Australia (AU)

Authority: For general overseas qualification comparisons not related to regulated professions or migration: each Australian state and territory has an Overseas Qualifications Unit (OQU) that provides written assessments of overseas qualifications for employment purposes. The Department of Education (education.gov.au) provides national policy guidance. Many Australian universities also assess overseas qualifications directly for admission purposes. Note: NOOSR (National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition) was absorbed and no longer operates as a separate entity — refer to your state OQU or VETASSESS instead.

Process: For migration purposes: the relevant skills assessing body (AHPRA, Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, TRA, etc.) conducts the academic and professional assessment as part of the skills assessment — no separate academic step is needed. For employment in unregulated fields: most Australian employers assess overseas qualifications informally. Use the AQF framework to describe your qualification level equivalency (e.g. "equivalent to AQF Bachelor degree level"). For academic entry: apply directly to the university — they will assess your qualifications for admission. For a formal written equivalency statement for employment: contact your state Overseas Qualifications Unit or VETASSESS.

Equivalency service: State and territory Overseas Qualifications Units (OQUs) provide written assessments of overseas qualifications for employment and academic purposes — contact your state government employment or education department for the current OQU contact. VETASSESS (vetassess.com.au) also provides qualification assessment services for a wide range of professional and trade occupations. For skills migration, use the relevant assessing authority for your occupation.

Apostille: Australia is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention. Documents from Hague Convention countries require an apostille from the issuing country's competent authority. This replaces full legalisation for most purposes. Obtain the apostille from the relevant authority in the country where the document was issued (e.g. DFAT equivalent, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or state authority).

Legalisation: For documents from countries not party to the Hague Convention, full legalisation through the country's government and then the Australian embassy in that country is required. This process is slower and more expensive than apostille.

Sworn translation: All documents not in English must be translated by a NAATI-certified translator (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters — naati.com.au). NAATI certification is specific to Australia and is different from overseas translation certifications. Find a certified translator at naati.com.au/find-a-practitioner.