Legalising a document using an Apostille
The Finnish authorities may ask you to legalise a foreign document. This should be done in the country where the document was issued.
If the country in question has signed the Hague Convention of 1961, the document can be legalised using an Apostille. For more information about Apostille certificates and the authorities that issue them, visit the Hague Conventions website(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window).
Australia is a party to the Hague Convention.(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Apostille in Australia
The documents and certificates that have been issued in Australia and are intended for use in Finland must be legalised by Apostille authentication. The Australian authority is in charge of legalising the document. During the legalisation process, the Apostille is attached to the document.
For all documents issued by an Australian government agency, such as birth, marriage, divorce, death, citizenship certificates, the Apostille authentication is always carried out by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at their passport offices. The contact details of the issuing authorities are available on their smartraveller website(Link to another website.).
A certificate issued by a notary public or Justice of Peace is not an Apostille authentication. Finnish missions do not have authority to issue Apostille authentication.
An Apostille certificate for a Finnish document can be obtained in Finland from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency(Link to another website.).