New Zealand becomes the first country in Asia Pacific to offer an electronic document verification service that offers travellers access to officially-verified documents at designated countries. This project delivers faster processing time, while meeting deadlines to handle document requests.

These documents, now available using secure email between overseas posts and participating agencies, include marriage certificates, lawyers’ letters, import certificates or travel documents.

Kiwis travelling overseas can access documents through a new e-Apostille service. This service is designed to cut red tape and delays using snail mail or couriers.

New Zealand is now one of four countries to issue e-Apostilles. It is the only Asia Pacific country to offer this service, according to New Zealand’s minister for internal affairs, Chris Tremain.

He says this initiative could make the difference between meeting a very important deadline or not.

"The e-Apostille can be emailed overseas, saving time and money and allowing customers to meet tight deadlines," says minister Tremain.

"It has more security features than a paper Apostille. So it helps to ensure New Zealand-issued documents are not used fraudulently overseas."

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is managing this service through the Authentication Unit - a division that processes hundreds of government-issued certificates.

An e-Apostille is an electronic version of an Apostille paper certificate that is routinely issued by DIA’s Authentication Unit. Previously, Apostilles were transmitted only by mail or courier.

Government certificates encompass different types of New Zealand-issued documents to verify them for use in more than 100 countries.

These countries are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention, including the UK, Australia and USA.