FORM J - Statutory Declaration for Change of Appearance

Who requires FORM J?

Have you been asked by VFS to submit FORM J because your appearance has changed?

FORM J is a form to submit to VFS (on behalf of the Indian Consulate) to have your Indian passport issued to you while living in Australia. If you have changed your appearance ('considerably changed' as determined by VFS) then you must also submit FORM J which is a statutory declaration stating that you have changed your appearance.

If you're not sure what you need, perhaps review their checklist available on their website

https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/australia/passport-services/English/pdf/passport-checklist-updated-nov.PDF

What does it mean by 'considerably changed'?

There can be various circumstances when you would have to submit FORM J when renewing your Indian passport. The example provided by VFS includes if you previously wore a turban but have stopped wearing a turban (or vice-versa).

We have also seen instances when people have had to submit FORM J after they have cut their hair or shaved their beard. Also, if a previous passport was issued when you were a child but you have since matured and your look has changed, then you may also need to submit FORM J when renewing your passport.

What does FORM J contain?

The central element of FORM J is your photograph. You must include your current photograph and paste it into FORM J. The rest of FORM J is essentially a statutory declaration in which you declare that the photograph reflects your new appearance - assuming it is different from what it was before.

Where can I download FORM J?

FORM J is available from the VFS website. Currently, it can be found at:

https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/australia/passport-services/English/pdf/Form-J.pdf

However, VFS often update their website from time to time (without including redirections) so if the above link doesn't work, then you'll just need to search it for the correct form (and checklist).

How can we help with FORM J?

If you live in New South Wales, then you must sign FORM J in front of a notary public. If you live in other states, presumably VFS will accept it being signed in front of a justice of the peace or other equally qualified/authorised witness.

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we assist many clients who must submit their FORM J to VFS to confirm their change of appearance. 

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 and Rouse Hill, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

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.

Be patient...

Be patient

It's a very simple request. Many services like ours have been closed over the Christmas and New Year period. This is really the only time that we take a break (aside from the lockdown/restrictions). Naturally, when we reopen our services are in high demand meaning that we're not able to answer every phone call or make an appointment for everyone immediately, especially as some of our team are still on holiday.

What do we do when we're fully booked?

Everyone can make an appointment. It's quite simple, but there are limited appointments available each and every day. Once those appointments are taken, we are fully booked. If you call us after we are fully booked, we will tell you so. At times, we may be able to "squeeze you in between appointments", especially when some appointments are faster than the allocated time, but it's not something that we can promise and we cannot say how long you might have to wait.

If someone else has an appointment, then they will take priority over you. When there's a chance to see you after an appointment has finished early and before the next appointment arrives, then we'll squeeze you in and see you if we can. It's really quite simple. 

Too many times people have demanded an appointment when there are none available, or when we squeeze them in, they demand that we see them before other people who have already made an existing appointment. Isn't that like pushing in or cutting in a line?

At the end of the day, we'll make sure we see all of our clients, whether they have appointments or not, but isn't it fair to those who have made an appointment that we see them first before we see anyone who just decides to walk-in or those we're able to squeeze in?

Be considerate

Aside from patience, it does require consideration. Be considerate to everyone else. Yes, you might have an urgent request, but everyone else has an urgent request too. The reality of this work is most of it is time-sensitive in one way or another, but it doesn't mean that anyone should be favoured over anyone else.

Reopening for notary public services in 2022

Happy new year! We will be reopening for appointments on 10 January 2022.

If you need assistance with notarising your documents, please call us on 02 9687 8885 (from 930am onwards) to make an appointment. There will be limited appointments on Monday, but there will be more availability for the rest of the week as we return to our normal appointment schedule.

Changes to the DFAT apostille fee - 1 January 2022

Apostille fee increase for 2022

On 1 January 2022, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has increased the apostille fee from $85  in 2021 to $87 for 2022.

The fee increase for DFAT apostille and authentications according to CPI is nothing unusual. It happens every year on 1 January.

What does this fee increase for our services?

Despite the apostille fee increase, until further notice, our fee to arrange the apostille from DFAT (including the increased apostille fee) on documents intended for India (or for VFS) remains unchanged.

Our office is currently closed for the Christmas and New Year period until 10 January 2022.

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.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

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.