I need a copy of my passport certified
Essential
- you must let me see your passport
- you have to let me know why you need the certified copy of the passport
- you will have to let me which country the certified copy of the passport is going to
Other essential things you need to know when you use a notary
In all the notarial work I do there I things I have to do including:
- identifying you (Click here to find out more)
- usually preparing a separate document (called a ‘notarial certificate’) which I attach to the document you sign, and then I bind that certificate to the power of attorney and add my signature and seal. (What does notarial certificate contain?)
- recording the details of what I have done for you. (Why do I have do this and what does it involve?)
Additional information
- Why do I need to know why you want the copy of the passport or the country to which it will going. There is no absolute requirement that I need to know this or that I must put this on my notarial certificate. The reason I do this is because it is, in a small way, an additional security measure. If the notarised copy is lost or stolen and ends up in the hands of a crook then a statement as to its intended purpose could limit its use by the crook.
If the copy of the passport was needed by a person buying a specific property in France but ended up with a crook who was engaged in money laundering in Spain then a statement as to the purpose might limit its use by the crook who was using the notarised copy as evidence of his/her (false) identity.
- Why do I provide a notarial certificate instead of just writing in hand that the copy the passport is a true copy in the same way that solicitors do in England? I do this because such an approach is recommended by the Notaries Society (the representative body for notaries). It is also a security measure for the reasons stated in the previous bullet point. See FAQs on this page for the reasons why I do this.
Things for you to check
Before you get a copy of your passport you should check the following:
- do you need to have only the photo page of the passport certified?
- do other pages of the passport need copying/certifying. If so, which ones?:
- the cover;
- pages which have details of visas, permits, etc;
- all the pages?
- does the copy need to be in black and white or colour?
- do I need to use any particular form of words (some countries/organisations specify specific words that a notary must use).
You should check with the country/organisation/lawyer requesting the certified copy. If you have no particular instructions then the way I provide a certified copy of a passport is as follows:
- only the photograph page of the passport is copied;
- the copy is in black and white;
- I attach a separate notarial certificate to the copy of the passport [See example]
Last updated: 7 February 2021.