Common reasons you need documents for Australia
Skilled migration and employer-sponsored visas, partner and family visas, student visas, working holiday applications, marriage, and professional registration.
Documents and who authenticates them
An FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille is the usual requirement, since Australia asks for a police certificate from each country where you have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years. Birth and marriage certificates are apostilled by the issuing state.
Step by step from Oregon
- Get fingerprinted for your FBI Identity History Summary, which is the U.S. police certificate Home Affairs accepts.
- Send the FBI results to the U.S. Department of State for the federal apostille.
- Apostille any birth, marriage, or divorce certificates through the state that issued them.
- Upload or lodge the documents with your visa application as ImmiAccount directs.
- Keep the originals, since some professional bodies ask to see them.
Translation
No translation is needed for Australia, since English is the official language. If you have foreign-language documents to include in an Australian application, they generally need an English translation, which we can prepare.
Good to know
- Australian visa police certificates commonly have to be recent, and character requirements are assessed at the time of decision, so check the timing before you order an FBI check.
- Australia is a Hague member, so consular legalization at an Australian consulate is not required and should not be requested.
Moving to Australia: which route, and what it needs
Requirements differ by route and change without notice, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the consulate or your immigration attorney.
- Work and employment. A job offer usually drives the paperwork. Employers and immigration offices commonly ask for a criminal background check, degrees, and sometimes birth or marriage records, all authenticated.
- Business, investor, and self-employment. Company formation, investor permits, and self-employment routes typically need authenticated corporate documents, powers of attorney so someone can act for you locally, and a background check.
- Remote work and digital nomad routes. Where a remote-work route exists, applications usually require proof of foreign income, health insurance, and an authenticated background check. Confirm whether the route is currently open before you build a document pack around it.
- Retirement and passive income. The non-lucrative visa is the usual retirement route. Spanish consulates commonly require the FBI check to be issued within the last 3 months and translated by a sworn translator.
- Family, marriage, and children. Marriage abroad, family reunification, and registering a child usually need apostilled birth and marriage certificates, and sometimes a single-status or no-impediment document.
- Study. Universities and student permits typically ask for apostilled diplomas and transcripts, and a background check for longer programs.
Document timeline
These are our turnaround times for the steps we handle. Government processing and consulate appointments are set by those offices.
- Fingerprinting and FBI background check — Submitted within 30 minutes of
your appointment
We capture your prints and submit the request through our channeler partners. The FBI controls how quickly results come back. - Notarization, if your documents need it — Same day
Powers of attorney, affidavits, and copies that need a notary before authentication are handled at your appointment, in our office or at your location. - Apostille or authentication courier service — 10 to 15 business
days
We prepare and courier the request to the right office: the U.S. Department of State for FBI results, or a state Secretary of State for state-issued documents. - Certified translation — 2 to 3 business days
Ordered after the apostille when the receiving country wants the apostille page translated too. Some countries require their own sworn translator, and we tell you when that applies. - Your consulate appointment — Set by the consulate
Book early. Appointment backlogs, not document preparation, are usually what delays a move.
Finding the Spain consulate that covers Oregon
Each Spain consulate in the United States covers specific states, and you generally have to file with the one that covers Oregon. Check the consulate's own website for its jurisdiction, appointment system, and current document checklist, because those differ by post and change without notice.
The U.S. State Department publishes the official directory of foreign consular offices in the United States, which is the reliable place to find current addresses and contact details rather than a third-party list.
U.S. State Department: Foreign Consular Offices in the United States
We don't book consulate appointments or file applications. We prepare, notarize, translate, and courier the documents you take to that appointment.
How we help with your move to Spain
One team handles the document chain, so you make one call instead of coordinating four businesses against one deadline.
- Fingerprinting and FBI background checks
Captured at our Beaverton office or at your location, submitted within 30 minutes. $135, or $350 with the federal apostille package.
- Notary and witnesses
Powers of attorney, affidavits, and consent letters notarized before they go for authentication. $10 per signature at our office.
- Apostille courier service
Prepared and couriered to the Oregon Secretary of State, another state, or the U.S. Department of State. $125 to $195 per Oregon document.
- Certified translation
$65 per document, $75 with a notarized certificate, in 2 to 3 business days. We tell you when the destination requires its own sworn translator instead.
- Passport photos and shipping
Photos sized for the country you're applying to, and tracked international shipping for the finished documents.
We are notaries and a private document facilitator, not attorneys or immigration consultants. We can't choose a visa route, complete application forms, or advise on eligibility. For that, talk to an immigration attorney or the consulate.
Our prices for documents going to Australia
- FBI background check with apostille courier service (package)Best value: your FBI background check fingerprinting and federal authentication together.$350
- Federal authentication courier service (FBI apostille)For FBI background check results going to another country. The apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State.$225
- Expedited federal authentication courier serviceAdd-on for the FBI apostille or the package.Add $140
- Oregon apostille courier serviceNotary fee is separate. Documents not in English need a certified translation before we can notarize them.$125–$195per document
Our fees are for our document authentication facilitator and courier service. See all prices.
Questions about documents for Australia
Does Australia accept apostilles?
Yes, since March 16, 1995. U.S. documents take an apostille rather than consular legalization.
What does Australia want for the character requirement?
A police certificate from each country where you have lived 12 months or more in the past 10 years. For the United States that is the FBI Identity History Summary, usually apostilled.
Do I need a translation?
Not for English documents. Foreign-language documents included in an Australian application generally need an English translation, which we can prepare.
Related country guides
Where we serve Australia clients
Documents for Australia are handled at our Beaverton office or by mobile appointment across the Portland metro area.
Last updated 2026-09-10. Requirements change, so confirm with the office receiving your documents.