Certifying documents

You may need to provide certified copies of original documents when you apply for registration, renewal, endorsement or for other purposes. 

A 'certified copy' is one that has been verified as being a true copy of an original document by someone authorised to certify copies of original documents. A list of authorised people can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Documents must be certified in person, they cannot be certified over an audiovisual link (e.g. Zoom or Teams).

Instructions for certifying documents 

We have a PDF that you should download and take with you when you see an authorised officer to have the copies of your documents certified. 

Certifying documents instructions (PDF 296KB)

Single-page documents must have the following written on them by an authorised officer.  

• This statement: ‘I have sighted the original document and certify this to be a true copy of the original’ 
• The date 
• The authorised officer’s name 
• The authorised officer’s contact phone number 
• The authorised officer’s occupation or profession (and profession number if applicable) 
• The authorised officer’s stamp or seal (if relevant)  

If your document has multiple pages, the authorised officer needs to initial each page and number each page (e.g. page 2 of 5) as well as writing the above text on the first page. 

What does an authorised officer need to do to certify my documents?

In the presence of the applicant the authorised officer should: 

• inspect the original document to ensure that it is an original document 
• inspect the copy to ensure it is identical to the original document 
• compare your face against the photograph on any identity documents to confirm that you are the person pictured
• write the relevant text (described above) on the copy.