If you need to submit some documents to an official organisation like a university or migration department you will need to photocopy the documents and then take them to someone who is authorised to check them. This varies from country to country.

The Role of a Certifier

When you have asked someone with the required authority to certify a copy of a document, you are required to take the original document plus the copy to the certifier who must see at first hand the original document so it can be checked and also to be certain that the copies accompanying the original documents are true and have not been changed.

The certifier is required to certify all the pages of the document and must include the following:

• a stamp or written statement stating that “I certify this to be a true copy of the original document sighted by me”;
• the certifier’s signature and full name with address and phone number.

If you are migrating to the United States you will need to get all your translated documents certified and sent on to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The certifier can’t be yourself or a member of your family, even if you are fluent in English and your native tongue. You can choose a translator who believes he or she is qualified to certify official documents like yours but the translator does not have to be someone with any official status as is required in many other countries. The translator will need to write out a statement saying the translation is accurate and this statement needs to be signed.

If you have been offered the chance to migrate or work in Australia you will need to get any documents which are not in English translated by a qualified NAATI translator. NAATI is the authority that sets translators’ exams and awards NAATI translation status to those who pass the exam. These translations will need to be photocopied and certified and signed by someone who has the status in Australia to do so. This includes registered professionals such as dentists, doctors, nurses, bank managers, pharmacists and Justices of the Peace. The person you choose will have to cite the original translation with the copy and he or she will have to write out a statement which is signed to say the copy of the translation matches the original.

These Document Certification tips should help you through the document certification process.

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