Clarification – Certified Copies of Apostille Certificates
This is provided as clarification to a question posed in the latest Royal Federation Accreditation Test.
Justices of the Peace (JPs) must not make certified copies for apostille certificates.
- The manual explicitly states: “Justices of the Peace cannot certify copies FOR an apostille (see 3.5). But you may be authorised to make a certified copy OF an apostille.”
It’s important to differentiate between:
- Verifying a document for an apostille: This means verifying the authenticity of a document for the purpose of submitting it to obtain an apostille. The manual explains that an apostille certificate is an official government authentication of documents for use in other countries. The manual clarifies that JPs cannot certify copies for this purpose.
- Certifying a copy of an apostille certificate: This refers to making a certified copy of an existing apostille certificate. The manual explicitly allows JPs to do this.
The manual explains that the power to certify documents is conferred by government agencies on trusted individuals. While JPs are trusted to certify general copies, the authority to verify an original and certify a copy for an apostille rests with specific entities like the original issuing office or a notary public.
Therefore, a JP cannot certify a copy to be used in the apostille process, but they can certify a copy of an already existing apostille certificate.