By Ern Phang, Solicitor & Notary Public
Director of Phang Legal. Solicitor since 1998 and notary public since 2005.
Example: the situation
The VFS checklist asks Rina for an attested copy of her passport's visa label page. Her Australian visa was granted electronically, so there's no label in her passport.
Without a visa label, the evidence of your visa is VEVO or your Visa Grant Notice. Let's discuss which to notarise.
One of the requirements of various VFS checklists is the attestation of a passport (usually the front and back pages, and the visa label page).
If you're currently in Australia on an Australian visa, it's likely that your passport doesn't have an Australian visa label. That's because all Australian visas are now granted electronically. In the past, the Australian visa appeared as a label stuck to one of the pages of the passport, but that practice ended many years ago and now all Australian visas are granted electronically and can be verified online through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online system (VEVO).
Unlike the Visa Grant Notice, being the original email that you received when you were granted your visa, the VEVO is the current record and confirmation that your visa is valid. The Visa Grant Notice is only evidence that you were granted a visa at that time it was granted but it doesn't confirm that your visa is current.
Notarisation
Notarising either the VEVO or the Visa Grant Notice is a simple and straightforward process.
- For the Visa Grant Notice, you must forward the original email from the Australian Government to us. We will then verify the Visa Grant Notice according to the current VEVO record before we notarise the Visa Grant Notice.
- For the VEVO, you must share the VEVO with us through the VEVO portal. You can then choose if you want us to notarise it on the basis that we received it directly from the Australian Government (the less expensive approach) or if you also require us to verify it with VEVO (a more expensive approach - similar to verifying and notarising the Visa Grant Notice).
If you've updated or renewed your passport since obtaining a visa, you may also need to prove that your current visa is valid and attached to your current passport (and not just your previous passport). Checking/updating your visa details through VEVO before approaching us will likely save time and money.
What next?
To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit Request a notary quote.Example: the solution
Rina brought her passport and her VEVO details to her appointment. Our notary public verified her current visa through VEVO and notarised the record with her passport copy.
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.
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Parramatta NSW 2150
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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.
