BUTLERS

Some countries require a Notarised document to be Legalised or Authenticated by The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) which establishes a chain of authentication with respect to the signature or seal.
Countries which are signatories to “The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents” may require the document to be Apostilled by DFAT. An Apostille Certificate will be signed by an officer of DFAT which confirms that the notarised document has been signed by the named person acting in their capacity of a Notary and bear the seal of a Notary.
The general rule for Apostilles and authentications is that most government documents can be directly Apostilled without needing notarisation. A list of Government documents that still require Notarisation first can be found on the DFAT website. Every non-government document requires notarisation before getting an Apostille or Authentication.
It is not a Notaries’ responsibility to advise if a document needs to be Apostilled or Authenticated and those who require the document certification should make enquiries with the appropriate Embassy or Consulate where the document is destined for, for the requirements.