NOTICE on the Application of the Apostille in Place of Consular Legalisation as from 11 September 2026

1. Viet Nam has acceded to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention). The Convention enters into force for Viet Nam on 11 September 2026. From that date, public documents executed in one Contracting Party and produced for use in the other require only a single certificate, the Apostille, in place of the previous consular legalisation procedure, in relations between Viet Nam and the Contracting Parties for which the Convention is in force with Viet Nam.

Accordingly, from 11 September 2026, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Australia will cease accepting applications for consular legalization for Australian public documents that have already been affixed with an Apostille certificate by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

2. For Australian documents that have been affixed with an Apostille certificate but are not written in Vietnamese, a Vietnamese translation must be provided, duly notarized or certified in accordance with Vietnamese law. The Embassy accepts requests for certification of copies and certification of Vietnamese translations upon request.

Required documents include:

• Application form (attached);
• Scanned or photographed copy of the Australian document already affixed with an Apostille certificate.

Processing time depends on the number of documents and the complexity of the content. For simple documents, processing time ranges from 1–3 working days.

3. Cases in which the Embassy will continue to perform consular legalization:

• Australian documents that do not fall within the scope of the Apostille Convention and therefore cannot be issued an Apostille certificate by the competent Australian authority, but are instead certified under the traditional authentication procedure (documents bearing an authentication stamp as shown below);
• Application dossier includes:
  • Cover letter (download here);;
  • Copy of identity document (passport or driver licence);
  • One self-addressed return envelope (express or registered) if the application is submitted by post and the applicant requests return by post.
• Processing time: 1–2 working days. Fees may be paid in AUD by cash, Money Order, or Bank Cheque payable to “The Embassy of Viet Nam”.
• Documents that have already been authenticated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (State Office in each state).
• In cases where the specimen seal, signature, or title of the foreign competent authority has not been officially notified or requires verification, the Embassy will request confirmation from the relevant foreign authority. Upon receipt of verification, the Embassy will process the application and return the result to the applicant.
• Documents which was already authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (DFAT) (or at Australian Passport Office in each state). Please visit this link if you don't know how and where to do.

* For further information, please contact the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Australia

Office address: 47 Culgoa Cct, O'Malley, ACT 2606, Australia

Postal Address: PO BOX 98, Mawson ACT 2607, Australia.