They dont need to be certified. Only passports and birth certificates do. And then your own statements of your history need to be witnessed by someone with a profession like doctor, solicitor. Etc
I think you consult with any solicitor in your state that will help you in certifying the document and also guide you that what document you need and all other procedure according to your state laws.
You don't have to find a solicitor (they will most likely charge for their time), it just needs to be a person with the right profession, including a justice of the peace.
Have a look at the last page of this form: http://www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Documents/CommonwealthStatutorydeclarationform.doc for a list of people authorised to witness a stat dec OR a certified copy of a document such as passport or birth certificate.
That is the exact same form we used to write our stat decs too, so there's a template there to help you if you need it.
I had my documents certified by a pharmacist in the shopping centre I work at. It only takes a minute and he just charged me a dollar each time I went in. I didn't certify the things that I printed off my computer like bank statements because I couldn't see any point. I don't have my visa yet though so I can't guarantee this is the right thing.
That's exactly what we did and our pharmacist charged a couple of bucks each time too. No need to certify things you have printed (PDF's of bank statements, utility bills etc) We submitted simple print outs of them and the visa was granted without any questions asked.
My agent got me to certify anything that had been prepared by someone else ie. bank statements, phone bills. Ones that are in PDF you just print 2 copies so that they can see that they are the same and then the JP will certify one of them.
Here's a list of what we got certified for my partner's 820/801 application:
Applicant:
Passport bio page
Birth certificate (foreign language)
Birth certificate (translated to English & certified by NAATI translator)
Government ID card (foreign language)
Government ID card (translated to English & certified by NAATI translator)
Statement about our relationship (witnessed & signed)
Sponsor:
Passport bio page
Birth certificate
Drivers license
Statement about our relationship (witnessed & signed)
Other:
Marriage certificate
Joint rental lease
3x Form 888 (witnessed & signed)
3x Passport bio pages of witnesses
The following we did not certify and just provided printouts/copies:
Electricity bills
Gas bills
Phone bills & records
Letter of employment confirmation for sponsor (submitted original)
Bank statements
We also submitted:
Photos (with dates/notes on the back of each one)
Original greeting cards to/from each other (birthday/valentines day etc)
A couple of screenshots from Skype & Facebook
I certified everything that I didn't print off my computer myself. If I had to photocopy something I had it certified (birth announcements, Christmas and Birthday cards, etc.). If having something certified would mean just printing two copies and having one certified I didn't bother.
A forum community dedicated to Australian migrants and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about residency, taxes, documents, visas, travel, health care, finances, banking, classifieds, and more!