Getting certified copies of your documents

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the professional associations require you to provide certified copies of documents with your application for the Professional Year Program.

A certified document means that an authorised person has viewed the original document and ‘certifies’ that the photocopied version is a genuine copy of the original.

What you need to have certified

To apply for your Professional Year, you will need to provide certified copies of the following documents:

• academic transcript
• English language proficiency
• current visa status
• photo page of your passport
• a valid skills assessment from the relevant professional body

Who is authorised to certify your documents

An authorised person must be either an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident and one of the following:

• A registered migration agent
• A person who is enrolled on the roll of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory, or the High Court of Australia, as a legal practitioner (however described)
• A judge of a court
• A magistrate
• A chief executive officer of a Commonwealth court
• A registrar or deputy registrar of a court
• A Justice of the Peace
• A notary public (for the purposes of the Statutory Declaration Regulations 1993)
• A police officer
• An agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the public
• A permanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 2 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office supplying postal services to the public
• An Australian consular officer or an Australian diplomatic officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955)
• An officer with 2 years or more continuous service with one or more financial institutions (for the purposes of the Statutory Declaration Regulations 1993)
• A finance company officer with 2 or more continuous years of service with one or more finance companies (for the purposes of the Statutory Declarations Regulations 1993)
• An officer with, or authorised representative of, a holder of an Australian financial services licence, having 2 or more continuous years of service with one or more licensees
• A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, CPA Australia or the National Institute of Accountants with 2 or more years of continuous membership