What Is a Certified True Copy, and Who Can Certify One in BC?

Banks, schools, employers, immigration offices and foreign agencies often ask for a certified true copy of a passport, degree or piece of ID, so that you do not have to hand over the original.

In BC, notaries public, including practising lawyers, commonly certify copies. The organization receiving the copy decides what it will accept, so read its instructions before you book.

What a certified true copy is

A certified true copy is a photocopy that an authorized person has compared against the original document and then marked as a true copy, with their signature, name, title and the date. The certification speaks to one thing: that the copy matches the original the certifier was shown. It is generally not a statement that what the document says is correct, or that the original is genuine.

Requirements vary, but IRCC's instructions are a useful model. Its guide for one application (IMM 5545) says the authorized person must compare the original with the photocopy and print on the copy the words "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document", the name of the original document, the date, their name, their official position or title, and their signature.

Certified copy, notarized signature or sworn statement?

These are often confused, and an organization that asks for one will not necessarily accept another.

• Certified true copy. This is about a copy. You bring the original and the certifier confirms that the copy matches it. You do not swear to anything.
• Notarized signature or document. The notary witnesses you signing a document, such as a power of attorney or a travel consent letter for use abroad, and completes the notarization under their signature and seal. You sign in front of the notary.
• Affidavit. A written statement of facts that you swear or affirm is true before a commissioner for taking affidavits or a notary.
• Statutory declaration. Similar, but you solemnly declare the facts instead of swearing an oath. The form in section 69 of BC's Evidence Act has you declare the facts "knowing that it is of the same legal force and effect as if made under oath."

With an affidavit or statutory declaration you are responsible for the truth of the contents, so read the document carefully before your appointment. For a certified copy, the essential thing to bring is the original.

Who can certify a copy in BC

Under the Notaries Act, members of the Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia are notaries public (section 16). Practising BC lawyers are notaries public too: the Province's authentication guide states that "all BC lawyers are BC Notaries Public, and there are also non-lawyer BC Notaries Public." The Law Society of BC notes that non-practising and retired lawyers may not act as notaries public.

The Notaries Act also lets the Province appoint others, including some government employees, as notaries public with limited powers: to administer oaths, take affidavits, declarations and acknowledgements, attest instruments by seal and give notarial certificates (section 15).

Commissioners for taking affidavits are a separate category. Under section 60 of the Evidence Act, practising lawyers and certain other office holders are commissioners because of their office, and their role is to administer oaths and take affidavits and declarations (section 59). Some organizations accept a copy certified by a commissioner. IRCC's guide, for example, lists a notary public, commissioner of oaths or commissioner for taking affidavits in Canada. Other organizations want a notary specifically.

Do not ask a relative to certify. IRCC's guide, for one, says copies must not be certified by the applicant or by family members, including a parent, sibling, spouse, child, aunt, uncle or first cousin.

The receiving organization sets the rules

Whether a copy is acceptable is up to the organization that asked for it, and some do not want a notary's certification at all.

• Certified copies from the issuer. IRCC's passport program issues its own certified true copies of Canadian passports, validated against the electronic passport record. They do not include pages with visas or stamps.
• Originals only. For an adult passport application, IRCC says that unless otherwise specified it does not accept photocopies of proof of citizenship, even if they are signed, and a birth certificate must be the original from the province or territory of birth.

Before you book, check who may certify the copy, whether exact wording is required, whether every page must be certified, and whether a translation is also needed.

What to bring to the appointment

• The original document. Not a photocopy or a picture on your phone. The certifier needs the original to compare against.
• Government-issued photo ID. The notary may need to confirm who you are. For affidavits and declarations, the Law Society's guidance tells lawyers to inspect identification where they do not know the person.
• The instructions. The letter, form or web page that sets out what the organization needs, including any required wording.

Sending a certified copy abroad

If the copy is going outside Canada, the receiving country may also want it authenticated. The Apostille Convention came into effect in Canada on January 11, 2024, and documents authenticated in BC since then receive an apostille certificate. If the destination country is a party to the Convention, no further legalization is needed; other countries may still require consular legalization. Our article on using a BC document abroad explains how the process works.

Two points matter at the notary stage. First, the Province requires the document to be notarized by a BC notary acting in their capacity as a notary, not as a commissioner for taking affidavits. Second, what is being copied matters. The Province will not authenticate notarized photocopies of foreign documents, public documents from other provinces, or BC Vital Statistics documents such as a BC birth certificate.

Federal Canadian documents are treated differently. The Province's guide lists certain federal documents it accepts if notarized in BC, such as an RCMP criminal record check and CPP or CRA documents. It also describes a temporary courtesy service, during the transition to apostilles, under which all federal Canadian public documents notarized in BC are accepted for authentication, and it says this policy may change. Either way, BC verifies only the BC notary or lawyer, not the federal official who signed the original. If the receiving country requires that signature to be verified, the original must go to Global Affairs Canada for a federal apostille. Check the Province's guide and the receiving country's embassy or consulate before you book.

Asked for a certified copy? Bring the original and the instructions

Our notary services cover certified true copies, notarized signatures, affidavits and statutory declarations. We can go through the receiving organization's instructions with you so the document is prepared the way it asks.

Call 604-259-2844 or send us a message to arrange a consultation at our Vancouver office.