language documents, please email us.
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The cost of notarial services is unique to each case and will depend on your requirements, the type and number of documents involved, and whether a notarial certificate is required. Please email us your documents for a fee quote (please note, our fees are guided by the Society of Notaries Queensland’s recommended Scale of Fees).
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The process of legalisation is the final step in the “chain of authentication” once a document has been notarised and before it is ready for international use. Legalisation is conducted one of two ways.
Apostille – for Hague Convention countries, DFAT will affix an apostille to authenticate the document.
Authentication and Consular Legalisation – for non-Hague Convention countries, the destination country’s consulate or embassy will complete the authentication. For some countries, they may require DFAT to authenticate the notarial certificate first.
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Apostille is a French word, pronounced “APP-O-steel”. It is a type of certificate applied to documents by countries who are members of the Hague Convention. The apostille certifies the signature, seal, or stamp on a public document, including notarial acts, produced within the member country’s jurisdiction. In Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the competent authority for the purposes of the Hague Convention and issuing apostilles. In Canada, each province has their own competent authority, for example, in Alberta the competent authority is the Official Documents and Appointments Office of the Ministry of Justice.
Unless specifically requested by a particular receiving authority, not every receiving authority in a destination jurisdiction may require an apostille. For example, an apostille is not required for many Commonwealth countries if the public document, or notarial act, is from another Commonwealth country (this is the case for Australia and Canada).