Certify Copies

One-page documents

  1. Ensure the person provides both the original document and a copy.
  2. Inspect the original to confirm it is unaltered and not amended.
  3. Inspect the copy to ensure it is identical to the original, with no alterations or missing parts.
  4. Return the original to the client to avoid stamping it as a copy.
  5. Certify the document using the standard wording from the JP Handbook:
    ‘I certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original document sighted by me at [location] on this [day] of [month] 20[year].’
    Include your signature, full name, JP initials, JP number, and the words ‘Justice of the Peace’.

Multi-paged originals

  1. Ensure the person provides both the original document and a copy.
  2. Inspect every page of the original to confirm it is unaltered.
  3. Inspect every page of the copy to ensure it is identical to the original.
  4. Return the original to the client to avoid stamping it as a copy.
  5. Number the pages of the copy if not already numbered (e.g., page 1 of 10).
  6. Sign or initial each page of the copy.
  7. Certify the last page and indicate the total number of pages. While only the last page is required to be certified, it is good practice to also certify the first page.

Electronic Documents

  1. JPs need to take extra care when certifying printed copies of documents that have been received electronically or sourced from websites.
  2. Only certify a printed copy of an electronic document if you are satisfied it is a true and correct copy using one of the following methods:
    • you viewed the copy printed directly from the official website or a computer that is under the control of the document’s issuing authority.
    • you viewed the electronic original live on the official website under the control of the document’s issuing authority and you inspected the printed copy against the electronic original to ensure it is identical.
  3. If satisfied, certify the document using standard wording, adding the words ‘original sighted on an electronic device’.
  4. There is a risk that documents presented outside of these processes, including emails, faxes, pdf documents and other electronic communications may have been altered.
  5. As an alternative to certifying electronic documents, the client may attach the printed document to a statutory declaration and declare that it is a true copy of the original and that it exists only in electronic form. You may witness the statutory declaration but must not certify the attached document.
  6. If the document is an email or attached to an email, the client may be able to forward the electronic original directly to the organisation requiring it. It is then up to the organisation to decide whether to accept the email or make further enquiries.
  7. To avoid inconvenience, the client should check with the receiving organisation whether a certified copy is necessary or if alternatives are acceptable.

Please refer to the Justices of the Peace Handbook for any issues not covered above.

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