No, a notary generally cannot certify a copy of a passport. Passports are federal documents issued by the U.S. Department of State, and most state notary laws either prohibit certifying copies of government-issued records outright or carve them out from the copy-certification authority notaries otherwise have. If you need a certified passport copy, you have two realistic paths: a notarized “copy certification by document custodian” declaration that you sign under oath, or an official certified copy from the State Department for $50.
Why Notaries Are Blocked From Certifying Passport Copies
Notaries are commissioned by individual states, not the federal government. Their core functions are verifying the identity of a signer, administering oaths, and taking acknowledgments. A large majority of states do let notaries certify copies of some documents, but those same states carve out exceptions for public records, vital records, and documents issued by government agencies. A passport falls into all of those categories. Only the U.S. Department of State has authority to issue and verify U.S. passports, and a state-commissioned notary has no standing to vouch for a federal document’s authenticity.
There’s also a fraud-prevention rationale. Passports carry security features — watermarks, holograms, embedded chips — that a photocopy discards. A notary seal on a bare photocopy could lend false legitimacy to something the notary has no way to authenticate in the first place.
If a notary offers to stamp your passport photocopy as certified anyway, treat it as a warning sign. Any document produced that way is likely to be rejected by whoever asked for it.
The Document Custodian Workaround
The practical alternative most people use is called copy certification by document custodian. It works by shifting who is doing the certifying. Instead of the notary certifying the copy, you certify it, and the notary notarizes your signature on that sworn statement.
The steps are straightforward:
- Make a photocopy of the passport pages you need.
- Write or complete a declaration stating that the attached copy is a true, correct, and complete reproduction of the original document in your possession.
- Sign the declaration in front of a notary. The notary administers an oath or affirmation, attaches standard jurat language (“subscribed and sworn to before me”), and applies the seal.
The notary here is doing what they’re actually authorized to do: confirming your identity, watching you sign, and notarizing your sworn statement. They are not certifying the passport copy itself. You are.
The catch is acceptance. A custodian declaration carries less weight than an official certified copy from the State Department, and there is no guarantee the receiving institution will accept it. Banks, foreign consulates, courts, and other institutions set their own documentation policies. Ask the requesting party first whether a notarized custodian affidavit will do, or whether they require an official certified copy. Showing up with the wrong version wastes the trip.
Getting an Official Certified Copy From the State Department
When the requesting party won’t accept a custodian declaration, your only option is a certified copy of your passport record from the U.S. Department of State. State Department passport records go back to March 1925.
The request is a written one, sent to the Office of Records Management in Sterling, Virginia. You’ll need to include enough identifying information for the office to locate your file, along with your signature either notarized or made under penalty of perjury. You can request records for yourself, your minor child, someone you’re the legal guardian of, or anyone who has authorized you in writing.
Regular copies of the record are free. Certification is $50 per document, paid by check or money order to “U.S. Department of State.” The $50 figure is set by the federal fee schedule at 22 CFR § 22.1.
The State Department doesn’t publish a firm turnaround time for records requests, and these can take several weeks or longer. If you know you’ll need a certified record for a legal proceeding, an immigration matter, or an international transaction, build in lead time.
What Each Option Actually Gets Accepted For
Because the workaround and the official copy aren’t interchangeable, it helps to know where each one lands.
Employment Verification (Form I-9)
Neither option applies. Employers completing Form I-9 must examine original documents. A U.S. passport is a “List A” document establishing both identity and work authorization, and USCIS states that a notary should not apply their seal to the I-9 form. A notarized photocopy of a passport does not satisfy I-9 requirements. If a notary completes Section 2 as the employer’s authorized representative, they’re acting as the employer’s agent, not in their notarial capacity.
Apostilles for International Use
If your destination country participates in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, the document usually needs an apostille from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications. That office requires an original or an official certified copy with original seals and signatures. A notarized custodian affidavit will not qualify. You would need the $50 official certified copy first, then submit that for the apostille.
Banks and Financial Institutions
Banks subject to federal know-your-customer rules generally want to see the original passport in person. Some will accept a notarized copy for remote account opening or international transfers, but policies vary widely. Call ahead before going through either process.
Choosing Between the Two Options
Start with the requesting party. Ask them, in specific terms, what they will accept: an original, a notarized copy certification by document custodian, or an official certified copy from the State Department.
If a custodian declaration is acceptable, it’s the faster and cheaper route. Any commissioned notary can handle it. Bring your passport, sign the declaration under oath, and leave with a notarized document the same day.
If the requesting party insists on an official certified copy, or if the document will need an apostille for use abroad, submit the written request to the State Department with the $50 fee and allow several weeks. For international use in a Hague country, budget for the apostille step on top of the certified copy.
The one path that isn’t available is handing a notary your passport and asking them to stamp the photocopy as certified. That’s outside what state notary commissions authorize for federal documents, and a document produced that way is likely to fail wherever you take it.