Notarization

Notarizing a document is having a notary public witness the signature(s) on the document and then certify that the signature is genuine. Many lawyers, in addition to notaries publics, are certified to notarize papers, and in some provinces, commissioners of oaths can also notarize documents. Your document will be notarized by a professional who will stamp and sign it, indicating that they observed the signature (s).

In many cases, having your document notarized is an essential first step in the document authentication and legalization process.

Certified True Copies

A certified true copy is a copy of your document that a notary public or lawyer has certified as being an accurate representation of the original. A notary public or lawyer will compare a copy of your document to the original, and then stamp and sign this copy, marking it as a certified true copy.

Certified true copies can be used when you don’t want your original documents to be marked up by the authentication and legalization process. However, care must be taken because not all diplomatic missions or foreign authorities will accept certified true copies.

The First Step in Document Authentication and Legalization