Notary Public

Notary services are available from our main office at 23 Lincoln Road, Henderson  between 8.30am - 5pm Monday to Thursday.   Appointments can be made by calling 09 837 6004.

In NZ, a Notary Public is granted the title by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury in England under faculties issued by the Court of Faculties. A Notary Public is an officer duly appointed to:

• Draw, attest or certify under official seal deeds and other documents.
• Note or certify transactions relating to overseas documents.

In practice, this means verifying the identity of signatories, verifying both their mental capacity to sign a document and their official representative capacity, and ensuring that they properly understand the transaction they are participating in. In the NZ legal environment, a Notary Public is often involved in taking affidavits and declarations for use overseas. They will also be called upon to certify, authenticate and witness documents, note or protest bills of exchange or complete a ship’s protests.

Our Notary Public is Fiona Mathieson and her contact details are:

Email:   fmathieson@bmlaw.co.nz 

Phone:   09 837 6004

Mobile:   021 623 692

PLEASE NOTE:    NOTARY APPOINTMENTS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE MONDAY - THURSDAY.

Frequently asked questions:

 What do I need to bring with me?

When you bring documents to be notarised, please ensure you also bring your passport and driver's licence with you.  If you do not have these documents available, or if your passport or driver's licence has expired, please contact us to discuss before your appointment.

How much does it cost?

The minimum fee is NZD $150.00 plus GST payable for the first document and NZD $30 plus GST for each additional document payable at the end of your appointment.   Eftpos and credit card facilities are available and we do not take payment in cash.  We do not have pay wave. The fee may increase depending on the number of documents, their complexity and the time required to consider them.

Apostille and authentication certificates - Why do I have to have my document further stamped after visiting the Notary?

Before certain New Zealand issued documents can be accepted overseas, authentication or apostille may be necessary. The Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington will certify that a Notary Public signature and seal on a document is genuine by checking it against a specimen of the Notary Public’s signature and seal held on file and then the document will be authenticated or apostille certified.

Which certification stamp do I need? An authentication or an apostille?

Apostille certificates are available for use in countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention. Documents going to countries that are not party to the Hague Convention (see list of countries by clicking on the following link - https://www.govt.nz/browse/pas... ) usually need to be authenticated.

The Department of Internal Affairs provides an apostille service and can also authenticate the signature and seal of the approved Government agency or Notary Public on your documents. 

How do I know if I need an apostille certificate?

To check whether you need an apostille, contact the relevant authorities in the country concerned or their New Zealand representatives. The Department of Internal Affairs oversees the issuing of apostille certificates and a list of nations where you will require one for your documents, along with their schedule of fees, can be found on their website here:

http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebs...

What is the authentication process?

In the case of authentication there is a third step depending on whether the specific country comes under Category A (countries that require the signature and seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) or Category B (countries that require the signature of a NZ diplomatic Overseas Mission on an authenticated document). The Department of Internal Affairs sends these documents on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Category A– Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade verifies the signature and seal of the Department of Internal Affairs and returns the documents to you by your stamped self-addressed envelope or pre-paid courier pack.

Then you send the document to the foreign diplomatic overseas mission who verified the signature and seal of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and returns the authenticated documents to you by your stamped self-addressed envelope or pre-paid courier pack. You will need to contact the foreign diplomatic mission and enquire about their fees, arrangement for payment and return of documents.

Category B – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade verifies the signature and seal of the Department of Internal Affairs and forwards the documents to a NZ diplomat overseas mission designated by the foreign country concerned. The NZ diplomat overseas mission verifies Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s signature and seal and forwards the document to the foreign diplomatic overseas mission who verifies the NZ diplomatic overseas mission’s signature and seal and returns the authenticated documents to you by your stamped self-addressed envelope or pre-paid international courier pack. Please note, when sending documents to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for either Category A or B you should allow for additional processing time.

You will need to contact the foreign diplomatic overseas mission and enquire about their fees, arrangement for payment and return of documents.

The Department of Internal Affairs fees, specifically relating to Category A and category B can be found on their website here:

http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebs...

How can I send documents for authentication/apostille?

You can drop off your documents in person.  Visit www.govt.nz/bdm for the address of Department of Internal Affairs public offices in Auckland, Manukau, Wellington, Christchurch, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Documents can also be couriered to the Department of Internal Affairs, Authentication Unit, Level 2, 7 Waterloo Quay, Pipitea, Wellington Central 6011.

How long does the authentication/apostille process usually take?

Generally, up to 7 working days and it can change regularly so please check the DIA authentication website for the exact time frame.

Working days do not include weekends or public holidays. The timeframes above do not include delivery times for certificates.

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