3.4 Certifying or Attesting a Copy

What Certifying or Attesting a Copy Is

Certifying or attesting a copy is a notarial act in which the notary confirms that a reproduction (photocopy) is a complete and accurate copy of an original record presented to the notary. RULONA requires the notary to determine that the copy is a full and accurate transcription or reproduction of the record or item being copied.

This act is unique among the notarial acts because it concerns a document, not a person's signature or statement.

The Defining Feature: No Personal Appearance

Copy certification is the only notarial act that never requires an individual to personally appear before the notary (an oral oath in a Pennsylvania court or administrative proceeding may also be given by phone or video, 4 Pa. Code § 167.42(b)(3)). The other three acts in this chapter - acknowledgment, verification on oath, and witnessing - all require a signer to appear. For a copy certification there is no "signer" to identify; the notary need only have the original in hand to compare.

What Cannot Be Copy-Certified

The 2026 regulations (4 Pa. Code § 167.65) list what a notary may and may not certify. A notary may not issue a certified copy of:

• Vital records - birth and death certificates (certified copies come from the vital records office that holds the original).
• U.S. naturalization certificates.
• A government-issued record that says on its face "do not copy," "illegal to copy," or similar words.
• Any record that another law prohibits copying or certifying.

A notary may certify copies of public records, passports, driver's licenses, transcripts, diplomas, contracts, leases, bills of sale, medical records, consents or waivers, and powers of attorney. (The Department's older sample-statements page still lists marriage and corporate records as off-limits; the regulation's lists are the current rule.)

Procedure

1. The requester provides the original document and a photocopy of it (or the notary may make the copy).
2. The notary compares the copy page-by-page to confirm it is a complete, accurate reproduction, and examines the record for alteration or tampering.
3. Confirm the document is not a vital record or other document the notary is barred from copying.
4. Complete the certificate, sign, date, and stamp. Maximum PA fee is $5 per certified copy.

RULONA Short-Form Certificate

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of __________

I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a __________ (description of record) in the possession of __________ (name of person/custodian).

[Notary signature] [Official stamp] [Title] [Commission expiration]

Why Vital Records Are Off-Limits

The restriction is not arbitrary. Birth and death certificates are held by a vital records office, which alone holds the original and issues official certified copies bearing its seal, and U.S. naturalization certificates are named outright in the regulation. A notary's certification of a photocopy of such a record could be mistaken for the official certification, inviting fraud.

The bar is narrow, though. Other public records, and identity documents such as passports and driver's licenses, are on the regulation's list of records a notary may certify, as are private documents such as diplomas, transcripts, contracts, leases and medical records. When in doubt, check the record against the two lists in 4 Pa. Code § 167.65.

The Notary's Limited Certification

It is important to understand the narrowness of what is certified. The notary is not vouching that the original is authentic, validly executed, current, or legally effective - only that the photocopy in front of them matches the original page for page. A forged original copied faithfully still produces an "accurate copy"; the notary's certificate speaks to fidelity of reproduction, not to the genuineness of the underlying document. This is why copy certification carries no identity check and no oath: there is no person making a representation, only a document being compared.

Practical Cautions

• The notary should make or supervise the copy when possible, to be certain the copy was not altered before comparison.
• If pages are missing, illegible, or the original appears to be itself a copy, the notary should decline rather than certify an incomplete reproduction.

Common Exam Traps

• No personal appearance is needed - copy certification is the only act that never requires it, and a frequent test point.
• A notary cannot certify a copy of a birth or death certificate, a U.S. naturalization certificate, or a record marked "do not copy"; passports, driver's licenses and other public records can be certified.
• The notary certifies the copy's accuracy, not the truth or legal effect of the original document.
• "Attesting a copy" is copy certification - do not confuse it with "attesting a signature," which is the witnessing act in section 3.3.

How Copy Certification Stands Apart

It helps to see copy certification against the other three acts. Those acts revolve around a person: a signer who appears, is identified, and either acknowledges, swears to, or signs a record. Copy certification revolves around a document: there is no signer, no identification of any individual, and no oath. That is precisely why it is the only act that never requires personal appearance, making it almost automatic. The act's value depends on the notary having truly examined the original and confirmed the copy is complete and unaltered.

At the standard $5 per certified copy, the notary may certify several distinct documents in one sitting, each with its own certificate.