CONSULAR NOTARIZATION OR LEGALIZATIONUpdated as of 06 May 2025
The entry into force of the Apostille Convention in the Philippines was on 14 May 2019.
In lieu of Authentication certificates, the Government of the Philippines will start issuing Apostilles on Philippine documents that need to be presented abroad.
Since Australia is also a signatory to the Apostille Convention, all Philippine documents intended for Australia with an affixed Apostille shall no longer be authenticated by the Australian Embassy. In the same manner, all Australian documents intended for the Philippines with an Apostille affixed shall no longer be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulates in Australia.
IN AUSTRALIA
All documents issued by Australian government agencies and private institutions based in Australia, intended for use in the Philippines, must be authenticated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Apostille process.
For more information on an Apostille Certificate from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), please see link below:
FROM THE PHILIPPINES
Apostillization of Philippine documents can only be issued by the DFA-Office of Consular Affairs in Manila.
Philippine Government-issued Apostilles may be verified through the following link:
The role of the Philippine Consulate General involves witnessing the signing of a private document, confirming the signatory’s identity, and ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of the document’s contents.
PRIVATE DOCUMENT such as Affidavits, Affidavits of Support and Guarantee, Special Powers of Attorney, Deeds, Sworn Statements, Contract to Buy and Sell, etc. may be notarized or legalized (Consularized), executed and signed in the presence of a Consular Official/Representative by the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne.
- The legal document will have a notarial covering page such as an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or JURAT with an official seal of the Philippine Embassy/Consulate.
- The Philippine Consulate only notarizes the document and assumes no liability of the contents thereof.
- Applicant may use their own form or use a downloadable template by using this link: https://melbournepcg.org/download
REQUIREMENTS for Notary Service
- APPOINTMENT IS REQUIRED (Please see below for Appointment Link)
- PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF THE SIGNATORY OR SIGNATORIES IS MANDATORY FOR NOTARIZATION.
- If personal appearance at the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne is not possible due to a medical condition, hospitalization, or imprisonment, you may request a video witnessing. Please send your request to [email protected]
- Original copy/copies of the document/s to be notarized or legalized and an EXTRA COPY for the Consulate’s record
- Original and Photocopies of valid identification with photograph and signature of the holder (kindly provide photocopies of identification for each document to be notarized)
- Passport, Driver’s License or any other government-issued identification card.
- The identification must bear the name that appears on the document to be acknowledged.
- Two (2) Witnesses – For the documents that require witnesses, you may bring your own two (2) witnesses when necessary
- Self-addressed “Express Post” large (A4) envelope for local/domestic use only, for the return/delivery of your documents. This can be obtained/purchased at any Australia Post Office. Sizes of the envelopes depend on the volume of documents.
Nearest Australian Post Office location: 271 Collins, 271 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 VIC
- Processing Fee: A$45.00 per document
- Acceptable payment by Cash and Debit Card (surcharge applies, please bring physical debit card) only.
- Please bring the physical card, digital wallet or mobile phone payment are not accepted.
- FEE is non-refundable.
Q: HOW MANY ORIGINAL COPIES DO YOU NEED?
Kindly clarify the required number of ORIGINAL COPIES with the applicant’s recipient in the Philippines before the appointment date.
- A: If you need only one (1) original copy.
Kindly prepare two (2) original copies of the document
Plus two (2) photocopies of the passport or driver’s license;
Fee: AUD45.00 - A: If you need two (2) original copies
Kindly prepare three (3) original copies of the document
Plus three (3) photocopies of the passport or driver’s license;
Fee: AUD90.00
RELEASING OF DOCUMENTS
- Notarized document/s will be sent by mail using the required “Express Post” envelope to an Australian address of the applicant for at least three (3) business days upon receipt of complete requirements.
- The Philippine Consulate assumes no responsibility for any delay, loss or damage in the mail or while the documents are in custody of the courier service.
- Applicants should note the tracking numbers of all envelopes used and submitted before submission of documents
APPOINTMENT AT THE PHILIPPINES CONSULATE GENERAL
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - SPA, RED RIBBON, APOSTILLE

It is not uncommon for us at the Consulate to be asked questions like, “Sa inyo po ba kumukuha ng SPA?” or “Papaano po magpa-red ribbon?” These, of course, refer to the requirement for overseas Filipinos, or anyone, for that matter, to get their important papers consularized, legalized or notarized by the Consulate before sending them to the Philippines.
There remains a steady demand for consularization services, owing to the fact that Filipinos in general, while living or working overseas, or despite having taken up the citizenship of their host countries, never really sever their ties to their motherland – they take care of business, buy or sell property, and support relatives and family members.
So, whether it is to buy a condominium unit, sell a piece of land, or file pleadings in a court case, we often need to execute a written authorization for someone in the Philippines to represent us. This document invariably has to bear the seal of the Consulate, and the signature of a consular officer, (“consularized”), for it to be honored in the Philippines. This “ritual” is indispensable, and the reason is to make the document trustworthy, or to prevent fraud or forgery.
To have a full understanding and appreciation of the concepts and procedures for consularization, we ask our readers to pay attention to the following facts:
SPA is short for special power of attorney. It is a document you need to execute for the purpose of authorizing a representative in the Philippines (called “attorney-in-fact”) to perform a particular act on your behalf, owing to your physical absence. A consularized SPA is necessary – any other format, even if written, would not be acceptable – especially for matters like selling property or receiving amounts of money on your behalf as principal. Banks, government agencies, schools, property vendors, lawyers and courts will only accept a consularized SPA, and not any substitute, because this is the only way they can be assured that the person claiming to be your representative is telling the truth.
A SPA is not the only way a legal transaction in the Philippines can be delegated. A close cousin of the SPA is the GPA, or general power of attorney. A GPA works in a similar way, although is rarely used or prescribed because it is limited to powers of administration, e.g., managing or maintaining property, paying taxes thereon, etc.
The Consulate understands that it is never easy for a layman to write their own SPA because of its legal and technical nature. The usual way is for your lawyer, if you have one, to write it for you. A more convenient and economical way (you don’t need to engage a lawyer!) we recommend is to copy an existing template: Google “Philippine legal forms” and download a sample, then, using your computer, modify and customize it according to your particular need and personal circumstances.
If this too is hard for you, then we can provide you a blank form, though this is rarely recommended because it is not nearly as presentable and credible-looking as a typewritten one, not to mention that writing in long-hand usually sacrifices clarity or precision.
Aside from the very familiar SPA, other private legal documents may still be consularized, if these are to be used or presented in the Philippines. These include affidavits (such as affidavit of loss or affidavit of support and consent), sworn statements, deeds of sale or contracts to sell, deeds of assignment, estate settlement documents, and various other legal documents requiring the signature of a person who is located in our consular jurisdiction.
The Consulate will require you to sign the document in person, in the presence of a consular officer or employee, and subscribe and swear to the contents of the document. If witnesses are required in the document, they too will sign in the presence of Consulate personnel.
The Consulate will then prepare a covering document called “Jurat,” with respect to affidavits and sworn statements, or “Certificate of Acknowledgment,” for SPAs and other documents. This covering document is attached to the consularized document with a rivet, embossed with the Consulate’s seal, and signed by a consular officer.
The finished product is the consularized document released to you. It will be your responsibility now to send this to your attorney-in-fact or representative in the Philippines.
Red ribbon refers to how consularized documents were traditionally bound or fastened, to ensure that no page is left out of or added or inserted in the pile of sheets. A narrow red ribbon was inserted in the rivet, looped from front to back and around, then then glued to the first page with a gold adhesive foil embossed with the Consulate’s dry seal.
The practice of binding with ribbon has been discontinued. Consularized documents now have the same look, fastened with a rivet, and only bear the gold seal and the name and signature of the consular officer.
Public documents issued in Australia, for use in the Philippines, are no longer allowed to be consularized. Instead, they are presented for “apostillization,” the process required under the Apostille Convention.
The Apostille Convention is an international agreement which seeks to eliminate the need among member countries to consularize public documents as a means to facilitate international business and other transactions. The Convention entered into force in Australia on January 13, 1968, while in the Philippines, it became effective on May 14, 2019. The apostille process merely requires the applicants in Australia to present the document to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or an authorized Australian Passport Office for the issuance of an apostille certificate, without need to submit the same to the Philippine Consulate.
Public documents include birth, marriage and death certificates, land titles, certified school records, government certifications and licenses and other documents issued by local, state and federal government agencies.
For more information on apostille service, visit DFAT – Apostilles, authentications and Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage
Strictly speaking, no, because these are not covered by the Apostille Convention. However, private documents which have been notarized by a Notary Public become public documents, and thus may be apostillized.
The apostille option, therefore, is available to certain clients who live far from the Consulate and find it more convenient to bring their documents to a Notary Public and send them DFAT or an authorized Australian Passport Office for apostillization, rather than visit the Consulate.
In view of the Consulate’s inadequate staffing and limited space in its present office, consularization or legalization of documents is done strictly by appointment only. Applicants are required to book an appointment by sending an email to [email protected].
Applicants executing documents are required to do this in person.
Only in exceptional cases where the applicant cannot travel to the Consulate due to serious illness or disability may a special arrangement be made, at the discretion of the Consul General or a consular officer.
Aside from personal appearance by the applicant, the following are required:
- Original and photocopy of the document/s to be acknowledged.
- Original and photocopy of valid identification with photograph and signature of the holder (e.g. passport, driver’s license or any other government-issued identification card). The identification must bear the name that appears on the document to be acknowledged.
- A non-refundable cash payment of A$45.00.
- Registered envelope, person to person (blue sticker) or Express Post envelope, signature on delivery (because at the moment, documents cannot be done while-you-wait).
These requirements and procedures are subject to changes, as the Consulate settles into its permanent office and upscales its operations with the arrival of more personnel.
You can expect the mailed document to reach you within 3-5 working days from the date of application.