Usually, when applying for jobs overseas you need to prove the qualifications that you have. As part of this process I will verify them for you. If you have access to HEAR, Gradinteligence or similar it is fast and free. If not, we need to contact the university and they normally charge between £10 and £50. Some will have a set verification process and we have to use an external verification firm such as HEDD or Qualification Check, others use their own system, some have a combination. No matter which way we verify, you will need to sign a consent form to allow me to access the information. Verification can be instant or take weeks and this depends on the university and the time of year. How your degrees are notarised also depends on where you are moving to. Qatar need three, separately notarised documents (your degree, transcript and a very specific letter), Spain have recently asked for notarisation directly on the certificate and AHPRA want only a stamp on a (verified) certified copy.
Proof of identity is often required for AHPRA or CGFNS registrations, each has a slightly different presentation methods, however both require you to attend in person so that I can confirm you look like the identification document you hold (normally a passport). Quite often we have candidates that have changed their name between graduation and application. Often, a marriage certificate can be presented or a change of name deed and both will be accepted. Sometimes an error or a middle name has been missed from your degree certificate or similar document. We can often combat this by taking and recording a declaration from you that you are one and the same person.
Nomad visas are most typically (in my experience) sought for Spain. Clients may have set up a company and they require their Company documents to be notarised. This is fine, but I do recommend that you contact the embassy to see if they want your apostille attached directly to a document issued by Companies House.
Not everyone moves abroad to work, some wish to study. Sometimes we need to notarise GCSE and A Level certificates. These can normally be verified with the secondary school you attended by email. Sometimes the student will need to sign a POA allowing someone to apply to the prospective university on their behalf, which is most often seen for medical schools in Bulgaria. Again, the signatory – usually the student, but if under 18, it has to be their parent or guardian, needs to appear in person to be identified and have their signature witnessed by the notary.
Others choose to retire overseas, when this happens degrees are not normally needed, but they may need medical records or insurance papers.
Notarisation is quite often part of the process, but not always. Spain often does not want to see notarised documents and want their apostilles attached directly to the originals documents wherever possible.
Legalisation is often a requirement too. As we have seen in other articles in this knowledgebase, this depends on the destination. Countries that are member of the Hague Apostille Convention (Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents) allows countries that have signed up to use an apostille as international verification of the document (a verifiable signature and/or seal). Those that haven’t may need consular legalisation such as Vietnam or UAE. Commonwealth countries such as Australia or Canada typically don’t need legalisation.
You need to check with the new employer, school or visa support service provider for what you need. Every application is as different as the country that you are moving to, so it is always best to check exactly what you need.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.