By Ern Phang, Solicitor & Notary Public
Director of Phang Legal. Solicitor since 1998 and notary public since 2005.
Example: the situation
Jatin calls us to say he wants 'notary for OCI' for himself, his wife and their daughter. When we ask which documents, he isn't sure.
OCI applications need different documents for each applicant. Let's discuss how to work out which need notarising.
VFS links and resources — Updated July 2026. Links in this article have been updated to the resources listed in our July 2026 VFS update and the VFS India website for Australia. Use the relevant VFS checklist for current requirements. This note concerns links and resources; the rest of this article has not been comprehensively reviewed.
Overseas Citizen of India applications
When people call us and say "I want notary for OCI..." it doesn't
actually explain what they require.
Applying to be an Overseas Citizen of India requires you to submit various
documents to VFS in support of your application, however, what documents you must submit depends on you and whoever else you may be applying for (ie, spouse and
children etc). To simply state that you need notary services does not provide
enough information for us to confirm whether we can assist you or what would be the cost for those services.
If you're not sure what documents you must submit in support of your OCI
application or you're not sure what documents must be notarised, then you
should visit the VFS website for more information.
You can also find the
OCI Checklist
here.
What services can we provide in support of the OCI application?
We can notarise certified copies of Australian government documents. If you need to provide certified copies of Australian or international
documents (ie, passports, Australian birth certificates, Australian marriage
certificates, Australian change of name certificates), then we can assist with
certifying and notarising copies of those documents. If any of those documents
must also be stamped with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade, we can also assist with that process.
We cannot notarise copies of documents issued by governments of other countries. Although the VFS checklist indicates that there are some documents, like birth
certificates or marriage certificates issued from India, which must also be notarised, this requirement
cannot be satisfied by our office on the basis that they are foreign documents
and not Australian or international documents. Documents issued from India
should really be either attested by VFS (which it refuses to - not sure why)
or by a notary public in India, but not by a notary public in Australia.
Potentially since this is a requirement from VFS, which does not consider the
legal jurisdiction of notarisation in Australia, then there may be some
notaries who are still providing this service even though legally they are not
supposed to.
Interestingly, as VFS highlights in their checklist, if a document was not issued in
Australia (or in India) but some other country, then that document must be
attested by the embassy/consulate or foreign office of that country. However,
despite acknowledging the limitations of what notaries in Australia can or
should be doing with other foreign documents, the reality is that the same
applies to documents issued from India (ie, they cannot be notarised in
Australia and should be attested by the embassy/consulate or foreign office of
India, being VFS).
What next?
Example: the solution
Jatin checked the VFS checklist for each family member and sent us the list of documents. We gave him a quote, and our notary public notarised everything on the list at one appointment.
To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit
Request a notary quote.
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 — Parramatta
6/83 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.
