The problem with Certified Copies

October 5, 2021

When dealing with international immigration matters, the requirement for “certified copies” frequently arises. One such example is the requirement that an applicant for a U.S. green card submit “police clearance certificates” for any country in which they’ve lived for more than 12 months since they were 16 years old. When applying by mail, many jurisdictions (e.g. Ireland), require that require that the applicant submit a “certified copy” of their passport. This presents a challenge in the United States because many states prohibit notaries from certifying copies. Some notaries in the U.S. will, probably unaware that they’re not allowed to, but any notary who knows the rules governing their jurisdiction will politely decline. The workaround that has arisen and that can work is that the applicant certifies to the accuracy of the copy, while the notary notarizes the applicant’s signature swearing that they copy is a true copy. While technically not a certified copy, it does at least look like one, and is often the only option available.