Overview of services provided by the Embassy

Consular Services

Consular staff can assist Australians overseas in accordance with the Australian Consular Service Charter.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre and you can always contact a consular officer if you are in urgent need of assistance.

Smartraveller

Smartraveller has the latest, authoritative travel advice so you can be informed and prepared about overseas travel. Subscribe to receive travel advice updates - by simply supplying your name and email address – straight to your inbox.

In a crisis, Smartraveller will activate a crisis page on its website. It will make it easier for you or someone you know to contact the Australian Government if you need help. It will supplement the consular emergency hotline.

Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au to subscribe or connect with Smartraveller on Facebook and Twitter.

If you need immediate assistance, please call us on +49 30 88 00 88 0. After hours, your phone call will be directed to the 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre. 

What help we may provide

Each case is unique and our assistance will depend on the circumstances and availability of consular resources. We may be able to:

• issue replacement passports and travel documents for a fee
• provide details of local doctors and hospitals, including mental health support if available in your location
• provide advice and support if you’re the victim of a serious assault, or other crime, or you’re arrested, including details of local lawyers and interpreters
• visit or contact you to check on your welfare if you’re arrested or detained, and do what we can to ensure you’re treated the same as others detained under the laws of the country in which you’re arrested
• provide advice and support in a range of other cases including the death of relatives overseas, missing persons and kidnappings
• if you agree, contact friends or family on your behalf. In some circumstances we may need to contact your friends or family where we’ve been unable to get your consent
• make special arrangements in cases of international terrorism, civil disturbances and natural disasters (fees may apply)
• provide some notarial services, including witnessing and authenticating documents and administering oaths and affirmations (fees apply)
• in some locations, provide voting services for Australian federal and some state elections

What we can’t do

Some tasks are outside the consular role. For example, we can’t:

• guarantee your safety and security in another country or make your travel arrangements
• give you legal advice, interpret or translate documents
• intervene in another country’s court proceedings or legal matters including employment disputes, commercial disputes, criminal cases, and family law matters or child custody disputes
• investigate crimes or deaths overseas, or carry out searches for missing people, which are the responsibility of local authorities
• get you out of prison or prevent you from being deported
• get you better treatment in prison than local prisoners
• post bail or pay your fines or legal expenses
• enforce an Australian or any other custody agreement overseas or compel a country to decide a custody case
• pay for medical or psychiatric services or medications
• pay your pension or social security benefits
• arrange visas, licences, work or residency permits for other countries
• intervene in immigration, customs or quarantine matters in other countries
• store luggage or other personal items
• receive or send postal items on your behalf
   

How did we do?

We welcome your comments on our services. Both positive and negative feedback helps us to identify areas that need improvement or where changes would make sense. Sharing your experiences may also help other Australians to avoid difficulties overseas and understand what level of assistance we can provide.

You can comment on our services by:

• using our online contact form
• writing to us at
  First Assistant Secretary
  Consular and Crisis Management Division
  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  RG Casey Building
  John McEwen Crescent
  BARTON ACT 0221

If you aren’t satisfied with our response, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Office in Australia.

Notarial Services

The range of, and requirements for, notarial services are varied.  It is the client’s responsibility to know which service he/she requires. 
DFAT does not provide legal advice and the onus is on the client to present documents in the correct form and provide the correct instructions for witnessing any signatures on the documents.

The Embassy is staffed with consular and diplomatic officers, who are authorised to perform notarial services under the following legislative guidelines:
Consular Fees Act 1955
Oaths Act 1900
Statutory Declaration Act 1959 (approved witness list from Australian Attorney General's Department)

This is the list of notarial services and acts that can be performed at the Australian Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate-General in Frankfurt. A more detailed description of what these entail are on our dedicated Notarial page.

• Witnessing and taking of affidavits, oaths or affirmations.
• Witnessing Commonwealth and State statutory declarations
• Witnessing applications forms for, and issuing of, Certificates of No Impediment (CNI)
• Witnessing notices of intended marriage
• Performing legalisation of signatures and/or seals through either an authentication or an apostille
• Certifying true copies of documents or photographs
• Witnessing the signing of Australian forms (where permitted by Australian laws)
• Performing legalisation of signatures and/or seals through either an authentication or an apostillle
• Assisting with Land Transfer, property sales and mortgage documents