APOSTILLES OF DOCUMENTS, WITNESSING SIGNATURES ON DOCUMENTS OR CERTIFYING PHOTOCOPIES OF DOCUMENTS
Apostille of The Hague (Apostilla de la Haya)
Australia and Spain are co-signatories to The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents, which allows for the simplification of the formal authentication process for public documents. An apostille is a statement placed on a public document that verifies the country of origin of the document, the identity of the signature/seals/stamps which appear on the document, and the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted. The Australian apostille is placed on the original Australian document and is available only in Australia through the State and Territory offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT). You will need to confirm with the relevant authorities in Andorra or Spain whether they require an apostille on an Australian document in order to recognise a public document. Please click here for further information.
Witnessing signatures on documents
Australian Embassy consular officers can witness signatures on documents. However, you must make an appointment with the Embassy and bring in the unsigned document. You will be asked to provide original identity documents, such as your passport or driver’s licence. Please note that a fee will be charged for this service.
Certifying photocopies of documents
Australian embassy consular officers can also certify photocopies of documents, in either English or Spanish, confirming that the photocopy is a true copy of an original document sighted. You must make an appointment with the Embassy and bring the original document to be photocopied. Should you not wish to come to Madrid, you may send the original document(s) to be certified via registered mail or courier to the Consular Section at this Embassy. Please attach a note to the document(s) indicating you require a certified Copy, in English or Spanish and your full return address, including the postcode and a mobile telephone number for us to return your original document(s) and the certified copy via courier. Please also enclose the confirmation of your payment for both the certified copies and the return courier. Please note that a fee will be charged for this service.
N.B Please ensure that the document(s) relating to the notarial act(s) you require from the Australian Embassy are presented in the correct form and that you provide the correct instructions for witnessing any signatures on the document(s). If you are unsure of the legislative requirements relating to witnessing signatures on a particular document you should seek independent legal advice. Please note, by witnessing a signature on a document(s) neither the Australian Government nor the Australian Embassy in Madrid, Spain guarantees the legal effectiveness of the document(s) nor the accuracy of its contents.
To make an appointment at the Australian Embassy in Madrid for any of the above services, please phone the Consular Section Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM on Tel. (+34) 91 3536635 or e-mail the Embassy on [email protected] .