Recently I was required to give Power of Attorney to my parents in India. After my research, I still ended up wasting 200$ but still got through the procedure. I am defining the process below for anyone that wants the Power of Attorney (POA) done in Australia and send it to India.
In my case, my parents sent me the POA from India. In other blog, I had read that POA can be printed on A4 paper and no Bond paper is needed. You can get the format and content of POA from either a lawyer in India or from a website. My lawyer in India though did not agree on No-Bond-Paper saying that sometimes it does not work in India.
For Indian nationals holding Indian Passport,
1) Get each page of POA + copy of passport signed by Justice of Peace. This is free and you can generally find a JP in your locality council or simply google it.
Find JP
2) Submit the signed papers to VFS center with passport size photo, JP signed passport copy, document checklist and miscellaneous form that you will get from the VFS website. You can find the documents here under 'Checklist and Application Forms' tab. I was charged 46$ by VFS. Also, there are instant photo booths available here.
VFS Global center in Sydney - Level 8, 189 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (It is walkable distance from Wynyard station).
They will also collect your passport and all the documents will be returned in 5 working days. You can collect it personally or choose to courier them to you with some extra cost.
For Indians holding Australian Passport,
1) Get public notary on each page of POA. You will be needed to sign the papers in front of him. I was charged 110$ for notarization. It may differ for different lawyers and depending on number of pages.
Find nearby public notary service here
2) Get a copy of passport signed by JP. (Details in step 1 above for Indian nationals). Also in case of urgency or convenience, there is RED SEAL NOTARY that provides public notary service in the next building. You can check their fees on their website.
3) Get Apostille from DFAT (Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade). If you reach early, you can get the documents back the same day. For multiple pages, I was charged $80 with binding. You need to fill a form there from the counter and submit the document with the form and payment.
In Sydney, DFAT is next to Central Station. Sydney address - Level 7, 26 Lee St, Sydney 2000
If going by train, exit towards the Railway Square and it is just next to the exit.
4) If you get the documents quickly from DFAT, you can submit the documents to VFS the same day. (Details in step 2 above for Indian nationals)
I referred to this blog during my process which was very helpful http://sydneyindian.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/indian-general-power-of-attorney-from.html
While referring to the blog, I did not realize it was different for Indians with Indian passport and Australian passport. Also, refer to relevant websites to check on any updated process and forms to download.
In my case, my parents sent me the POA from India. In other blog, I had read that POA can be printed on A4 paper and no Bond paper is needed. You can get the format and content of POA from either a lawyer in India or from a website. My lawyer in India though did not agree on No-Bond-Paper saying that sometimes it does not work in India.
For Indian nationals holding Indian Passport,
1) Get each page of POA + copy of passport signed by Justice of Peace. This is free and you can generally find a JP in your locality council or simply google it.
Find JP
2) Submit the signed papers to VFS center with passport size photo, JP signed passport copy, document checklist and miscellaneous form that you will get from the VFS website. You can find the documents here under 'Checklist and Application Forms' tab. I was charged 46$ by VFS. Also, there are instant photo booths available here.
VFS Global center in Sydney - Level 8, 189 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (It is walkable distance from Wynyard station).
They will also collect your passport and all the documents will be returned in 5 working days. You can collect it personally or choose to courier them to you with some extra cost.
For Indians holding Australian Passport,
1) Get public notary on each page of POA. You will be needed to sign the papers in front of him. I was charged 110$ for notarization. It may differ for different lawyers and depending on number of pages.
Find nearby public notary service here
2) Get a copy of passport signed by JP. (Details in step 1 above for Indian nationals). Also in case of urgency or convenience, there is RED SEAL NOTARY that provides public notary service in the next building. You can check their fees on their website.
3) Get Apostille from DFAT (Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade). If you reach early, you can get the documents back the same day. For multiple pages, I was charged $80 with binding. You need to fill a form there from the counter and submit the document with the form and payment.
In Sydney, DFAT is next to Central Station. Sydney address - Level 7, 26 Lee St, Sydney 2000
If going by train, exit towards the Railway Square and it is just next to the exit.
4) If you get the documents quickly from DFAT, you can submit the documents to VFS the same day. (Details in step 2 above for Indian nationals)
I referred to this blog during my process which was very helpful http://sydneyindian.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/indian-general-power-of-attorney-from.html
While referring to the blog, I did not realize it was different for Indians with Indian passport and Australian passport. Also, refer to relevant websites to check on any updated process and forms to download.
