Temporary changes have been made to allow for some documents to be witnessed remotely to maintain physical distancing to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
You can now witness the following documents remotely:
- affidavits
- deeds and mortgages
- statutory declarations
- powers of attorney documents
- wills, codicils and other testamentary instruments.
The new regulations do not override existing ways to witness documents. Where it is safe to do so, you may continue to use these existing ways of witnessing documents.
The temporary changes are part of the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 (the Act) and the related COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations).
The changes are in place until the Act is revoked. Documents validly executed in accordance with the Act or the Regulations will remain valid when the Act is revoked.
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