In many situations you may be required to provide an important document such as your passport, birth certificate, identification card or academic records for an application or as a supporting document. Rather than submitting the original document, in most cases a certified true copy (or “notarized copy”), commonly referred to simply as a certified copy, will suffice. This in many cases saves you risking your original documents which may be expensive and quite time consuming to replace.

When you need a certified true copy of an original document, a Notary Public is required in most jurisdictions (which is why it is often referred to as a notarized copy). At Notary Lawyer Mississauga, we certify a photocopy of your original document as being a true copy of the original by affixing a signature, seal and statement to that effect on the copy itself. As a result, the person to whom the photocopied document is later presented may rest assured that the paper in front of them is a genuine reproduction of the original document.

When is a Certified True Copy Required?

Certified copies are commonly required for academic, employment, and government applications. A foreign University may want certified copies of your degrees and academic transcripts. An employer may want certified copies of your vocational documents. A regulatory body may want certified copies of identity and qualification documents before issuing you a license. Certified copies may also be required for ongoing reporting requirements, such as the Personal Information Forms often required by stock exchanges and securities regulators. Or you may need a certified copy of your lease or utility bills to prove your residence to enroll your child in school.

Applying for a visa for another country is another common case that requires certified true copies of documents like your passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate or name change certificate if your name has changed, and if applicable, your military service record. Applications to work or study in another country will often also require certified copies of academic and/or vocational qualification documents.

You may be required to submit certified true copies of academic records and other qualifications to apply for professional or trade licenses, or post-secondary programs in Canada or abroad. This can include proof of citizenship and residence, transcripts, degrees and diplomas. Foreign professional licensing bodies and other professional organizations may require copies to not only be certified, but also ‘Apostilled’, or ‘Legalized’ by their Consulate or Embassy. For more information on this process in Canada please visit our Authentication and Legalization services page.

When you need a certified copy of your important paperwork, Notary Lawyer Mississauga is only a click or a phone call away.

Related Service Offerings:

• Certified Copies of Original Documents
• Certification of Government Forms
• Certification of Signatures
• Certified Copies
• Certified Copy of Court Order
• Certify Copy of Birth Certificate
• Certify Copy of Marriage Certificate
• Certify Identification Copies
• Certify Copies of Powers of Attorney
• Certify Copies of Probated Will
• Certify Signatures
• Certify Copy of Diploma
• Certified True Copy of Degree
• Marriage Certificate – Certified Copy