International transactions often depend on documents crossing borders. A graduate may need a qualification recognised overseas, a company may need evidence of incorporation, or a family may need civil records for an immigration application. Traditionally, authenticating these documents involved paper certificates, physical delivery and additional administration. Electronic apostilles offer a different approach: an official authentication…

Australian businesses expanding overseas are often asked to provide evidence of their registration, directors or corporate structure. Documents issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) can help establish these details. However, an overseas bank, regulator or business partner may require more than an ordinary download. Depending on the transaction, ASIC documents may need…

A person living outside India may need someone in India to manage property, operate a bank account, conduct litigation, administer an estate or deal with government authorities on their behalf. This can usually be done through a power of attorney executed in the country where the person is living. The document must be drafted for…

Differences between a person’s name across passports, identity documents and Chinese records can create significant administrative problems. A Chinese bank, court, company registry, property authority or government department may be unable to assume that two differently written names belong to the same individual. A same person declaration—sometimes called a declaration of identity, one and the…

India permits foreign companies to establish locally incorporated subsidiaries, including wholly owned subsidiaries in many industries. An Indian subsidiary is a separate legal entity governed principally by the Companies Act 2013, India’s foreign direct investment rules and the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999. Although incorporation is now largely electronic, foreign ownership introduces additional requirements relating…

The role of the notary public has endured for centuries because individuals, businesses and governments need trusted professionals who can verify identities, witness documents and help prevent fraud. Although the essential purpose of notarisation is unlikely to disappear, the way notarial services are delivered is changing rapidly. Digital documents, electronic signatures, remote communication and artificial…

Notarial work is one of the quieter corners of Australian legal practice, but it has rarely been busier. Migration, offshore study, cross-border investment, overseas property transactions and international estates all generate documents that need to be recognised by a foreign authority — and that recognition almost always begins with an Australian notary public. If you…

How it works, where it’s allowed, and what to watch out for 1. What is online notarisation? Online notarisation—often called Remote Online Notarisation (RON)—is the process by which a notary public performs notarial acts for a client remotely, using secure audio-visual technology rather than in-person attendance. Identity verification, document review, witnessing, and the notarial certificate…

Pennsylvania is one of the U.S. states that has fully authorized Remote Online Notarization (RON), allowing notaries to perform notarial acts using secure, real-time audio-video communication. Originally introduced in 2020 as an emergency measure during the pandemic, RON was made permanent under Act 97 of 2020, which amended the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts…

Remote Online Notarization (RON) lets a commissioned notary and a signer meet over live audio-video to complete a legally valid notarial act on an electronic document. The session is recorded, the signer’s identity is verified with specific digital checks, and the notary applies an electronic signature and seal that make later tampering evident. MBA+1 1)…