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.
