The lawyer checks the copy against the original and, where the act is legally admissible, makes the required certification. A certified copy has the evidentiary value provided by law. The receiving authority may require the original or additional requirements, so acceptance should be confirmed for the particular procedure.
These are acts a lawyer may perform under the law. This office is not a notary office. Where an act requires a notary, registry office, tax authority or court, the competent authority will be identified.
How the act works
- 01
Confirming what is required
First we confirm what the receiving body requires: a certified copy, the original, a translation or legalisation. This is the step that avoids doing the act twice.
- 02
Checking against the original
The copy is checked page by page against the original produced. Without the original there is no check to make.
- 03
Certification
Where the act is legally admissible, the certification is made with the statements required and, where applicable, filed in the electronic system.
- 04
Delivery
The certified copy is handed over there and then and the original returned, with a note on what receiving bodies usually require as to how recent the certification must be.
What is covered
Certified photocopies
A copy checked against the original and certified under the applicable law. Acceptance depends on the procedure and the receiving authority.
Partial certification
Certifying an extract, where only part of the document matters and there is no reason to disclose the rest.
Recording the act
The act is recorded in the legally applicable computer system where required. Confirmation depends on the means provided for that record.
Common questions
What to bring
The form and timing of each act depend on the documents, legal requirements and service availability.
- The original of the document to be copied
- Valid photo identification, still in date
This page describes the practice in general terms. Every case turns on its own facts and on the stage it has reached, so nothing here replaces looking at the file itself.