“Sir, sir, can you satisfy me please, I need to hand in my application!”

Sir blushed as Nomkitha waved the copy of her ID. She wanted the copy CERTIFIED. And the word ‘SATISFY’ has a very different meaning… in fact, it sounded to Sir like she wanted to have good sex with him!

Satisfy means to please someone. To certify means something very different.

What is a certified copy?
A certified copy is a copy of a document where a registered commissioner of oaths has stamped that it is a true copy of the original item. These commissioners are recognised by law as trustworthy people. Commissioners can be policemen, lawyers, post office workers, accountants, and some school principals.

The reason people want certified copies is to check that the original documents or ID books are genuine. This is to avoid fraud, where people can make up certificates and documents on the computer that look real.

Where can you get certified copies?
You can get copies certified at:
– A police station
– A post office
– A lawyer’s office
– An accountant’s office
– Some schools where the principal is a registered commissioner of oaths

How to certify your documents
Take your original documents as well as the photocopies to your nearest police station, post office, or lawyer’s office. Ask them to certify the documents, and they will stamp them.

You do NOT need to pay anyone to certify a document, it is a free service.

Some places may have a limit on how many copies they will certify so you may want to phone and check first.

Some places insist that a document should be certified within three months of application so you need to check that too.

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