Did you change your address? Maybe you need to prove it to VFS... with your utility bill?

Notarising a copy of your utility bill

Have you been asked to have your utility bills notarised? In recent weeks, more and more clients have asked about having their utility bills notarised and this presents a problem because utility bills are normally non-government providers and these days they're issued electronically.

If you live in New South Wales and need to show to VFS that you have changed your address, one of the requirements that VFS imposes on you is to prove your new address by submitting a notarised copy of your utility bill. In order to notarise your utility bill, we must first verify the information as well as the authenticity of the bill with your provider. This service offering is a little different from simply certifying a copy of a document that has been issued by a government department (ie, a public document) like a passport or driver's licence or photocard.

Still looking for assistance with this requirement?

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.

Some issues with the new VFS requirements...

Did you know that VFS recently changed its requirements?

Changes with VFS happen from time to time and (unfortunately) without notice catching many people by surprise. This sometimes means you could have a pending application, which is now invalid due to the changes. You're not alone.

Having been in this industry for nearly two decades, we've seen many changes come and go. Some changes make sense and are reflective of various changes in processes, policy, or regulation. On the other hand, some changes make no sense at all and leave us scratching our heads.

Sadly (and strangely), the recent changes have singled out people living in New South Wales to be subject to different requirements from the rest of Australia. Not sure why that's the case. But regardless of the reason, that's the situation that we and everyone else must deal with.

If you live in New South Wales and you are submitting documents to VFS, some of those documents must be attested by a notary public (even if the checklist or the document itself states that it can be attested by a justice of the peace). If you live in other states, then a justice of the peace will be accepted, but in NSW it can only be attested by a notary public.

This presents us with an unusual problem because there are some documents that you might have to submit to VFS which cannot be notarised in Australia. Here are some examples of documents that you might need to have attested in Australia and whether they can actually be notarised or not.

"I need to attest or notarise my Indian marriage certificate"

Sorry, if your document originated from an Indian government office, it isn't an Australian public document or an internationally recognised document and so it can't be notarised in Australia. Documents issued from India should be notarised by a public notary in India - not in Australia. If there's no connection to Australia, then we don't have the authority to attest, certify or notarise it (ie, state that it's a true copy of a specific document) especially if we have no way to verify, identify or confirm that the original is in fact genuine. Some notaries may tell you that they are just certifying that it's the copy of an original document, but the problem always exists that if they can't verify the original, then how do they certify it? We don't accept that this is the correct approach and so we're unable to assist with that kind of notarisation.

"I need to attest or notarise my child's Indian passport"

Yes, we can notarise the Indian passport. Even though it has been issued by the Indian government because the Indian passport (like all other passports) are international documents and should be recognised and accepted in Australia. 

"I need to attest or notarise my passport, front and back page, and my visa page"

What do you mean by 'visa page'? Australia no longer issues physical labels or stamps in passports for visas. The stamps that may appear in your passport generally relate to entry and exit stamps, but they're not visas - and not every country continues to physically stamp passports anyway. For Australia, your visa is now recorded electronically through VEVO, also known as Visa Entitlement Verification Online. We are able to notarise the VEVO as it's issued by the Australian government.

"I need to attest or notarise my Aadhaar card", "I need to attest or notarise my PAN card", I need to attest or notarise my OCI card"

All these cards are issued by the Indian government. They are not internationally accepted or recognised documents (ie, they are only for use in India) and therefore have no connection or relevance to Australia. Accordingly, these documents should normally be notarised by a public notary in India - not in Australia. DESPITE THIS, we have been providing clients with a solution to notarise their passport, with a copy of their various Aadhaar card/PAN card or OCI card with a declaration that 'they are the one and the same person'. So while this strictly is not notarising a copy of the various cards, it's notarising a statement or declaration that you are the same person who appear in those cards, that kind of attestation or notarisation has been accepted previously. We're still are not providing certification that those cards or the copy of those cards are true (which would otherwise be beyond our authority to do so). If you only want the Aadhaar card, PAN card or OCI card to be attested without your passport, then we're unable to assist for the same reasons as explained above.

Closing thoughts

We've already started to see the number of documents being rejected by VFS because they haven't been attested or notarised by a notary public. We want to take this opportunity to remind people that these changes exist with VFS, not our office. Taking out your frustrations on our office will not aid you in your endeavours, especially as we're here to help.

To assist the Indian community in Sydney, we've recently introduced revised pricing for our notary public services in an attempt to ease the burden imposed by these changes.

For more information or to obtain a quote, please contact us on 02 9687 8885.

IMPORTANT CHANGE: NSW Residents must notarise their documents for VFS

What's new?

Have you seen the latest change to the various checklists on the VFS website?

https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/consular_miscellaneous/pdf/document-attestation-checklist-latest.pdf

Previously, when you submitted your documents to VFS, you had to have your documents certified or attested by a justice of the peace... but that's all changed.

NSW residents kindly submit documents attested by a Notary Public only, list of NSW notaries available at: https://notarynsw.org.au/find-a-notary

This change only affects NSW residents, not residents in other states - is that a little unfair?

What does this mean?

The most important difference between using a justice of the peace and a notary public is the cost. A justice of the peace is a community service and available for free or without charge. A notary public is generally a senior lawyer and entitled to charge a fee for their service.

Fees charged by a notary public can vary even though there are recommended fees published by the government. Fortunately, after calling around and comparing prices, many of our clients acknowledge that our fees are lower than most other notaries and lower than the recommended fees. We also offer fixed fees, which we attempt to quote upfront so that it helps our clients budget without any surprises.

Availability of a notary public can also vary depending on where you are and when you need to engage them. For the most part, we make our services readily available during normal office hours with appointments available on short notice. Making an appointment is an easy process - just call.

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.

VFS Requirements (for IDLV) - We don't make the rules, we just provide the service

We don't make the rules

Many people have asked us about (complained to us about) VFS requirements for their various Indian consular services, including having documents notarised or stamped with an apostille.

Sorry, we don't make the rules. If you have any issues, concerns or complaints about the different requirements that VFS impose on their various Indian consular services, you really need to contact VFS - they make the rules, their own rules.

The bottom line is, if you want VFS to do something for you, then you need to follow their rules and satisfy their requirements. That's it - it's quite simple.

The VFS requirements are contained in their various checklists. If you need to attest a special power of attorney or general power of attorney, there's a specific checklist for that. If you need Indian Drivers Licence Verification, there's a specific checklist for that. If you need to issue a passport or you have damaged your passport and need a replacement, there are specific forms and checklists for them too.

No matter what you require from VFS in the form of Indian consular services, there's a corresponding checklist stating the requirements that you must satisfy in order to receive those services. 

IF the checklist says you need to have your documents attested by a notary public, then that's what we do. IF the checklist says you need to have your documents stamped with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, then that's something we can arrange for you as well.

But if you're not happy with the VFS requirements for whatever Indian consular services you require, there's nothing that we can do about it. We don't make the rules.

We just provide the service

As much as we can't change the system or re-write the rules to suit your preferences, we understand your predicament and try to help you where we can - especially when it comes to notarising documents or arranging for the apostille. Instead of complaining about the requirements, maybe the more constructive approach would be to find out what's required and then trying to satisfy those requirements. If you need help, then call us.

We provide notary public services. In most cases, this means we can witness you sign documents or we can certify copies of documents for submission to VFS. If you also need an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which is required by some consular services, then we can arrange all of that for you as well.

If you're frustrated about the process, we understand - but while we can't change the process, we can look after it for you so that you don't have to be bothered by it. That's the service that we provide.

Indian Drivers Licence Verification

For example, if you've been reading through our blog or read other articles that we've posted over the years, you'll see that we're very familiar with the process known as the Indian Drivers Licence Verification, especially when your name on your Indian Drivers Licence is different to the name that appears on your Indian Passport. In those cases, the IDLV Checklist offers you two options to verify your name/identity and one of those options is to have a notary public confirm that you are the one and the same person and to have that document stamped with an apostille. How VFS interprets that requirement has changed since we started assisting clients with satisfying the requirements in the checklist - and we've also had to change our service offering (not our pricing). To help you satisfy this requirement not only do we provide you with a notary certificate that verifies that you are the one and the same person, but we also prepare an affidavit which you would need to sign at the same time and we provide certified copies of your respective identification documents. Even if you want to try to argue that the requirements set out in the IDLV Checklist don't require all of these documents, it's better to be safe than sorry. It doesn't cost extra to include the additional documents and so we include them to avoid any reason that VFS would or could reject your application because of something that we have or haven't done in terms of the notary public service.

Sounds simple? It is when you take a step back and try to work within the system rather than against it.

So what about the apostille? Do you really need it? Yes and yes. The IDLV Checklist is very clear that you need to have your documents stamped with an apostille. The apostille is only available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The apostille is confirmation that your documents have been properly notarised by a notary public. That's it.

It doesn't matter how much you want to complain about or resist the requirement (or the cost, time and hassle) of obtaining an apostille, it's a requirement and if you don't satisfy this requirement then VFS will reject your application.

We try to make this process as simple as possible for you and will look after the apostille process for you. We arrange to have your documents stamped with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and returned to our office for you to collect. If you don't want this service or you don't want to pay for this service, you can always make your own arrangements. It's actually very simple. But if you want our help, that's why we're here - to help. We can look after that whole process for you from the notary certificate, the notarised affidavit, certified copies of your identification documents, and the apostille.

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.

Has the Indian Drivers Licence Verification changed?

As many of you may have found out, VFS has changed a few of their forms as of 31 August 2020 and these changes impose a greater obligation (and cost) on people attempting to do various things like apply for or renew passports and other consular services. Despite this, the Indian Drivers Licence Checklist (IDLV Checklist) is still the same as it has been since 30 April 2020.

If your name on your Indian Drivers Licence and your Indian Passport are different, in order to obtain the Indian Drivers Licence Verification you must satisfy the IDLV Checklist requirements under the following options:

Option 1:

Have a Public Notary in Australia confirms that both names [name on License and on the Passport] clearly stated in full on the affidavit belong to one and the same person.

• This document must then be apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Office [DFAT] in Australia.
• Once the apostille stamp is completed, the India Driver License Verification Application form may be submitted at an Indian passport and visa services centre along with a copy of this apostilled document.
• The License Verification Certificate will only be issued in the name as it appears on the License.

Option 2:

Have an affidavit made from the court in India, confirming that both names [Name on License and on the Passport] clearly stated in full on the affidavit belong to one and the same person.

• Have this notarised in India.
• Notarised affidavit can be signed ONLY by the applicant or father / mother of applicant. In case affidavit is signed by Father / Mother of applicant, a copy of passport / Pan Card of signatory needs to be provided.
• The Original Affidavit must then be attested by the Consulate/ High Commission. This service is to be done first as a miscellaneous service at Indian Passport and Visa Services Centre. (http://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/attestation_of_documents.html)
• Once the affidavit attestation is completed, the Indian Driver’s License verification application form may be submitted at an Indian Passport and Visa Services Centre along with a copy of this affidavit.
• The License Verification Certificate will only be issued in the name as it appears on the License.

How are we doing things different now?

Despite the IDLV checklist being unchanged, it appears that VFS has taken a new approach to reviewing all documents and applications - including the applications for the Indian Driver Licence Verification. Accordingly, we have added an extra 'affidavit' to our existing notary certificate package with certified copies of the Indian Passport and Indian Driver Licence.

What can we do for you?

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we've assisted many people within the Indian community with converting their Indian Drivers Licence to a NSW Drivers Licence through the IDLV process. We do this by providing a notary certificate confirming that they are the one and the same person in both their licence and their passport despite the name difference. Our notary certificate satisfies OPTION 1 of the IDLV Checklist.

While OPTION 2 requires a 'notarised affidavit signed by the applicant', OPTION 1 requires 'confirmation by the public notary' and the notary certificate that we provide would not be signed by the applicant (ie, it's not a self-declaration or a self-certification by the applicant, rather than confirmation by us that the applicant is the one and the same person).

Our notary certificate can also be stamped with an apostille by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) which is also a requirement for OPTION 1 of the IDLV Checklist. A 'notarised affidavit', presumably done in India, in accordance with OPTION 2 cannot be stamped with an apostille by DFAT.

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.

Applying for a new or replacement Indian Passport?

Have you checked the VFS website for the most up to date checklists? Be aware that the checklists and the requirements have changed.

As many of you may have found out, VFS has changed a few of their forms as of 31 August 2020 and these changes impose a greater obligation (and cost) on people attempting to do various things like apply for or renew passports and other consular services.

Unfortunately, some of our clients have 'found out the hard way' that VFS has changed its requirements after having their documents returned to them with instructions that they also need to have copies of other supporting documents notarised. In the past, they may have had their supporting documents certified or attested by a justice of the peace, but now with the recent changes all of those documents must be notarised by a notary public - especially if they are residents in New South Wales

If you are submitting your application to VFS without documents having been properly certified or attested by a notary public, your application will also be rejected.

On a side note, the other complication with the changes recently introduced by VFS is that they sometimes require documents (such as Indian birth certificates) which cannot be notarised in Australia. In Australia, a notary public can attest and notarised copies of Australian public documents (ie, original documents issued by Australian government departments). Attesting Australian documents for use overseas is probably one of the main functions of the notary public in Australia, but this function does not extend to attesting Indian public documents. Indian public documents, like the Indian birth certificate, cannot be attested by an Australian notary public. They can only be attested by an Indian notary public.

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.

Have you experienced anything different with VFS recently?

Feedback wanted

As a leading provider of notary public services, we assist many people within the Indian community with notarising documents for use overseas - mainly India. Naturally, this work often involves and overlaps with VFS and so when our clients have issues with VFS, we know about it.

Recently, we've received a number of queries from clients about their dealings with VFS and some of it has been confusing and concerning. In particular, we've been told that:

• Clients must have their Indian birth certificates or marriage certificates notarised in Australia. The public notary in Australia should not be notarising foreign public documents, like these personal certificates. Foreign public documents should be notarised in the country where those documents were issued - not Australia.
• Clients must sign notary certificates issued by a public notary in Australia. The notary certificate is a document that is issued by the public notary and signed by the public notary. It isn't a document that would normally be signed by clients (ie, the certificate is given by the public notary, it's not a self-certification by the client).
• Clients must have their utility bills and other statements notarised by a public notary in Australia. The challenge with many bills and statements in Australia is that they are mostly issued electronically. While it's still possible to notarise these documents, the process is more involved which translates into cost - and of course that's not what many of our clients are happy to hear.

What's happened?

According to the VFS website, a number of checklists for different processes and applications changed on 31 August 2020. This means some things are now being done differently at VFS, especially for clients who live in New South Wales. Documents that could be previously signed by a justice of the peace or a public notary now have to be signed by a public notary only. Unfortunately, this means the process is going to be more expensive for clients because while having documents signed by a justice of the peace is free, having the same documents signed by a public notary isn't free.

Of course we remain committed to assisting our clients with their public notary requirements for documents intended for India or for submission to VFS, but these recent changes at VFS are likely to create confusion as well as raise more problems and incur additional costs than before.

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.

Attesting your passport for VFS

Have you noticed that the VFS checklists have been updated recently? If not, you'd better take a look and download the most recent checklists. The most significant change affects people living in New South Wales.

In the past, some supporting documents that had to be submitted to VFS could be attested by a justice of the peace. That requirement no longer exists in New South Wales. The checklists now clearly state "NSW residents kindly submit documents attested by a Notary Public only". So what does this mean?

Unfortunately, it means that submitting documents to VFS will become more expensive. Unlike the justice of the peace, which is a community service and free-of-charge, the notary public service is a paid service.

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we're committed to supporting the Indian community in Sydney even with the changes to the VFS requirements and continue to offer low cost fixed fee notary public services. Attesting your passport has never been quicker or easier as we generally are available on short notice to notarise and attest copies of your passport.

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.