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    Certified Copies

    Not every state lets a notary certify a copy, and the ones that do carve out exceptions. California restricts its notaries to copies of a power of attorney and of their own journal entries. Florida permits attested copies but not of public records obtainable from the issuing office. Texas allows copies of documents that are not recordable in the public records. Birth, death, and marriage certificates, court files, and recorded deeds are never a notary's to certify. Those come from the agency that issued them. Where direct certification is barred, a copy certification by document custodian usually accomplishes the same thing.

    Typical price range
    $10-$25
    Turnaround
    Immediate where the state permits it; agency-issued copies run on the agency's clock
    Options
    In-Office · Mobile Service

    How it works

    1. 1

      Confirm your state authorizes notarial copy certification, and for which document types

    2. 2

      Determine whether the document is a public record; if a government office issued it, that office is the only legitimate source

    3. 3

      Bring the original. A notary must compare the reproduction against the source document in person

    4. 4

      Reproduce every page front and back, including intentionally blank pages, so the copy is complete

    5. 5

      Where the state bars direct certification, sign a custodian's affidavit swearing the copy is true and complete; the notary notarizes that sworn statement

    6. 6

      Compare the finished certificate against the requesting party's wording before you leave

    What you need

    • The physical original. A notary cannot certify from a photo, scan, or emailed PDF
    • A document that is not a vital record, court file, or recorded instrument
    • Photo ID if you will be signing a custodian's affidavit
    • A state that authorizes the act, or willingness to use the custodian affidavit instead
    • Any specific certificate language the receiving institution requires

    Why the act is restricted in the first place

    A certified copy is a statement that a reproduction matches a source document. States that withhold the power from notaries do so because the office that issued a record is better positioned to say whether the version in your hand is current, amended, or revoked. A county recorder knows if a deed was superseded; a notary looking at the paper cannot.

    That is why vital records, court records, and recorded instruments are off the table everywhere. The issuing custodian is the only authority who can certify against the actual file.

    The custodian affidavit, and where it falls short

    The custodian route shifts the assertion from the notary to you. You swear under penalty of perjury that the copy is complete and accurate; the notary certifies that you swore it. Consulates, foreign employers, and many private institutions accept this, and it is the standard workaround in California and other restrictive states.

    It does not work everywhere. Courts, recorders, and agencies that specify an agency-issued certified copy will reject a custodian's affidavit no matter how it is notarized. When the requirement says 'certified copy from the issuing agency,' order it from the agency. There is no notarial substitute.

    What to expect

    • You find out before the appointment whether your state authorizes the act at all
    • Custodian affidavit offered as the fallback where direct certification is prohibited
    • Referral to the issuing agency for vital records instead of a seal that gets rejected
    • Originals never leave your hands. Only the reproduction does
    • Certificate wording matched to what the requesting institution specified

    Pricing notes

    $10-$25

    Per page or per certificate, capped by state fee schedules where they exist. If your state prohibits the act, the custodian's affidavit is billed as one jurat. Vital records fees go to the issuing agency, not the notary.

    Certified Copies FAQs

    Straight answers about what the notary does, what you need to bring, and what the state or receiving party still controls.

    No. Vital records are certified only by the vital records office or county clerk that issued them. Order a certified copy from that office. A notary seal on a photocopy of a birth certificate is worthless to the receiving party and, in several states, a violation of the notary's commission.

    Use a copy certification by document custodian. You (the person holding the original) sign a sworn statement that the attached copy is a true, correct, and complete reproduction, and the notary notarizes your signature with a jurat. The notary certifies your oath rather than the copy, which is permitted in states that forbid the direct act.

    Not quite. Most institutions accept one in place of the original, but anything involving recording, probate, or chain of title generally demands the original or an agency-issued certified copy. Ask the receiving party which they need before you pay for either.

    It varies. Some states permit a copy of a passport, others prohibit certifying federal identity documents, and federal agencies apply their own standards to what they accept. Ask the requesting party whether they want a notarized copy, a certified translation, or a copy certified by the issuing authority.

    A diploma is usually a private document and copy-certifiable where the act is allowed. Transcripts are different. Most universities require the registrar to send them under seal, and many foreign credential evaluators will not accept a notarized photocopy at all.

    No. The act requires the notary to compare the copy against the physical original in their presence. Remote online notarization does not change this. RON handles signatures over video, not the side-by-side comparison of a paper original.

    Related notary services

    Nearby topics that often come up with certified copies.

    Apostille Notary Services

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    Document Authentication

    Headed to a country outside the Hague Apostille Convention? Your document needs the longer legalization chain: notary, sometimes county clerk, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, then the embassy. We handle the notarial step and map the rest.

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    Ready to book certified copies?

    Connect with a licensed notary near you for mobile, in-office, or online notarization when your state and the receiving party allow it.