Double-Sided and Multi-Page Documents: Certifying Every Page

Every page of a multi-page copy must be covered by the certification, including the back of any page with something on it. For Home Affairs paper applications, the certifier states the page count on the first page and initials every other page. A notary will often bind the pages under one certificate. Loose, uninitialled pages are often refused.

Key takeaways

• A certified copy must show the whole document: every page, and the back of any page with writing, stamps or endorsements.
• For Home Affairs paper applications, the certifier states the number of pages on the first page and initials every other page.
• A notary will often bind a multi-page document and attach one certificate, so pages cannot be added or removed unnoticed.
• Never unstaple or unbind a certified or notarised bundle; it can be treated as tampered with.
• For DFAT, a translation's required details must appear on every page.
• Some receiving authorities do not accept bound documents; check before binding.

Does every page need to be certified?

Yes, in the sense that every page must be covered. How that is done varies. Some certifiers endorse each page individually with the full certification wording. Others use one statement on the first page that identifies how many pages follow, and initial or stamp each of the others. Both approaches aim at the same thing: making it impossible to slip in, swap or remove a page without it showing.

The rule most people meet is Home Affairs'. Its instructions for certified copies in paper applications say that for a single-page document the certifier must write or stamp "This is a certified true copy of the original as sighted by me". For documents with more than one page, the certifier must write or stamp on the first page a statement that they certify this and the following stated number of pages to be a true copy of the original as sighted by them, and initial all the other pages. The certifier must also add their signature, full name, occupation, phone number and the date.

What about double-sided documents?

A double-sided page is two pages as far as a copy is concerned. If the back of a certificate, card or page has anything on it, such as a registration stamp, an endorsement, a signature, a translation or even printed conditions, copy it. A copy that shows only the front of a document with writing on the back is not a complete copy of it, and a certifier who notices may refuse to certify it as a true copy of the original.

Whether you copy double-sided pages onto two separate sheets or onto the front and back of one sheet is usually a matter of preference, unless the receiving authority says otherwise. Separate single-sided sheets are often easier for the certifier to count, initial and stamp, and easier for the receiving body to scan. Whichever you choose, count the pages of the copy, not the original, when the page-count statement is written. A certificate that says "the following 3 pages" on a six-sided bundle invites questions.

How does a notary handle a multi-page document?

A notary preparing a document for overseas use is thinking about how it will look to a foreign authority that has never met you and cannot check with them easily. Many notaries therefore fasten the pages of a multi-page document together, for example with ribbon or an eyelet, and attach a single notarial certificate, sometimes with their seal across the binding or on each page. Others number and initial each page. The method differs between notaries and sometimes depends on what the destination expects.

The effect is the same: the certificate covers a defined set of pages. That is also why you should never take a notarised bundle apart to photocopy it or remove a page you think is unnecessary. A foreign authority, or DFAT, may treat a document that has been unbound as altered. DFAT says it does not accept public documents that have been laminated, framed or altered in any way. If you need copies of a notarised bundle for your records, ask the notary at the appointment. Our guide to the legal effect of a notarial certificate explains what the certificate covers.

Do some authorities refuse bound documents?

Some do. DFAT's page on notarial services overseas notes that when a consular officer administers an oath on an Australian affidavit with attachments or several pages, the pages are bound together, and that some receiving authorities do not accept bound documents, so you should ask them. The same caution applies to notarised documents going to registries or online portals that need to scan pages individually. If the receiving authority says it cannot accept a bound document, tell the notary before the appointment; they may be able to use the page-count and initial method instead.

Document	What to copy	How pages are usually covered
Single-page certificate, blank back	The front	One certification on the page
Certificate with a stamp or endorsement on the back	Front and back	Treated as two pages; both covered
Passport	The pages the authority asks for, often the photo page	Page count and initials, or each page endorsed
Academic transcript over several pages	Every page, including any key or legend on the back	Page count and initials, or bound by a notary
Contract or deed with annexures	Every page and every annexure	Often bound by a notary with one certificate
NAATI translation with its source copy	Every page of both	Translator's details on every page, as DFAT requires

What about translations and annexures?

Translations have their own rule. For DFAT to legalise a translation, it says the translation must carry the translator's name and signature, the NAATI seal including their practitioner ID, and the date, together with a copy of the original bearing the translator's signature or seal, and all of that on every page. A translation stamped only on its first page will not meet that requirement.

Annexures, schedules and exhibits need the same care. A copy of a contract without its schedules is not a copy of the contract. For affidavits and statutory declarations, attachments are usually identified by a certificate or note signed by the witness on each one; the exact form depends on the court, the state or territory, or the Commonwealth rules, so follow the instructions that come with the form. Our guide to the statutory declaration versus the affidavit explains the difference between the two.

What about uploading a multi-page document?

When a document is uploaded rather than posted, the same completeness rule applies, but the practical problems change. For online applications in ImmiAccount, Home Affairs says it can accept photos of documents if they are clear and show all the document information, and it sets a file-size limit for each document. It also says you can attach a group of documents of the same type together. In practice, that means scanning a multi-page document into a single file, in the original order, with the backs of pages that have content placed straight after their fronts.

Check the file before you upload it: a page missing from the middle of a transcript, or a back scanned upside down after the wrong page, is easy to miss and hard to explain later. Keep the file size under the portal's limit by scanning at a sensible resolution rather than dropping pages. Other portals, such as those of universities or skills assessors, have their own limits and formats, so read their instructions too.

How do you prepare a multi-page document for certification?

1. Read the receiving authority's instructions. Check whether it wants single-sided copies, colour, or unbound pages.
2. Copy every page and every back with content. Include annexures, schedules, stamps and endorsements.
3. Put the copy in the same order as the original. Number the pages lightly in pencil if that helps the certifier, unless told not to.
4. Count the pages of the copy. The page-count statement should match what is actually in the bundle.
5. Bring the original. The certifier compares each copy page with the original page.
6. Keep the bundle intact. Do not unstaple, unbind or remove pages afterwards; make scans of it as it is.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is copying only the front of a certificate with a registration stamp on the back. The second is loose pages with no page-count statement and no initials, which a receiving body cannot tell apart from uncertified pages. The third is unstapling a certified bundle to scan it and restapling it afterwards; the extra staple holes are often noticed. The fourth is leaving out annexures that the main document refers to. Finally, check that the page count on the certificate matches the pages in the copy, which may be more than the sheets in the original.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

Dev, in Hobart, is sending a five-page transcript to a registration board overseas. The transcript has a grading key printed on the back of the last page. He copies all five fronts and the back of page five, making six pages. The board says it wants a notarised copy and does not mind binding, so the notary binds the six pages under one certificate. When Dev scans the bundle for his records, he scans it without taking it apart.

In short

A certified copy must cover the whole document: every page, and every back with something on it. For Home Affairs paper applications, the certifier states the page count on the first page and initials the rest. Notaries often bind the pages under one certificate, which some authorities do not accept, so ask first. Never take a certified bundle apart. Our document notarisation page covers notarised copies for overseas use, and our guide to certified true copies covers the basics.

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Have a long or double-sided document to certify for overseas? Tell us the document, the page count and where it is going, and we will explain each step before you book.