As of 1 July 2014, all education documents presented for legalisation must have been issued by an institution accredited by an Australian accredited education authority.
Foreign education documents must be referred to the Embassy/Consulate of the issuing country (even if they bear the ‘true copy’ certification of an Australian Notary Public. Clients may be required to send the document back to the country of origin to have it authenticated or issued with an apostille.
TAFE/CIT or other Australian Public State Technical College
Original school reports, certificates and general education documents from Australian Public State Technical Colleges, such as CIT and TAFE, can be authenticated as apostilled if they bear the stamp of the issuing institution or the signature of an authorised public appointed officer with appropriate authority to issue the document. For example, an original TAFE degree should be signed by an officer holding the position of Managing Director. The signature of an authorised officer from the student administration of the issuing administration does not qualify for legalisation purposes as the State official does not directly appoint this officer. In this example of TAFE schools, managing directors are appointed by the relevant minister in the state who has direct responsibility for the education or skills portfolio.
Private School/Religious School/Private College
School reports, certificates and general education documents from Australian private institutions must be certified by an Australian Public Notary. It is the signature of the notary that converts these private documents to public documents and allows authentication or apostille. The Department of Education will stamp these documents for clients in some Australian states and territories.