True Copy Attestation by Notary in Vadodara

Notary

The original must be produced. Every time.

A Notary cannot certify a copy against another copy. He certifies what he has compared, and if what he compared was itself a photocopy, the certificate is worthless and misleading. If you send a scan by WhatsApp and ask for a true copy by courier, the honest answer is no. Bring the original, take it home again in the same visit.

What the certificate actually says

It says: this document, of so many pages, has been compared with the original produced before me, and is a true copy of it. That is a statement about the copy, not about the original. A true copy of a forged degree certificate is still a true copy. The Notary is vouching that the photocopy has not been altered, not that the underlying document is genuine or that its issuer stands behind it.

Understanding that saves arguments. When an employer or a university asks for “notarised copies”, what they want is assurance that the papers you posted are not doctored versions of what you hold. Verification of the underlying qualification is a separate exercise they will do themselves.

The fee, and why it is per page

Rule 10(1) of the Notaries Rules, 1956 fixes the maximum for a true copy at ₹10 per page, subject to a minimum of ₹20. So a two-page copy and a one-page copy both sit at the minimum; a twenty-page copy is priced by the page. These are ceilings under the Rules, and Rule 10(2) requires the rates to be on display inside and outside the office. If you are quoted a per-document price that bears no relation to the page count, ask to see the displayed rate card. Our general note on notary charges in Vadodara sets out how the statutory maxima work.

Copies we are asked for most

Educational documents — marksheets, degree and diploma certificates, transcripts — for employers, universities and credential-evaluation bodies.
Identity and address documents for bank account opening, KYC updates and tender submissions.
Property papers — the sale deed, Index-2, the 7/12 extract — where the original has to stay in the bank's custody or a family member's hands.
Company and firm documents — incorporation certificate, partnership deed, GST registration — for tender and empanelment files, where a fresh set is needed for each bid.
Passports and visas, where the original must travel with you.

How we do it

You bring the original. We take the copies here, or check the copies you have brought page by page against the original — both sides where anything is printed on the reverse, and every page, not the first and last. Each page is stamped and initialled, the certificate goes on the copy, and the seal required by section 8(2) of the Notaries Act, 1952 is affixed with the Notary's signature. The act is entered in the Notarial Register in Form XV under Rule 11(2) and you get a receipt under Rule 11(9).

Take more copies than you think you need. Coming back next month with the original for one more set is a wasted trip, and originals get lost on wasted trips.

Often you do not need this at all.

DigiLocker documents carry their own verification and many offices now accept them directly. Many online applications ask for a self-attested copy — you sign it yourself, and no Notary is involved. Some departments want a gazetted officer's attestation, which a notarial seal does not substitute for. Read what the receiving office asked for before you pay anyone.

Where a true copy will not help you

It does not create a duplicate of a lost original. If the original is gone, what you need is a duplicate from the issuing authority, usually supported by a lost-document affidavit and a police complaint — not a certified copy of a copy, which does not exist. It also does not extend the life of an expired document. And for property, note the 2025 amendment to the Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958, which added an Explanation treating copies, extracts and photocopies as original instruments for stamp duty purposes. Stamping one copy and photocopying it is no longer a safe route. That is a stamp question, not a notarial one — see e-stamp certificates.

What to bring

The original document — without it nothing can be certified
Photocopies of every page you want certified, or ask us to take them here
Copies of both sides of any document printed on the reverse
Your own photo identity, so the file records who produced the original
A count of how many certified sets you need, decided before you come
For a bound document, the pages you actually need rather than the whole volume

Document Attestation by a Notary in Vadodara

The Notarial Certificate: What a Valid One Looks Like

Notary Work for Banks in Vadodara

Passport and Embassy Documents: What Still Needs a Notary

Common questions

Can you certify a copy if I only have a scan or a photocopy?

No. A Notary certifies a copy against an original that has been produced to him. Certifying a copy against another copy would be a statement he has no basis to make, and a document created that way misleads whoever relies on it. If your original is with a bank or a government office, ask them for a certified copy from their own custody, or retrieve the original for a day and bring it in.

How much does a certified true copy cost?

Rule 10(1) of the Notaries Rules, 1956 caps the notarial fee at ten rupees per page, with a minimum of twenty rupees. A short document therefore sits at the minimum and a long one is priced by page count. That is a ceiling fixed by the Rules, not a suggested price, and Rule 10(2) requires the rates to be displayed inside and outside the office where you can read them.

Does a true copy prove my certificate is genuine?

It proves the photocopy matches the original produced to the Notary. It says nothing about whether the original is authentic — a faithful copy of a forged certificate is still a faithful copy. Employers and universities know this, which is why serious verification goes back to the issuing institution. The true copy exists so that you can keep your original and still give people something that has not been tampered with.

True Copy Attestation in Vadodara