Are you interested in certifying a document, such as your marriage certificate? There are many situations where you may have to submit important documents like identification documents – birth certificate, driver’s license, or passport – as part of an application. In these cases, you would not submit the original document but rather a certified copy of the original document. So, can a notary certify a copy of a document?
A notary public assures that the parties signing the legal documents, such as a power of attorney, provide legitimate and valid identification and understand the implications of the legal document they sign. In addition to notarizing documents and forms, a notary can also offer copy certification.
This means that you need the services of a notary when you need to have the authenticity of a copy of your legal documents officially certified. These documents can include birth certificates, wills, student records, divorce decrees, and death certificates.
Documents and vital records that you may ask to have certified by a notary public include letters, contracts, settlement statements, bills of sale, and agreements.
There are several benefits of having certified documents. Certifying public documents means you can easily provide a true certified copy of your driver’s license, passport, or other important personal documents without handing over your original documents. This means that you will not run the risk of losing an original copy of your birth certificate, will, or marriage certificate.
A certified copy is a duplicate (usually a photocopy) of a primary document, such as a birth certificate, which is endorsed by a government or independent agency. This endorsement guarantees the authenticity of the photocopied document. A certified copy doesn’t certify or confirm that the primary document or original document is genuine, only that it’s a true copy of the primary document.
This means that if the primary document isn’t legitimate, you cannot use the certified copy to guarantee that it’s genuine. A true certified copy is a duplicate of a document that a notary has certified and verified as a true copy of the original document.
You may need certified copies of your original documents, such as school records, in many different circumstances.
Copy certification involves making a copy of an original document. It also involves verifying a previously made copy. Various situations and legal documents require certified copies, including powers of attorney and wills. A notary performs a notary copy certification when they verify that a copy of an original document is a true, correct, and complete copy.
Notary public in the US serve as government officials who act as impartial witnesses to the signing of various important documents and forms. Many US states permit notaries to make certified copies of original documents provided the original or primary document isn’t a publicly recorded document or a publicly recordable document.
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