How to Make a Certified Copy: Certifiers, Steps, and Costs

To make a certified copy, you bring the original document to an official who is authorized to verify it, that person compares the copy to the original, and they attach a signed, sealed statement confirming the two match. Who that official is depends entirely on the document. A notary public handles most personal papers. Vital records come only from the state that recorded the event. Court records come from the court clerk. Certain federal documents can only be certified by the agency that issued them. Learning how to make a certified copy is mostly a matter of matching the document to the right source before you spend time or money on the wrong one.

Match the Document to the Right Certifier

Picking the wrong certifying official is the most common mistake, and it usually means the receiving agency rejects the copy. Three groups do this work.

Notaries public can certify copies of most personal and private documents: contracts, diplomas, identification pages, letters, and business records. In most states, notaries are prohibited from certifying vital records or other publicly recorded documents, because a certified copy is already available from the office that issued the original. If the issuing agency can produce a certified copy, a notary’s version will not be accepted.

Government issuing agencies are the only source for the records they hold. State and territorial vital records offices are the only place to get certified birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates; the federal government does not distribute these or keep a central file.¹ Certified copies of naturalization and citizenship certificates come only from USCIS, in person.²

Court clerks certify court documents, judgments, and filings from the court where the case was heard.

Getting a Notary-Certified Copy

For personal and private documents, a notary is usually the fastest route. Call ahead first, because state rules and individual notary practices vary.

Bring the original. The notary has to physically compare the copy to it. Remote or emailed originals will not work.
Bring a clean photocopy. Some notaries make the copy for you; others expect you to arrive with one ready.
Watch the comparison. The notary examines both documents side by side to confirm the copy is complete and unaltered.
Receive the notarial certificate. After verifying accuracy, the notary attaches a certificate confirming the copy is true and complete, then adds their signature, printed name, official seal, and the date.³

Notary fees are set by state law. Budget roughly $2 to $15 per certification depending on where you live, and confirm the fee before your appointment.

Ordering a Certified Vital Record

Birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates must be ordered from the vital records office in the state or territory where the event occurred.⁴ Most states offer three ways to order:

Online through the state’s own portal or an authorized service. Often the fastest option for straightforward requests.¹
By mail with a completed application, a copy of your ID, and payment. Processing runs from a few business days to several weeks.
In person at a local vital records office or county clerk. Usually the quickest if you need the document immediately.

Fees generally fall between $10 and $30 per copy, with more for expedited service. States change pricing and turnaround often, so check current figures before you send anything.

Federal Records Only the Agency Can Certify

Military Service Records

Certified copies of discharge papers and service records come from the National Personnel Records Center at the National Archives. Veterans and next of kin can request records online through eVetRecs or by mailing Standard Form 180, with the veteran’s full name used in service, service number, Social Security number, branch and dates of service, and date and place of birth.⁵

Records for veterans discharged within the past 62 years are generally free to the veteran or next of kin. Older archival records cost $25 for files of five pages or fewer and $70 for six pages or more. Next of kin must include proof of death, such as a death certificate or published obituary. Allow at least 90 days before following up.⁵

Social Security Earnings

The Social Security Administration provides certified earnings statements through Form SSA-7050-F4. A certified yearly earnings total costs $35. An itemized statement with employer names and addresses costs $61, and adding certification to that itemized statement is another $35. Uncertified yearly totals are free through your online my Social Security account. The completed form must reach SSA within 120 days of the date you sign it.⁶

Naturalization and Citizenship Certificates

A notary cannot certify a copy of these. You schedule an in-person appointment at your local USCIS office, bring the original certificate and your photocopy, and a USCIS officer produces a “Certified True Copy.” It cannot be done by mail or online.²

Certified Court Documents

For judgments, orders, filings, or anything else in a court file, contact the clerk’s office of the court where the case was filed. Clerks typically charge a per-page copying fee plus a flat certification fee, commonly around $10 to $15 per document on top of copies. Some courts offer certified copies by mail; others require you to appear or send a written request. Call the specific clerk’s office to confirm forms of payment, since many do not accept personal checks.

If the Copy Is Going Overseas

A certified copy that works in the United States may not be accepted abroad. Foreign governments usually require an added layer of authentication, and which one depends on the destination country.

For countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, you need an apostille: a standardized certificate that verifies the signature and seal on your document are genuine. The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications issues apostilles for federal documents and for documents already certified at the state level.⁷ For countries outside the Convention, you need a full authentication certificate instead, and the destination country’s embassy or consulate may require additional steps afterward.

The State Department charges $20 per document for either service.⁸ Mail processing takes roughly five weeks. Walk-in submissions take about seven business days. Same-day appointments are reserved for emergencies involving serious illness or death of an immediate family member abroad.⁷ Notarized documents almost always need county clerk and secretary of state certification first, so confirm the chain of steps in your state before mailing anything to the federal office.

What a Certified Copy Should Contain

Whatever the source, a legitimate certified copy carries four things:

An official seal or stamp, raised, embossed, or inked, from the certifying authority.
The certifier’s signature, handwritten or an authorized electronic version.
The date of certification.
Attestation language confirming accuracy, along the lines of “I certify that the preceding document is a true, exact, complete, and unaltered photocopy made by me from the original document.”³

If any of those is missing, the receiving agency can reject the copy.

Cost at a Glance

Notary-certified copies: roughly $2 to $15 per document, set by state law.
Vital records from a state office: typically $10 to $30 per certified copy.
Court documents: per-page copying plus a certification fee, commonly about $10 to $15 per document.
Military records: free for recent veterans and next of kin; $25 or $70 for archival files depending on length.⁵
Social Security certified earnings: $35 to $96 depending on type.⁶
Apostille or authentication: $20 per document federally, plus any state fees required first.⁸

Confirm accepted forms of payment before submitting. USCIS, for example, has moved away from personal checks for many filings.⁹

Save Yourself a Second Trip

Order extra copies the first time. If you need a certified birth certificate for a passport application, you will probably need another for something else within a year, and additional copies ordered in the same request usually cost less per copy than going back later.

Ask whether the requesting organization has a freshness requirement. Immigration and real estate offices sometimes want a certified copy issued within the last three to twelve months, even though the underlying document has no expiration. A birth certificate is valid forever; a ten-year-old certified copy of it may not be.

Keep your originals secure. Every certified copy process starts with producing the original, and replacing a lost original is far more expensive and slower than making another certified copy. Never leave an original unattended while a notary is working.

1
USAGov. How to Get a Certified Copy of a U.S. Birth Certificate
2
USCIS. How Do I Obtain an Authenticated Copy of a Certificate of Naturalization
3
American Society of Notaries. Certified/Attested Photocopies
4
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records
5
National Archives. Request Military Service Records
6
Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earning Information – Form SSA-7050-F4
7
U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications
8
U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services
9
USCIS. Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document