Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
… Processing Times For Apostille Services Performed By The Australian Passport Office / Document Legalisation Services. I Request The Following Information, For The Period 1 January 2024 To The…
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… Processing Times For Apostille Services Performed By The Australian Passport Office / Document Legalisation Services. I Request The Following Information, For The Period 1 January 2024 To The Present: Documents Or Internal Reports Containing Average Turnaround Times For Apostille Applications Submitted By The General Public Via: Postal Lodgement In-Person Appointment Lodgement Any Other Relevant Lodgement Pathway Documents Or Internal Reports Containing Average Turnaround Times For Apostille Applications Submitted By: Registered Agents Businesses Notaries Commercial Apostille/drop-Off Services Any Internal DFAT Documents, Briefings, Emails, Process Guidelines, Or Memos That Explain Differences (if Any) In Processing Times Between: Postal Lodgements From The Public Walk-In/appointment Lodgements Lodgements Made By Commercial Agents Or Businesses Any Documents Describing Triaging Or Prioritisation Procedures Used For Apostille Requests (for Example, Urgent Requests, Agent-Delivered Requests, Or Bulk Lodgements). I Am Not Seeking Any Personal Information About Other Applicants. If Such Information Appears In Documents Within Scope, I Am Happy For It To Be Redacted.
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DFAT released Senate Estimates supporting briefs and internal service delivery documentation regarding apostille and document legalisation processing times from January 2024 onwards. The records show operational restructuring of notarial services, including centralization of mail-in processing to Melbourne (September 2023) and Sydney/Melbourne (May 2024), which initially caused delays but subsequently improved turnaround times from four weeks to three days by April 2024. The disclosure documents a trial drop-off service for public notaries in Sydney (May 2024) to reduce appointment pressure, with planned rollout to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth by end-2024. Extended counter service for single-document authentication began in Melbourne in January 2024. The records indicate DFAT was conducting an operational review of notarial service delivery (to be completed mid-2025) and receiving industry feedback about service centralization impacts. Significant portions were redacted under section 22
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