You’ve been asked to provide a certified copy of a document. Maybe it’s for school, an overseas transaction, or paperwork involving an inheritance. The organization may even have supplied the exact statement it wants a notary to sign.
Before scheduling an appointment, there’s something worth knowing: the document and the requested wording both matter. Georgia notaries can certify certain copies, but a receiving organization’s instructions must stay within the authority Georgia gives its notaries.
When can a Georgia notary certify a copy?
Georgia law allows a notary to certify a copy when:
The document presented for copying is an original.
It is not a public record or publicly recorded document for which certified copies are available from an official source other than a notary.
The photocopying takes place under the notary’s supervision.
That means bringing an existing photocopy and asking for a stamp is not enough. For direct copy certification, plan to provide the original and arrange for the copying to happen during the appointment.
Which documents may qualify?
An original diploma is one example. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, known as GSCCCA, specifically describes a process for a Georgia notary to certify a copy of an original diploma in its apostille guidance.
Other documents require different preparation. For school transcripts being prepared for a Georgia apostille, GSCCCA instructs that an issuing school official sign in the notary’s presence. A diploma and a transcript should not automatically be handled the same way.
Before your appointment, share the document type and the recipient’s instructions so the appropriate process can be reviewed.
Which documents need certification from an official office?
Birth certificates, death certificates, marriage records, divorce decrees, and other court records generally require certified copies from the office that maintains them.
For example, a Georgia marriage certificate may need to come from the issuing probate court, while a divorce decree comes from the appropriate Clerk of Superior Court. A notary’s stamp on a photocopy does not replace the official certification these records require.
What about passports and driver’s licenses?
Requests involving identification documents deserve a close look at the instructions. The organization may want a certified reproduction, a sworn statement from the document holder, or additional statements about the person’s identity.
Those requests are not interchangeable.
For apostille preparation, GSCCCA provides specific procedures, including a U.S. Passport Affidavit and a document-custodian affidavit process for driver’s licenses. Those apostille instructions should not be treated as a universal requirement for every request involving identification.
Tell your notary which identification document is involved, where it is going, and exactly what the recipient requires.
Can a notary certify that a photograph is a “true likeness”?
A Georgia notary may not use the statement “the photograph is a true likeness” as part of the requested certification.
I contacted GSCCCA directly to clarify this wording. Their response confirmed that the statement is not permitted for a Georgia notary and referenced page 50 of the current Georgia Notary Public Handbook.
This distinction matters because an organization may combine several requests into one sentence. For example, its form might ask the notary to confirm that a copy matches an original and that the photograph is a true likeness of the person.
Even when a notary has met the person, examined the original identification, and personally made the photocopy, the photographic-likeness statement remains outside the permitted wording confirmed by GSCCCA.
What if the organization insists on its own wording?
An organization may provide a preferred certification statement, but that request does not expand a Georgia notary’s authority. Georgia prohibits notaries from claiming powers they do not possess.
If the wording includes something the notary cannot certify, the next step is to ask the receiving organization what compliant alternative it will accept. That might involve revised wording or another qualified professional.
Simply removing a sentence without checking with the recipient could leave you with paperwork it will not accept. Reviewing the instructions before the appointment gives everyone a chance to resolve the issue early.
Is a document-holder affidavit the same as direct copy certification?
No. With direct copy certification, the notary makes the permitted certification about the copy.
With a document-holder affidavit, the holder makes a sworn statement about the document, and the notary performs the notarization associated with that statement. GSCCCA provides separate forms for these two processes.
An affidavit should not be substituted automatically when an organization has asked for the notary’s own certification. The recipient needs to confirm that the alternative meets its requirements.
How to prepare for your appointment
Before booking, gather:
The original document.
The recipient’s complete instructions and any required certification wording.
The name of the organization and country receiving it.
Any instructions about an apostille or other authentication.
Your submission deadline.
Please share the instructions in advance. You can initially describe the document without emailing sensitive identification numbers or unredacted passport images.
Need help with a certified-copy request?
At Andrea Vantrees Notary Services, I review the requested service and wording before proceeding. If your request requires an official certified record or a different certification process, identifying that early can help prevent an unnecessary appointment.
I provide mobile notary services in Douglas, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, and Troup counties, along with the South Fulton area.
Have a document and instructions ready? Contact me to discuss your request and schedule an appointment.
Call or text: 678-941-9440
Email: avantrees.notary@gmail.com
Website: avantreesnotary.com
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