What a certified copy is
A certified copy is a copy of a document, often a photocopy, that a person with legal authority has checked against the original and confirmed as true. The certifier needs to see both the original and the copy, then stamps and signs the copy. Victoria’s and Queensland’s registries ask for certified copies, not originals: Victoria’s says to send only copies, and Queensland’s says plainly not to post original identity documents.
The same task, three different lists
Here is how three official bodies answer the question, each for its own purposes.
Queensland’s registry
For copies posted to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the page lists:
Within Australia
- “Justice of the Peace (JP) or Commissioner for Declarations (Cdec)”
- “Barrister or solicitor”
- “Notary public”
Outside Australia
- “Notary public”
- “Australian Embassy or Consulate officer”
Victoria’s registry
Inside Victoria, the registry points to the justice department’s list. For the rest, its page says:
Other states and territories
- “A sworn member of the police”
- “A Justice of the Peace.”
Outside Australia
- “An Australian consulate or embassy official”
- “A Notary Public”
- “A local member of the police.”
Victoria’s justice department
The full Victorian list is long. It opens with 18 occupations whose members are currently licensed or registered to practise in Australia, from architect to veterinary surgeon, and goes on through accountants with certain memberships, bank officers and public servants with years of service, police officers, teachers, Justices of the Peace and many other office-holders.
Two cautions come with it: a certifier does not have to accept a request, and a workplace may not offer the service even when its staff can certify; the department’s example is a pharmacist whose pharmacy does not.
How a copy is certified
Victoria’s registry first asks you to make a clear copy (a print shop or a local library can help, and black and white is fine), take it with the original to a person authorised to certify copies, and make sure the document is current or dated within the last 12 months. The justice department then describes the visit in this order:
Bring both
Take the original and a copy of it to the certifier. A document cannot be certified remotely.
The original is examined
The certifier checks that the original is not itself a copy or a forgery.
The copy is compared
The certifier checks that the copy is identical. A different size or colour still counts, as long as no material information is lost.
The copy is marked
The certifier writes or stamps the words “Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me” on it, signs and dates it, and adds their name, personal or professional address and their qualification as a certifier.
Every page is covered
For a copy of several pages, the certifier signs or initials and numbers every page.
A document in another language can be certified too, as long as the certifier is satisfied the copy matches the original. For Victoria’s registry, a document not in English also needs a certified English translation, and in Australia the translator must be accredited by NAATI, the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
For use overseas, a JP is not enough
Copies for another country follow different rules, and DFAT sets them out.
- DFAT does not witness signatures or certify true copies inside Australia, even for documents headed overseas.
- A Justice of the Peace can certify a true copy, and a JP’s signature is recognised anywhere in Australia, but JPs cannot certify documents for use overseas; an Australian Notary Public does that.
- Overseas, Australian consular officers can verify and certify a copy, and they can certify copies of foreign documents meant for use in Australia. For use outside Australia, a local notary public may be needed.
The same rule shows up when a document needs an apostille: DFAT cannot legalise a document that has only been certified by a Justice of the Peace. The guide to apostilles and authentications follows that process.
A statutory declaration is a different job
The Attorney-General’s Department publishes who can witness a Commonwealth statutory declaration. That list is about witnessing a declaration, not certifying a copy, so this guide does not treat it as a list of certifiers. The two do meet: if you lack the identity documents Victoria’s registry asks for, it accepts certified copies of whatever shows your name together with a statutory declaration explaining why.