What to Do When You Need Multiple Certified Copies

Needing several certified copies of one document sounds like a counting problem. It becomes an expensive one when the count is wrong, the copies are the wrong kind, or the original is gone by the time you realise you needed one more.

Each certified copy is a separate comparison against the original, and often a separate fee. When the copies are going overseas, each one usually needs its own apostille or authentication as well. So the aim is to work out, before the appointment, exactly how many of each kind you need — and to have every one made while you still hold the original.

Situation 1: several receivers each want to keep a copy

A university, a registration board and an employer may each want a certified copy they can file.

What to do: count receivers, not documents, and add a spare. Have all the copies certified at one appointment against the same original. Before you finalise the count, ask each receiver whether it keeps the copy or only sights it and hands it back. A receiver that sights and returns does not need its own.

Situation 2: you planned to photocopy the certified copy

This is the most common mistake. A photocopy of a certified copy is an uncertified photocopy. Some certifiers will certify a copy of a certified copy with wording that says exactly what they compared, but receivers rarely accept it.

What to do: go back to the original. If you no longer have it, see the guide on originals that cannot be released, or order a fresh one from the issuer.

Situation 3: every copy needs an apostille

DFAT issues an apostille or authentication per document. Five notarised copies for five overseas receivers means five apostilles.

What to do: confirm with each receiver that it needs its own authenticated copy, rather than sight of one. Then consider two alternatives.

• Extra originals. Registries, universities and some other issuers will issue additional originals. Some Australian public documents may be authenticated by DFAT directly, without a notary. Where that applies, several fresh originals can work out simpler than several notarised copies. Confirm with DFAT for your document.
• Binding several documents as one. A notary can sometimes bind a set of documents into a single instrument, which may then be treated as one document for authentication. This only saves money when one receiver takes the whole set. Bound documents cannot be separated, so it is the wrong approach when each document is going somewhere different. Ask the notary before the appointment.

Situation 4: some receivers are in Australia, some overseas

What to do: split the order. Australian receivers usually accept a copy certified by an authorised person, often free from a Justice of the Peace. Pay for notarial copies only for the receivers that need them. A notarial copy works for an Australian receiver too, but you do not need to buy one for each.

Situation 5: the original is about to leave your hands

You may have to lodge the original with an authority, return it to its issuer, or send it overseas. Once it goes, nobody can certify a copy from it.

What to do: before it leaves, have every copy you can foresee needing certified, plus a spare, and keep a certified copy for your own records. This is the one situation where over-ordering is clearly cheaper than under-ordering.

Situation 6: the document runs to many pages

A thirty-page transcript or a contract with schedules is one document, and the receiver will expect the certified copy to be complete.

What to do: ask for each document to be certified as a complete copy rather than page by page. A notary usually binds the pages with the certificate, and domestic certifiers commonly initial or number each page. Do not separate the pages afterwards; a bound notarial copy that has been taken apart is spoiled. If a receiver wants only some pages, ask for an extract certified as an extract.

Situation 7: receivers want electronic copies

A scan of a certified copy is only a scan. Some receivers, especially for Australian online applications, accept scans of originals or of certified copies anyway; others require the paper copy by post.

What to do: ask each receiver whether a scan will do. If it will, one certified copy may cover several online submissions. If a receiver wants an electronically certified copy, ask exactly what form it accepts before commissioning one.

Situation 8: you need another copy months later

What to do: if you still hold the original, book another certification. Nothing has been lost but a second appointment. If the receiver imposes an age limit on certifications or on the underlying document, check it before reusing an older spare.

Working out what to do

Situation	What to do
Several receivers keep copies	One copy per keeping receiver, plus a spare, at one appointment
Planned to photocopy a certified copy	Back to the original — photocopies are uncertified
Every copy needs an apostille	Confirm the need per receiver; consider extra originals
One receiver takes a set	Ask the notary about binding them as one instrument
Mixed Australian and overseas receivers	JP or authorised copies at home, notarial only for overseas
Original about to be surrendered	Certify every foreseeable copy first
Long document	Certify it complete and bound; never unbind
Scans acceptable	One certified copy may serve several online lodgements
More needed later	Return with the original

Before you book

List every receiver, and against each write: Australian or overseas, keeps or sights, paper or scan, and whether an apostille is needed. That list is your order. Give it to the notary when you book so the copies can be prepared in one visit.

Frequently asked questions

Is each certified copy charged separately? Usually each copy is a separate notarial act, and many notaries charge per act, often with a lower rate for additional copies at the same appointment. Ask for the full cost of your list before booking.

Can one apostille cover several copies? Generally no. An apostille attaches to a specific document. Documents bound as a single instrument are the exception to ask about.

Can someone else bring my original to have copies made? For certified copies, generally yes. The act is a comparison with the original, so the owner need not attend.