Certified copies: what they are and how many you need
Every agency in a name change wants a certified copy rather than a photocopy. What one actually looks like, how many to order, and where they come from.
A certified copy is issued by the office that holds the original record, and it carries a raised seal or a colored stamp.
A photocopy is refused everywhere, and several states also refuse a certified copy that has been laminated.
Order at least three. Social Security, your state license agency and the passport agency each want to see one, and they do not all return it quickly.
A marriage certificate comes from vital records — at state level in some states and from the county that issued the license in most.
A decree or a court order comes from the clerk of the court that issued it, in the state where the case was filed.
The commemorative certificate from a ceremony is not a certified copy and no agency will accept it.
How to tell a certified copy from a photocopy
- It was issued by the office holding the original record, not printed by you.
- It carries a raised seal, an embossed stamp, or a colored ink stamp — something a photocopier cannot reproduce.
- It usually carries a file or certificate number and the signature of a registrar or clerk.
- It is printed on security paper in many states.
- It has not been laminated. Lamination defeats the seal check and several states refuse it outright.
How many to order
Three is the practical minimum and five is more comfortable. Most agencies return the document, but not all of them return it quickly, and having only one turns the whole sequence into a queue.
Ordering extras at the same time is nearly always cheaper than ordering them one at a time later — most offices charge a search fee on the first copy and a smaller amount for each additional copy in the same request.
Where they come from
A marriage certificate comes from vital records, and which office that means genuinely differs by state. Some states hold marriage records centrally; most leave them with the county that issued the license, and a few split the two by date.
A divorce decree or a court order comes from the clerk of the court that issued it. The name of that court changes at every state line — the Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania, where you ask the prothonotary; the Chancery Court in Tennessee, where the records officer is the Clerk and Master; the Supreme Court in New York, which is the trial court there and confuses almost everybody.
Order from the state where the event was filed, not the state where you live now. The record sits where it was created.
Questions people ask
- Will a photocopy of my marriage certificate work?
- No. Every agency in the sequence requires the original or a certified copy, and a photocopy is refused.
- How many certified copies should I order?
- At least three. Social Security, your state license agency and the passport agency each want to see one, and ordering extras in the same request is cheaper than ordering them separately later.
- How long do certified copies take to arrive?
- Usually two to six weeks by mail, and often the same day if you can go in person. Many offices offer expedited postage for a few dollars more.
- Can I laminate it to keep it safe?
- No. Lamination prevents the seal from being checked and several states refuse a laminated certified copy.
Where to get one in your stateHow to change your name
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