Many legal processes require a notarized copy of your passport, green card, and similar documents. Please note that in most cases, a notarized copy of a birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc., cannot be used, and a certified copy must be used for them.
However, for those documents where a notarized copy is required, people routinely face difficulty. Many people complain that the notary refuses to notarize a copy of their passport. Notaries are not completely wrong in many cases, as several states do not allow notaries to notarize the photocopy of a document as a “TRUE COPY”.
Therefore, we have listed several options here. In each case, make a photocopy of the document and take it to the notary along with the original document.
- The notary will write or stamp “TRUE COPY” on the document and put their signature and the stamp on the photocopy.
- If the state where you live does not allow option #1, as described above, the notary can notarize your signature.
In this case, type the following paragraph on a blank sheet of paper, and superimpose the photocopy over the contents of that paper. Then, take it to the notary.
State of <YOUR_STATE>
County of <YOUR_COUNTY>
I, <YOUR_NAME>, affirm that the attached is a true and complete copy of the document which it purports to represent.
_________________________ (YOUR SIGNATURE HERE)
Subscribed and sworn to before me this <DAY> day of <MONTH>, <YEAR>.
____________________________
Signature of Notary Public
My commission expires <MM/DD/YYYY>
Sample notary document. - If your notary refuses to sign on the same paper as the photocopied document, as described in option #2 above, you can have a certification of copy prepared on a separate paper.
This certificate is attached to a passport copy of <YOUR NAME>. (Change the wording accordingly, here.)Certification of Copy
State of __________________
County of _________________
I, Custodian of Document Copied, swear/affirm that the foregoing (or attached) is a true and complete copy of the document which it purports to represent, and the photocopied document is neither a public record nor a publicly recordable document, certified copies of which are available from an official source other than a notary public.
________________________________________________
Signature of Affiant/Custodian of Document Copied
Subscribed and sworn (or affirmed) before me this _______ Day of _______________, _________.
______________________________________
Signature of Notary Public
______________________________________
Name of Notary printed, typed or stamped
Notary Public, State of ________________
My Commission Expires __________________ - If the notary is unwilling to write any statements on his own photocopy of the document, you can write a statement like “I declare this is a true, exact, and unaltered photocopy of my passport,” and sign below it in presence of the notary. And ask the notary to notarize your signature. If you face any difficulty with this, insist to the notary that they are simply notarizing your signature and not the contents of the document.
