Certified True Copy of a Commercial Invoice: What a Notary Can Issue

With most documents, a certified copy exists because the original came from someone else and cannot be replaced. A commercial invoice is the opposite: if you are the exporter, you issued it. You can print another. A notary certifying that your copy matches your own original adds very little, because the original is only as trustworthy as the company that printed it.

That is why, when an importer, bank or embassy asks for a "certified" or "notarised" commercial invoice, what they usually need is not a copy at all. It is an original invoice signed by an authorised person at your company, with that signature formally verified. Knowing which one you are being asked for is most of the job.

Certified copy versus notarised signature

A certified true copy. The notary sights an invoice and certifies that the attached copy is true and complete. It says nothing about who issued the invoice, whether the goods exist, or whether the prices are real.

A notarised signature on the original invoice. An officer of the exporting company signs the invoice — often with a declaration that its contents are true and correct — in front of the notary, who confirms the signatory's identity and, where asked, their position in the company. This puts a named, identified person behind the document.

For export documentation, the second is usually what destination authorities mean. It may then be authenticated by DFAT and legalised by the destination's embassy. Some destinations also accept or require certification by a chamber of commerce instead of, or as well as, a notary — confirm the exact chain with the embassy or your importer before preparing anything.

When a certified copy genuinely is right

There are real cases:

• You are the importer, and you hold a supplier's invoice that you need to produce overseas — in a dispute, an insurance claim, a warranty claim or a foreign tax matter. You cannot reissue someone else's invoice, so a certified copy of the one you received is appropriate.
• A historic invoice is needed as evidence — for example, to show the purchase price and date of goods being re-exported.
• A registration or tender file abroad asks for certified copies of past invoices as evidence of trading history.

Where the invoice arrived by email as a PDF, there is no paper original. The notary can only certify a printout by describing exactly what was sighted, and whether that satisfies the recipient is their call.

Every document in the set must agree

Commercial invoices rarely travel alone. They sit alongside a packing list, a bill of lading or air waybill, and often a certificate of origin. Customs officers, banks and embassies compare them, and small inconsistencies cause most rejections:

• the consignee's name spelled differently on two documents
• a quantity or weight that does not match the packing list
• a goods description that varies between the invoice and the certificate of origin
• an invoice number referred to on one document that does not match the invoice

A notary does not check any of this. Notarising a signature on an inconsistent invoice produces a formally authenticated inconsistent invoice. Reconcile the set before the appointment.

Per shipment, and time-sensitive

Export invoices are shipment-specific. If a destination requires notarised and legalised invoices, that usually means doing it for each shipment, often under time pressure before the goods arrive. Two practical points:

• If the same authorised officer signs regularly, keep their identification and evidence of their authority current and ready, so each appointment is quick.
• Build the authentication and legalisation steps into the shipping schedule. Goods can arrive before the paperwork, and storage at the destination port is rarely cheap.

What the notary will not confirm

Whether copying or witnessing, the notary is not confirming the value of the goods, their description, their origin, their tariff classification, or that the sale took place. Customs valuation and classification are for the importing country's customs.

Overseas use

• Justice of the Peace: not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled.
• Hague Apostille Convention countries: DFAT issues an apostille on the notarial certificate. Only DFAT issues apostilles.
• Non-member countries: DFAT authentication, then embassy or consulate legalisation. Trade documents are where embassy requirements vary most.
• Translation: if needed, bound with the invoice. Prices, currency codes and quantities must match the original exactly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just sign the invoice myself and have it certified as a copy? That gives the recipient a certified copy of your own document, which proves little. If they want your signature verified, sign in front of the notary.

Does the signatory have to be a director? Not necessarily, but they must be authorised. Bring evidence of their position — the notary may be asked to state it.

The embassy wants the invoice "attested". Is that the same thing? Usually it means the notarial, DFAT and embassy chain. Ask the embassy exactly which steps it expects.

Can the certificate of origin be done at the same appointment? Yes, as a separate document. See the page on certified copies of certificates of origin.