Can I sign Form J in front of a Justice of the Peace?

If you live in New South Wales (and you intend to lodge Form J with the VFS office in Sydney), then you cannot sign Form J in front of a justice of the peace. As a NSW resident, Form J must be attested by a notary public. This means you must sign Form J in front of a notary public who will verify your identity and witness your signature.

Form J is required when you have changed your appearance. Sometimes you may have aged (ie, matured) especially if your previous passport photograph was taken when you were a child. Sometimes it's because you previously wore a turban but no longer wear a turban (or you previously didn't but now you do). For some, it's because they've changed their hairstyle or facial hair. Whatever the case may be, if you think you might look different now from what you do (or did before) in your passport photograph, then you may need to submit Form J with whatever other documents you intended to file with VFS.

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we help many clients with notarising Form J. If you also need help, you must make an appointment, bring your completed Form J with your photograph, and you must sign it in front of our notary public. Our notary public will verify your identity according to your photo identity (ie, passport or driver licence) and witness you sign Form J.

Renewing your expired Indian passport

Has your Indian passport expired?

If your Indian passport has expired and you are intending to renew it/apply for a new passport, you must submit your application to VFS. There are a number of requirements for the new passport application, and you must ensure that you satisfy all of the requirements otherwise your application will be rejected.

For more information, have a look at the "New Passport (on expiry of Passport) Checklist" available from the VFS website.

As part of your application, you must also complete "Personal Particulars" form, which does not require notarisation as well as the following other documents:

• IF your passport expired more than ONE month, then you must also submit FORM I, which requires notarisation if you live in New South Wales. If the application is on behalf of a child, then this form must be signed by both parents.
• IF your signature has changed, you must provide a statutory declaration confirming that you have changed your signature and provide a sample of that new signature. If you live in New South Wales, then that statutory declaration must be notarised.
• IF your appearance has changed, you must also submit FORM J, which requires notarisation if you live in New South Wales.
• IF your address has changed, you must also submit a copy of your utility bill with the new address and if you live in New South Wales, that bill must be notarised.

How can we help you?

If you live in New South Wales, then many of the documents that you must submit to VFS must be notarised. 

This means that if your document is something that you must sign (like Form I, Form J or the statutory declaration), then those documents must be signed in front of a notary public. If your document is something that you must certify (like your passport, or your utility bill), then those documents must be certified by a notary public.

We help many clients to satisfy their requirements with VFS, including to renew their expired passport. We can witness their signature on Form I, Form J or the statutory declaration and notarise those documents, and we can certify copies of their passport and utility bills as required.

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.

Declaring that you're the one and the same person

How do you prove that you're the one and the same person?

There are various reasons why you need to be able to prove that you're the one and the same person, especially when it comes to dealing with VFS. In this article, we address the two main requests that we receive from clients - namely, Form J and the IDLV process.

Form J - Statutory Declaration for Change of Appearance

For some people, they've changed their appearance and therefore VFS requires them to file Form J. For example, if you've grown/cut your hair, if you previously wore a turban, if you were a child but now are an adult, or you've had an accident or surgery that changes your appearance.

Previously, Form J could be signed in front of a justice of the peace however, after recent changes (in 2020) that's no longer the case. Even though the form hasn't changed and it still refers to a justice of the peace, if you live in New South Wales, you must declare and sign this form in front of a notary public. The notary public must notarise your form before you can submit it to VFS. If you're not sure about what to do with the form or how it should be signed, please visit the VFS website or contact them for more information.

We assist many clients by taking their declaration (that they have changed their appearance), witnessing them sign the form and notarising the form. Unfortunately (as of August 2021) we've had to suspend this service due to the current restrictions and stay-at-home orders from the NSW Government, but as soon as these restrictions have been lifted we intend to resume these services.

IDLV - Indian Drivers Licence Verification

If you want to convert your Indian drivers licence to a NSW drivers licence and you want to have your past driving history recognised here (so that you don't have to start again with a learners licence), you may need to follow the IDLV process from VFS.

If your name on your passport and your Indian drivers licence aren't identical, your application must also include an affidavit declaring that you're the one and the same person which needs to be signed in front of a notary public and include an apostille stamp from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Again, this is a process that we assist many clients with because there's always been a requirement for notarisation.

If you need help with this process, then as part of our IDLV service offering, we prepare:

• the IDLV affidavit in which you declare that you're the one and the same person
• a notary certificate in which we declare that you appear to be the one and the same person, and
• certified and notarised copies of your Indian passport and Indian drivers licence.

After your documents have been notarised and bound together, we then arrange for the apostille stamp from DFAT. As Australia and India are both members of the Apostille Convention, the apostille stamp is the formal recognition between both countries that the document has been properly notarised and will be accepted by the other without any additional authentication or legalisation.

Again, unfortunately, due to the current restrictions and stay-at-home orders from the NSW Government, we've also had to suspend these services until these restrictions have been lifted. If you're intending to submit the IDLV application to VFS, there are other things that you'll still need to do and prepare for before we can assist you. so please review the checklist first.

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.

What can we notarise during the restrictions in Greater Sydney? (July 2021 update)

We are currently closed for face-to-face appointments

Thanks for your continued interest in our services and our support. Unfortunately, due to the extended restrictions across Greater Sydney, our office is still closed to face-to-face appointments until further notice.

What does this mean?

We're still providing legal and notary public services, however, they're limited to services that don't require face-to-face appointments. These services include:

• Attesting or certifying copies of documents. Generally, this still means that you must arrange for the original document to be delivered to our office*. We do NOT recommend posting important original documents like passports but if it's urgent and absolutely necessary, then you should arrange for your document to be couriered to our office. Once notarised, our office will arrange for a return courier to ensure that your original documents and notarised copies are returned to you safely and securely.
• Verifying documents. If you have certain electronic documents that must be verified (such as Australian visa documents (ie, VEVO), Australian educational documents, Australian medical documents, Australian employment documents), these documents can be verified (before being notarised) with whoever issued the documents. Alternatively, if these documents are not electronic documents and there are only original documents, then the same applies as attesting and certifying. We require the original documents to be delivered to our office* before we can contact whoever issued the documents to verify them.

*If you personally deliver original documents to our office, you may be subject to a fine for breaching the current 'stay-at-home' orders. Any documents must be able to be slipped under our door as our office will NOT receive you or open the door for you when you arrive.

Accordingly, we can only recommend that you arrange for your document to be sent by courier (or if you are not concerned that the document could be lost, arrange for it to be posted) otherwise we suggest waiting until the restrictions have been lifted.

Importantly, during the current restrictions, we are not providing services that require a face-to-face appointment, mainly this refers to services that include witnessing. This means we cannot notarise documents such as:

• Power of attorney, both general power of attorney and special power of attorney.
• Declarations and affidavits (including the Indian Drivers Licence Verification)
• Passport renewal forms such as Form V, Form I, or Form J
• Australian visa renewal such as Form 1229
• Life certificates
• Court documents

For this service or for any of these documents that require witnessing or a face-to-face appointment, you must wait until the restrictions have been lifted before calling our office to make an appointment.

Update

Restrictions for Greater Sydney have now been extended to 30 July 2021.

Attesting and notarising copies of Passports for Police Clearance Certificates

Applying for Police Clearance Certificates?

Applying for police clearance certificates requires a number of attested/notarised documents. For example:

• If your appearance has changed, you must submit Form J which has been notarised after you have signed it in front of a notary public. Form J is available for download from the VFS website (https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/passport_service/pdf/Form-J.pdf). Witnessing you sign Form J means you must make an appointment to attend our office in person and sign the form in our presence. We then confirm that you are the person who signed the form and we witness your signature and notarise the form.
• If you are a foreign national, you must submit a notarised copy of your passport. You must arrange for your original passport to be presented to us. We will make a copy and notarise that copy certifying that it is a true and correct copy of the original passport.
• We also understand that some Indian nationals who do not wish to submit their original Indian passport can also submit a notarised copy of their Indian passport instead of the original.

We provide low cost fixed fee services to attest and notarise a copy of your passport. Check out our recent Google Reviews to see what others have to say about us. https://g.page/phanglegal?share

For more information about applying for the police clearance certificate from VFS, please visit their website and the relevant checklist found on their website (https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/passport_service/pdf/checklist-for-pcc-updated.pdf)

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.