Attesting New Zealand Documents (FAQs)

Yes - New Zealand is a member of the Apostille Convention.

New Zealand documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When New Zealand documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in New Zealand, see:
New Zealand Apostille Services

Official documents that can be legalized in New Zealand with an Apostille stamp include birth, death, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, criminal record and police certificates, company registration and tax documents, court documents, university and academic diplomas, certificates signed by registered doctors etc., documents issued by government authorities. Other documents may require prior certification by a notary or other authority.

Documents required for submission to countries which have not acceded to the Apostille Convention will require additional attestation by the embassy of the recipient country.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in New Zealand, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our New Zealand apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of New Zealand documents, see:
New Zealand Apostille Services

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public New Zealand document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a New Zealand birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in New Zealand certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in New Zealand and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because New Zealand is a member of the Apostille Convention, New Zealand documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a New Zealand document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by New Zealand authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in New Zealand or non-resident embassy accredited to New Zealand).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in New Zealand including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

New Zealand Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of New Zealand documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• New Zealand Criminal Conviction History with Apostille (PDF)
• New Zealand Marriage Certificate with Apostille Stamp (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Original certificates must be presented to the Authentication Unit in order to receive an Apostille. Isarey can order new certificates on your behalf directly from the New Zealand Government and obtain an Apostille.
See: New Zealand birth, death and marriage certificates

Certificates can also be ordered online (allow 1 -2 weeks for processing) and then submitted for apostille certification:
Order a New Zealand marriage certificate
Order a New Zealand birth certificate
Order a New Zealand death certificate

If you Apply for your New Zealand criminal record check online, you’ll receive your results in a PDF sent by email. The Authentication Unit will accept the PDF if it has the Ministry of Justice’s blue letterhead, so there is no need to present a paper original unless specifically requested by the recipient authority.

Apply for your New Zealand criminal record check online
A PDF certificate will be issued in around 3 working days and sent to you by email. You will need to upload valid identification (e.g. a New Zealand or overseas passport).
FAQs: FAQs - New Zealand criminal history checks

To certify your New Zealand school records for use abroad, they must first be notarized by a New Zealand Notary Public (do not get them certified by a solicitor). After notarization, they can be submitted to the Authentication Unit for apostille certification.