Certifying an SMSF Trust Deed

When opening bank accounts or trading accounts for your SMSF, the bank or broker may ask you for certified documents. They will ask for a Deed extract. Superannuation Warehouse (as your SMSF’s administrator) will have a signed copy of your Fund’s deed and can certify and post this to you. Alternatively, listed below is a listing of people that can certify documents.

The certified statement should read as follows: “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”. The certi­fiers must also include their full name, signature, date, registration number (if any) and qualification or occupation which makes them eligible to certify documents, on each of the photocopied pages.

A person who certifies the Deed must be either an Australian Citizen or permanent resident of Australia.

A summary of people who can certify are:

• Chiropractor, Dentist , Medical practitioner, Nurse, Physiotherapist, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Psychologist or a Veterinary surgeon
• Legal practitioner, Patent attorney, Trade marks attorney or a Bailiff
• Agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the public
• Australian Consular Officer or Australian Diplomatic Officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955) in Australia or overseas
• Commissioner for Affidavits or a Commissioner for Declarations
• Finance company officer with 2 or more years of continuous service
• Clerk of a court, Judge of a court, Justice of the Peace or a Magistrate in Australia or overseas
• Marriage celebrant registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961
• Member of Chartered Secretaries Australia or a Fellow of the National Tax Accountants’ Association
• Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants or the National Institute of Accountants

For a more complete list to see who can certify, click here. For our preferences to open up a bank account, see the Macquarie page.