Where can you find a free notary public in Sydney?
For some reason - and this is not necessarily a blessing - many people seem to think that we provide free notary public services. We don't. It's simply them misunderstanding what Google or any other search engine is telling them.
Just because you search for the term "free notary public" or "notary public for free" does not guarantee that your search results will actually reflect the search terms. In many cases, despite using the keyword 'free', search engines will return searches that relate to 'fee' which means that 'free notary' can also result in 'notary fee'.
What about a justice of the peace?
If you're actually looking for free services to witness or certify documents, you're probably looking for a justice of the peace. The justice of the peace is an honorary community service role and their services are without charge (ie, free). However, the justice of the peace generally will only be recognised for documents used in Australia and not for use overseas.
If you need to sign something for use overseas or you need to certify your documents from Australia for use overseas, then you're probably going to need notary public services. This is especially important if your document must also be stamped with an apostille or authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (and/or legalised by the foreign office of the intended destination country).
What about for documents going to India?
In most cases, documents that you need to sign or certify in Australia for use in India will need to be notarised by a notary public. Occasionally, you may be able to sign them or have them certified by a justice of the peace, however that's the exception and you're going to have to check it with your lawyer in India first. Some dealings with VFS specifically require you to have your documents notarised and sometimes you also need to have those documents stamped with an apostille from DFAT. All of these things involve the services of a notary public.
Paying for notary public services
There are recommended notary fees, but notaries may charge whatever they deem is appropriate. If you have something complicated, maybe the fees will be higher compared to something that is simple. Generally, a simple request like witnessing or certifying documents will attract a fixed nominal notary fee.
What next?
To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.
Acknowledgements
This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.
For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.
Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.
For Hindi to English translation services by NAATI accredited translators, see https://hindi-naati-translation.blogspot.com.au/.
Ern Phang
Notary Public
Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.
IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.
