Terms of Service

Effective and last updated: 11 September 2026

By asking us to provide a service, accepting a quote, paying an invoice, or otherwise instructing us to proceed, you agree to these Terms of Service. If a written quote or service agreement contains terms that differ from these website terms, the written quote or agreement will apply to that service to the extent of the inconsistency.

1. What NZ Document Assist does

We provide practical administrative support for New Zealand documents that may need to be prepared for use overseas. Depending on the service you request, our work may include checking the information you provide, explaining administrative steps, coordinating with third-party service providers, arranging document delivery, and keeping you updated on progress.

Our services may include coordination relating to apostilles, authentication, notary appointments, document certification, translation, courier services and return delivery. The exact work included in your service will be set out in your quote, invoice, email confirmation or other written communication from us.

2. What our service does not include

Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, our service does not include:

• legal advice or advice about the legal effect of a document;
• immigration advice or visa advice;
• advice about whether a foreign authority is legally required to accept a document;
• acting as a notary public, Justice of the Peace, lawyer, translator, government officer or foreign authority;
• guaranteeing approval, acceptance, processing time, delivery time or any decision made by a third party.

3. Your responsibility for destination requirements

Requirements can vary by country, receiving authority, document type and purpose. You are responsible for telling us where the document will be used, what it will be used for, and any instructions you have received from the overseas authority.

We may provide general administrative information based on our experience and publicly available guidance, but the final decision about what is required and whether a document will be accepted belongs to the relevant receiving authority. If requirements are unclear, we may ask you to confirm them directly with that authority before we proceed.

4. Information and documents you provide

You must provide complete, accurate and current information and genuine documents. You must tell us promptly if any information changes or if you become aware of an error.

By providing documents or personal information about another person, you confirm that you are authorised to do so and to instruct us in relation to that information.

We may pause or decline work if information is incomplete, inconsistent, appears altered, raises authenticity concerns, or if proceeding could expose us or another person to legal, regulatory, fraud or security risk.

5. Authority to coordinate with third parties

By instructing us, you authorise us to communicate and share information reasonably necessary to carry out the agreed service with relevant third parties. These may include government agencies, notaries, translators, couriers, document issuers, payment providers, IT or cloud service providers, and other suppliers involved in your matter.

Third parties are independent of NZ Document Assist. Their own terms, fees, privacy practices, processing rules and timeframes may apply.

6. Quotes, service fees and third-party costs

We aim to provide a clear quote before work begins. Unless your quote says otherwise, our service fee is separate from government charges, notary fees, translation fees, courier charges, bank fees and other third-party costs.

If additional work becomes necessary because requirements change, information was incomplete, additional documents are added, or a third party requires extra steps, we will normally tell you before incurring material additional service fees.

7. Payment

Payment is due at the time stated in your quote, invoice or other written agreement. We may require payment before starting work, before paying third-party costs, or before releasing or dispatching documents.

You are responsible for any bank, card, foreign exchange, courier, government or other third-party charges that apply to your matter unless we have expressly included them in our written quote.

8. Cancellations, changes and refunds

If you want to cancel or change your instructions, contact us as soon as possible. We will try to stop work or third-party expenditure where reasonably practicable.

If we can't do the job. We check your documents before you pay. If we accept your job and then find that we cannot complete our part of it, for a reason that is not caused by you or by incorrect or incomplete information you gave us, we will refund our service fee in full, together with any government, notary or other third-party fees we have not yet paid. Third-party fees already paid on your behalf are refunded only to the extent we can recover them. This does not cover a decision by an overseas or New Zealand authority to refuse, delay or not accept a document.

Any refund will take into account work already completed, time reasonably spent, and third-party charges or commitments that cannot be recovered. If a third-party authority refuses, delays or does not accept a document after we have properly carried out the agreed coordination service, that does not by itself entitle you to a refund of our completed service fee.

Nothing in this section limits any refund or remedy you are entitled to under New Zealand law.

9. Processing times and delays

Any timeframe we give is an estimate unless we expressly guarantee it in writing. Government agencies, notaries, translators, couriers, overseas authorities and other third parties control their own processing and delivery times.

We are not responsible for delays caused by third parties, public holidays, courier disruption, border or customs issues, system outages, incomplete or incorrect client information, document defects, changes in official requirements, force majeure events, or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

10. Delivery, couriers and risk

If we arrange courier or postal delivery, we act as an administrative coordinator and the carrier's terms and conditions apply to the delivery service. Tracking reduces risk but does not eliminate it.

We will take reasonable care when handling documents, but we cannot guarantee that a courier, postal provider, government agency or other third party will not lose, delay or damage an item. Where appropriate, we may recommend tracked or signature-required delivery.

11. Electronic copies and original documents

You should keep copies of important documents before sending originals where possible. We may create working copies or scans where reasonably necessary to coordinate your service, subject to our Privacy Policy.

Do not send original documents until we have confirmed the agreed handling method.

12. Communications

We may communicate with you by email, telephone, text message or another method you have used with us. You are responsible for checking messages and providing a reliable contact address and phone number.

Email and internet communications are not guaranteed to be completely secure. If your matter involves particularly sensitive material, ask us about an agreed handling method before sending it.

13. No guarantee of third-party acceptance or outcome

We coordinate administrative steps, but we do not control the decisions of government agencies, notaries, embassies, consulates, foreign authorities, educational institutions, employers, courts, immigration bodies or other recipients.

We therefore cannot guarantee that a document will be accepted, that a particular form of certification will be sufficient, or that a third party will make a decision by a particular date.

14. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any right, guarantee, remedy or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under New Zealand law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, NZ Document Assist is not liable for indirect, consequential or special loss, loss of opportunity, loss of profit, or losses caused by a third-party decision, delay, rejection, loss, delivery failure or change in requirements outside our reasonable control.

Where our liability can lawfully be limited, our total liability arising from a particular service will not exceed the service fees paid to NZ Document Assist for the part of the service giving rise to the claim. This limitation does not apply where it would be unlawful to limit liability.

15. Consumer rights

If you acquire our services as a consumer, you may have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, Fair Trading Act 1986 and other New Zealand laws. These terms do not remove rights that cannot legally be excluded.

16. Refusal, suspension or termination of service

We may refuse to start, temporarily suspend, or stop work only where there is a reasonable basis to do so. This may include where:

• an amount that is due remains unpaid after we have asked for payment;
• information or documents reasonably required to carry out the service have not been provided;
• we reasonably believe the instructions, documents or proposed use may be unlawful, fraudulent, misleading or unsafe;
• a document appears altered, inconsistent or otherwise raises a genuine authenticity concern;
• a conflict of interest, privacy, security or regulatory concern arises;
• a third-party provider or authority will not proceed without additional information, authority or payment;
• continuing the service would expose us, you or another person to a material legal or regulatory risk; or
• circumstances outside our reasonable control make it impracticable to continue.

Where reasonably practicable, we will tell you the reason, give you an opportunity to resolve the issue, and provide reasonable notice before permanently stopping work. You may also cancel your instructions at any time, subject to clause 8.

If the service ends, we will deal fairly with any unused amounts paid, taking into account work already completed and third-party costs that cannot reasonably be recovered.

17. Privacy

Personal information and documents are handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. By using our services, you acknowledge that some information may need to be shared with service providers or authorities to complete the work you request.

18. Intellectual property and website content

The text, branding, layout and original materials on this website are owned by or licensed to NZ Document Assist unless stated otherwise. You may use our website for your own personal or internal business reference, but you may not copy, republish or commercially exploit substantial parts of it without permission.

Website information is general and may change. We try to keep it accurate, but official requirements can change without notice.

19. Complaints and dispute resolution

If you are unhappy with our service, please contact us promptly so we have a reasonable opportunity to understand and resolve the issue. Email help@nzdocumentassist.co.nz or call +64 22 100 3242.

We will try to resolve complaints in good faith through direct discussion first. If a dispute cannot be resolved, either party may use any court, tribunal, mediation or other dispute-resolution process available under New Zealand law.

Where the dispute falls within its jurisdiction, a claim may be brought in the New Zealand Disputes Tribunal. The Tribunal can generally hear eligible claims up to $60,000.

Nothing in these terms prevents you from exercising any statutory complaint, review or dispute right available to you.

20. Changes to these terms

We may update these website terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, processes or legal obligations. Updated terms will be published on this page with the date of the latest update.

Changes will generally apply only to services instructed after the updated terms are published. We will not use a later version to materially disadvantage you in relation to a service already underway unless the change is required by law, is necessary to address a genuine legal or security issue, or you agree to the change.

If a material change needs to apply to an existing service, we will give reasonable notice where practicable. If you do not agree with a material non-mandatory change, you may cancel the affected remaining service, subject to fair payment for work already completed and non-recoverable third-party costs.

21. Governing law

These terms are governed by New Zealand law. Subject to any rights you have to bring a claim elsewhere under applicable law, disputes relating to these terms or our services are subject to the jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.

22. Events outside our reasonable control

For these terms, an event outside our reasonable control includes events such as natural disasters, severe weather, fire, flood, epidemic or pandemic restrictions, war, civil unrest, government action, border or customs disruption, strikes not limited to our own staff, major courier disruption, telecommunications or internet failure, widespread system outages, or failure of a third-party authority or provider that we could not reasonably prevent.

We will take reasonable steps to reduce the impact of such an event, but we are not responsible for delay or failure caused by it to the extent permitted by law.

23. Entire agreement

These terms, together with any written quote, invoice, service description and other written terms expressly agreed for your matter, form the agreement between you and NZ Document Assist for the relevant service. They replace earlier discussions or representations about that service, except for any rights or remedies that cannot legally be excluded.

24. Severability

If any provision of these terms is found to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be read down or severed to the minimum extent necessary. The remaining provisions will continue to apply.

25. Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under a service arrangement without our prior written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld.

We may assign or transfer our rights and obligations to a successor business or related entity as part of a genuine sale, restructure or transfer of the business, provided this does not materially reduce your rights or protections. Where reasonably practicable, we will notify you of any such transfer.

26. Notices

Formal notices relating to a service may be sent by email to the most recent email address each party has provided. A notice sent by email will be treated as received when it reaches the recipient's email system, unless the sender receives an automated failure or non-delivery message.

You are responsible for keeping your contact details current. Our notice email address is help@nzdocumentassist.co.nz.