What to bring

Please bring photographic identification which shows your current name and signature. A passport or photo driver's licence would normally be sufficient, however check the instructions that come with your documents as occasionally several forms of identification are required.

Please be aware that Consular Staff are unable to make any endorsement as to the identity of a person, and as such we are unable to endorse photographs as being a true photograph of an applicant.

For the Consulate to witness your land transfer or mortgage document you must bring along written instructions from an Australian legal practitioner, law practice licensed conveyancer, or mortgagee (bank etc.). For more information on land and property documentation click here.

For payment, we prefer UnionPay debit/credit card but also accept RMB cash (not AUD). We currently only take Chinese credit/debit cards, and not foreign cards.

Authority to perform notarial acts

The authority to perform notarial acts is granted by an array of Commonwealth, state and territory legislation, regulations, court rules and other procedures. It is the responsibility of the person seeking notarial services from the Australian Consulate-General to provide legislative proof that an Australian consular official holds the authority to perform the notarial services requested.

Certain officials at the Australian Consulate-General have authority to perform selected Notarial Acts in accordance with various Australian Federal and State legislation. Consular officials cannot provide legal advice and are unable to guarantee that services on your documents will meet the requirements of the other party.

Please make sure you check with the end recipient of the document(s), and/or with your lawyer, that a consular official has the authority to perform the procedure required on your documents.

Fees

Consular Current Fees 

Under the Consular Fees Act 1955 a fee applies to these services.

We accept mPOS (Apple Pay, Alipay & WeChat Pay), Unionpay cards,Visa, and Mastercard.
We cannot accept American Express cards without a UnionPay symbol and cannot accept cheques or cash.

The amount may vary from time to time according to the exchange rate. Contact the Consulate-General for information about current fees or visit Smartraveller.

Alternative Providers of Notarial Services

Not all documents must be signed by a consular officer, and in fact, there are some documents that we are not authorised to sign at all. You should always check with your representative or legal adviser if there are alternatives to having your documents signed or witnessed by an Australian consular officer.

A consular officer is not a Justice of the Peace (JP) or Notary Public.

The Consular Section takes no responsibility should the witnessed/certified documents fail to meet the criteria specified or the intended purpose. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the documents are acceptable once witnessed/certified by an Australian consular official in China.

Statutory Declarations

Statutory declarations vary greatly and are all governed by different laws which determine whether consular officers are authorised to witness them. More information is available on Smartraveller.

Commonwealth Statutory Declarations can be witnessed by authorised consular officers. However we are not legally authorised to witness all Australian State and Territory declarations. Legislation prevents the Consulate from witnessing Victorian Statutory Declarations.

If you are unsure, email us a copy of the document you need witnessed at least one week before your appointment and we can confirm in advance if we can help you – email: [email protected] .

It is your responsibility to check with the originator of the document whether an Australian consular officer is able to witness your signature on the document.

Selling or buying land or property in Australia?

There are some land and property documents that we are not authorised to witness. If you have any documents relating to land or property in Australia, we highly recommend you send us a copy at least one week before your appointment. Email us on [email protected] .

The Australian Consulate-General can witness your signature on some land, mortgage or property documents, certify documents and complete the DFAT Identity Certificate. We can’t provide legal advice. See below for our step-by-step guide and some other helpful hints. 

 

Step 1: Seek advice from your Australian legal practitioner, law practice licensed conveyancer, or mortgagee (bank etc). Each document is different and we can’t tell you what you need.  Check with the person or organisation which sent you your documents to see if an Australian consular officer can witness your signature on the document.

Step 2: Ask your representative to prepare your documents and provide written instructions that include:

Dear Australian Consulate-General Guangzhou,

I request your assistance with the following:

• Witnessing of ___ number of copies of documents ____ (insert name of documents). These documents can be witness by a ____ (insert list of persons who can witness e.g. consular officer, consul, notary public).
• If applicable; The document does not include the title reference and lot number because ____ (insert reason if applicable e.g. property is yet to be assigned a lot number)
• Certifying ___ number of copies of _____ (insert types of documents e.g. passport, ID card).  These must be coloured copies (if applicable).
• Completing a DFAT Identity Certificate  for ______ (insert names of clients). Only one certificate is completed per client. Each certificate must be accompanied by at least 1 certified document. Representative must advise what documents are to be included at point (g) on the Identity Certificate.  

Step 3: Ask your representative if you require an 'Identifiers Certificates' or 'Verification of Identity Certificates'

The Consulate will only complete the DFAT Identity Certificate for land, property or mortgage transactions.  The Consulate will not sign any other 'Identifiers Certificates' or 'Verification of Identity Certificates'.  Check your requirements with your Australian representative and ask them if you need a DFAT Identity Certificate before visiting the Australian Consulate. 

Step 4: Email your prepared letter and documents to [email protected] as soon as possible before your intended appointment. We will advise you if we can execute your documents and when you can make an appointment.

Step 5: Make an appointment as per our instructions using https://acggz.setmore.com/.

Step 6: Visit our office

Things to bring to your appointment:

1. Please bring photographic identification – a valid passport is best.
2. A letter from your Australian legal practitioner, law practice licensed conveyancer, or mortgagee (bank etc) asking the Consulate to witness your mortgage documents, complete a DFAT identity certificate and certify your documents. The letter should list exactly how many copies of each document are required (see step 2).
3. Your documents for witnessing (do not sign before the appointment),
4. Your passport and other documents to be certified. You will need to have photo ID that matches the name on the document you are signing.

Step 7: Send your documents to your representative. We do not do this for you.

Step 8: See below for more information on what we can and can’t do.

Visit Smartraveller https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-overseas under the heading "Selling or buying land or property in Australia?"