certified copy of passport question
 

I need a certified copy of my passport and was wondering what would be the quickest way to do this.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

My guess would be to contact a Notary Public and ask if they will certify a copy of your passport. I believe you would take your passport into them, they would copy it, and then put their official notary stamp on it.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

i find that using a photocopier is typically faster than copying it by hand.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

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My guess would be to contact a Notary Public and ask if they will certify a copy of your passport. I believe you would take your passport into them, they would copy it, and then put their official notary stamp on it.

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Yes. Any public notary can do this. Check your place of employment - if you work in an office then there is a good chance that someone is a certified notary.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

never mind. read it as bc, not passport.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

You should probably go to a passport office. I'm fairly sure that copying a passport is illegal.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

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You should probably go to a passport office. I'm fairly sure that copying a passport is illegal.

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It is not illegal, at least according to the United States Department of State, who actually suggests you make and keep a copy of your own passport.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/19795.pdf

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You should probably go to a passport office. I'm fairly sure that copying a passport is illegal.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is not illegal, at least according to the United States Department of State, who actually suggests you make and keep a copy of your own passport.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/19795.pdf

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You can make a black and white copy of the identification page only. Making a color copy, especially actual size, is another matter entirely.

But back to the OP, the bigger question is, who is asking you for a certified copy of your passport, and what do they want it for?

You can get a certified copy of passport records from the State Department, but I doubt it's an actual copy of your passport.

I can't imagine that a notary, or anyone else, can certify a copy of a passport. They can notarize your signature, but what qualifies them to recognize a valid U.S. passport and make a certified copy?

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

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You can make a black and white copy of the identification page only. Making a color copy, especially actual size, is another matter entirely.

But back to the OP, the bigger question is, who is asking you for a certified copy of your passport, and what do they want it for?

You can get a certified copy of passport records from the State Department, but I doubt it's an actual copy of your passport.

I can't imagine that a notary, or anyone else, can certify a copy of a passport. They can notarize your signature, but what qualifies them to recognize a valid U.S. passport and take a certified copy?

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During the training that is required so that you can pass the notary exam, students are instructed to take care when examining documents, to make certain they look authentic. Furthermore, to clarify, a notary cannot certify a photocopy of a passport alone. What they can notarize is a photocopy of the passport, which includes a statement saying that the person (the OP) certifies that it is a true and correct copy of the passport. So, that pretty much lets the notary off the hook, because they are just saying that the copy is correct (ie hasn't been altered), not that it is a copy of an authentic document.

Re: certified copy of passport question
 

Usually there are other options like your lawyer, banker or police department. You probably just need to read the instructions from the party which requires the document. When opening an offshore bank account the copy can be certified by others than a notaty public and it's all in the instructions from the firm.

Good luck.