By Ern Phang, Solicitor & Notary Public
Director of Phang Legal. Solicitor since 1998 and notary public since 2005.
Example: the situation
Siddharth is selling an apartment in Kolkata but can't leave work in Sydney for the registration. He finds a power of attorney form online from another country and plans to fill it in.
A power of attorney lets someone in India sign for you, but only if it's the right document. Let's discuss this in further detail.
One of the challenges of living in Australia but buying or selling property in India is being able to sign the various legal documents necessary for the transaction to happen. Since most of the legal documents are still in paper form (ie, not electronic), it requires your signature - or perhaps someone to sign on your behalf.
Appointing someone to sign legal documents on your behalf can only really be done by a power of attorney.
If you're living in Australia and appointing someone in India by power of attorney to sign documents on your behalf, then that power of attorney must be notarised by a notary public.
Who writes the power of attorney?
In most cases, your lawyer or whoever is looking after your transaction in India should write the power of attorney for you. Sometimes it may just be a standard document or standard form, and sometimes it may be something specific to your situation or to your transaction. If you need to have a power of attorney to apply for a loan with a bank, sometimes the bank will have a standard power of attorney form that you can just download from the internet - but always make sure you know what you're signing.
Many clients download documents and forms from the internet (sometimes from different countries) and assume that they will 'work' in India - this is wrong and it's dangerous. Different countries have different legal requirements and different legal consequences. Don't assume that something you can download from the internet will work for your situation. Even a power of attorney based on the standard forms available in Australia isn't necessarily going to work or work properly for what you want to do in India. Check with your lawyer in India and if you don't have a lawyer, maybe it's about time you engage someone to assist you with your transaction. The cost of the process in Australia and the risk you face in sending an incorrect document to India isn't worth the risk.
Why does the power of attorney need to be notarised?
Documents signed in Australia but used in India generally need to be notarised. Depending on who you're sending the power of attorney to, they may also need the power of attorney to be stamped with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and stamped by VFS (ie, Indian Consulate stamp). Unfortunately, despite assisting clients sending documents to India for many years (nearly 20 years) everyone does it differently or they're asked for different things by their lawyer or whoever they're dealing with in India. What's common between all is having the document notarised - but after that, you'll just need to check.
What does notarisation involve?
For the power of attorney going to India, notarisation generally means you must sign the power of attorney in front of the notary public. The notary public can witness your signature and then sign/stamp your power of attorney confirming that they witnessed you sign it.
Do you need stamped paper?
Some clients who have their lawyers in India prepare the power of attorney and send it to them in paper form have their power of attorney printed on stamped paper (or bonded paper). This is like a form of pre-paid duty.
Stamped paper for isn't available in Australia so if you intend to sign a power of attorney printed on stamped paper then you'll need to arrange for it to be prepared in India and sent to you here. Alternatively, most clients print their power of attorney on standard A4 paper and have their signatures notarised on that type of paper. Duty is still payable in India but instead of pre-paid duty if your power of attorney had been printed on stamped paper, then your lawyer would need to arrange for it to be post-paid after the power of attorney arrives in India.
Does the power of attorney need to be stamped with an apostille?
Technically, as Australia and India are both member countries of the Apostille Convention (see here for more information) documents like the power of attorney sent from Australia to India, or any other member country, should be stamped with an apostille in order to be recognised.
Practically, the majority of power of attorney that we've notarised over the years have been used in India without an apostille. If you're not sure, please check with your lawyer in India.
What next?
To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit Request a notary quote.Example: the solution
Siddharth asked the lawyer handling his sale, who prepared a power of attorney for the transaction. He signed it in front of our notary public, who notarised it, and his attorney in Kolkata signed the sale documents for him.
About Us
This blog is maintained by Phang Legal, a boutique law firm with offices in Parramatta and Rouse Hill. We help clients from across Sydney and beyond with personal, professional and timely Legal Services, Notary Services and Apostille Services.
As a leading provider of notary services in Sydney, we have 1k+ Google Reviews (4.9) (updated July 2026) with many clients happy to share their experience in using our services.
Phang Legal — Parramatta6/83 George Street
Level 3, 87 Marsden Street (from 1 March 2026)
Parramatta NSW 2150
Phang Legal — Rouse Hill
214/80 Main Street
Rouse Hill NSW 2155
Call 02 9687 8885 | WhatsApp | Request quote
About the author
Ern Phang — Solicitor & Notary Public
This article was written by Ern Phang, a director of Phang Legal, a solicitor since 1998 and a notary public since 2005.
Ern has been a member of the Society of Notaries of NSW since 2005, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries since 2013, and a member of the Law Society of New South Wales since 1998.
Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public and the practical issues his clients face when sending documents from Australia to India and other countries all over the world.
Using information in this article
This article provides general information. Requirements, forms, fees and service arrangements may have changed since its original publication. Check the receiving organisation’s current requirements and obtain advice relevant to your circumstances.
