Tech overhaul to allow documents to be witnessed electronically

In an important overhaul, video conferencing technology can now be used in NSW for witnessing legal documents such as statutory declarations, wills and powers of attorney.

This includes the use of platforms and apps such as Zoom, FaceTime and Skype, the NSW Attorney General has announced.

Thousands of legal documents are executed each day, requiring a signature witness to be physically present – a process that had become considerably more difficult under the COVID-19 restrictions.

Also, to facilitate the witnessing of NSW statutory declarations during COVID-19, the categories of people who are authorised to witness documents has been expanded to include those authorised under the Commonwealth Statutory Declarations Regulation. Under that regulation, members of Governance Institute are a person before whom a statutory declaration may be made.

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