A certified true copy or simply certified copy has two definitions or rather two divisions, a traditional certified copy, and a true certified copy.
The traditional certified copy is just the normal copy of a document that has already been endorsed and certified by a Canadian professional.
A true certified copy is the photocopy of the document issued by a Canadian government office i.e. the copy of the initial document issued to you by the Canadian government.
There are some situations or occurrences where you may need to provide vital documents such as your birth certificate, passport, id card, educational documents used in an application or any other important document to support.
In many cases, it is preferable to submit your certified true copy instead of the original. The certified true copy is most times called certified copy or commonly as a certified copy. This idea will help you avoid the stress of loosening your original documents or actually trying to replace them.
Certified duplicates are ordinarily required for student, employment, and government applications. Some University may need certified duplicates of your degrees and students transcripts. A business may need certified duplicates of your professional documents.
An administrative body may need you to submit a certified photocopy of your identification and qualification documents before they can actually affirm or give you a license.
Certified true copies may also be required for continuous reporting necessities, for example, the Personal Information Forms frequently required by stock trades and securities controllers. Or then again you may require a certified duplicate of your rent or service bills to show your residence to put your kid in school.
Whenever you submit your document, you must ensure you submit the certified true copy of that document and not necessarily the original. But the photocopy must be readable, and it must be certified a professional or a service Canada centre.
You cannot ask your relative to help you or certify the documents yourself
In case you are not able to reach any Service Canada Centre, a staff of the following profession can certify the photocopy:
Police officer, professional engineer, social worker, teacher, university professor, An employee of any Service Canada Center, accountant, chief of First Nations band, commissioner for oaths, funeral director, justice of the peace, lawyer, magistrate, notary, director of a financial organization, chiropractor, dentist, doctor, naturopathic doctor, nurse practitioner, ophthalmologist, optometrist, pharmacist, psychologist, registered nurse, government official, one of the parliament member municipal clerk, federal or provincial government staff.
When certifying the documents, you must:
- Compare both copies both original and photocopy.
- Provide your names and the position held
- Provide a phone number.
- Document the day that it was certified
- And the write the following statements on it “this copy is certified as a true copy of the original document and has not been altered”
when your document provided does not have any of the mentioned elements above, it will be rejected and you will have to provide a different one which could extend your processing time. Also, include your social insurance number on the document.