From September 11, many documents from Australia used in Vietnam will no longer require consular legalization

Visa Australia

From September 11, 2026, using many types of public documents from Australia in Vietnam will be simpler thanks to the Apostille mechanism. Previously, Australian documents that wanted to be used in Vietnam often had to go through additional procedures. Consular legalization procedures. From September 11, 2026, if the document falls within the scope of the Apostille Convention, you only need to apply for an Apostille in Australia and do not need to continue legalizing it at the Vietnamese Embassy.

What is an Apostille?

Simply put, an Apostille is a certification that helps Australian public documents be used in Vietnam, within the scope of application of the Convention. The process can be understood simply: Australian documents → Apply for Apostille in Australia → Use in Vietnam

Do Australian documents that already have an Apostille need to be brought to the Vietnamese Embassy for legalization?

No, if the document is covered by the Apostille Convention. According to the announcement of the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, from September 11, 2026, the Embassy will not accept consular legalization applications for Australian public documents that have been Apostilleed by DFAT.

Do documents in English need to be translated into Vietnamese?

There may be. An Apostille is just a certificate of the origin of a document. It does not mean that English documents are immune to Vietnamese. If your documents are in English and the agency in Vietnam requires a Vietnamese version, you still need to do: Australian documents + Apostille → Translate into Vietnamese → Notarized/authenticated according to regulations → Submit documents in Vietnam Male. According to the instructions of the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, for Australian documents that have an Apostille but are not in Vietnamese, a notarized or authenticated Vietnamese translation is required in accordance with Vietnamese law.

What types of documents may be involved?

Depending on each case, Australian public documents can be used for many different purposes in Vietnam, for example:

Civil status documents;
Birth certificate;
Marriage registration marriage;
Degrees, certificates;
Personal profile;
Some administrative documents;
Documents serving study, work or civil procedures.

However, not all Australian documents are automatically apostilled. You need to check whether your document is covered by the Apostille Convention.

Do all Australian documents use Apostille?

No. This is a very misleading point. Some documents that are not covered by the Apostille Convention may still be subject to traditional consular legalization and authentication processes.

What if the documents have been verified by DFAT?

If the document has been confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia according to the Authentication process, the document may be subject to continued consular legalization procedures at the Vietnamese Embassy.

According to the Embassy’s instructions, the application may need:

Declaration for consular legalization;
Copy of passport or driver’s license;
Return envelope if sending documents by post and want to receive results by post;
Other related documents depending on the case.

Reported processing time is approximately 1–2 working days under normal circumstances.

What if the Embassy needs to verify documents?

In some cases, the Vietnamese Embassy may need to additionally check the signature, seal or title of the agency that issued/confirmed the documents. If verification with Australian authorities is required, processing times may be longer. Therefore, it should not be assumed that all cases will be resolved within the same time period.