Very often, when making any transactions or issuing certificates, certificates, etc., it is required to provide copies of any documents, since their originals are kept by the owner in a single copy. But in order for the copies to have any legal force, they must be certified in accordance with the established rules and regulations.
When do you need to certify documents
Copies of documents must be certified in any case, otherwise they will be considered just pieces of paper, even if their content exactly matches the original. But who the copy will be certified by depends largely on the organization to which you need to submit it. In some cases, it will be enough if the document is certified by the seal of your organization, in some - you will have to pay a notary for this procedure.
Copies of documents may be required for you to submit to the tax authorities and extra-budgetary funds, when registering civil transactions, as well as for presentation to courts, etc. So, in particular, clause 8 of article 75 of the Administrative-Legal Code of the Russian Federation establishes a rule according to which the original documents or their copies, duly certified, must be presented to the courts. Otherwise, if the copies are not certified correctly, the judgment may be challenged and even canceled.
How to certify a copy of a document with a notary
At a notary, you can certify a copy of absolutely any document, but since you have to pay for this, you should certify only those documents for which notarization is stipulated by the regulations. So, only notarized copies are accepted in the case of tax registration and registration of the company in the state register or in the case of paperwork for obtaining membership in an SRO and admission to the implementation of a particular type of activity. Citizens will need notarization in the event of an inheritance, real estate transactions, etc.
In the absence of a notary, the certifying signature of the head of the administration of the municipality or a specially authorized official may be equated to his signature.
How to certify a copy of a document yourself
If the normative document does not directly indicate the need to provide notarized copies, you can certify their authenticity yourself. According to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 04.08.83 No. 9779-X "On the procedure for issuing and certifying copies of documents concerning the rights of citizens" by enterprises, institutions and organizations, a copy can be certified by the head of the enterprise or any official who has this is the authority. These powers are provided by the relevant order of the organization.
If the copy is on several sheets, you can certify each of them separately or stitch and number the sheets and indicate in the certifying inscription: "The copy on 3 sheets is correct."
Therefore, the documents of the organization itself and its employees have the right to be certified by the head or the official who has the authority to do so. The legal force of such a copy, in accordance with GOST R 51141-98, will be given by the necessary details: a mark about where the original document is located, the date of issue and the inscription "Copy is correct", confirmed by the surname, initials, signature of the official-witness. The authenticity of the signature of the witness is confirmed by the seal of the organization.
