Document Certification - the Process of Confirming the Validity of a Document

 

When submitting an application for a bank account, mortgage, or a new job abroad, a certified copy of a document could be needed. A vital tool in the battle against fraud is certified copies. In the United Kingdom, fraud has been the most prevalent criminal offense for the past thirty years. According to the Fraud Prevention Community of the UK, fraud costs the nation £190 billion a year.

Who has the authority to certify papers in the UK?

The Document Certification procedure may be completed by a third party or the company that issued the document. A bank may certify printed copies of bank statements, or a solicitor may certify a copy of a passport. Often, an organization will provide a list of certified third parties in response to a request for a certified document.

Typically, the list includes notaries, solicitors, and oath commissioners. In other instances, a wide range of people are involved, including FCA specialists, accountants, magistrates, and chartered surveyors.

The person certifying on the documentation cannot be a relative, someone you live with, or someone you are intimately connected with. Different professions will charge different amounts for certification of documents. You may be wondering how much documentation certification from a bank costs. A lawyer or notary public will likely charge a different fee for document certification than a bank or doctor would.

You should talk to the professional right away to find out the cost up front. The Document Legalisation cost may vary depending on the professional's degree of skill and experience, the volume of work needed, the professional's location, and whether the document will be used outside of the UK.

It is advisable to find out from the institution that needs the certified copy of the record. They may have requirements of their own for document certification. If documents are to be used outside of the United Kingdom, they most likely need to be certified by a notary public.

How Can Someone Get Certified?

The certifier must receive the original document. They will then duplicate the original and attest to the copy after that. The certification's wording may need to meet specific standards of the organization making the request for the document. Different organizations, particularly those that come from different countries, often have different needs.

If the original document is misplaced, what would happen?

If you can demonstrate to the certifier where the document originated, you can still complete the certification process even if you do not have the original document. To print your electronically issued bank statement or utility bill, for example, you will have to show the certifier how to use the app or website of the bank or utility provider to log in, download the document in PDF format, and print.