Certifying a Passport Copy

[answerer]

I need to get a copy of my passport certified in order to open up a bank account by mail. I supposedly can go to HSBC or any other "Licensed Bank". Anyone done this before?

[drambuie]

When some party (person or organisation) asks you to furnish a certified true copy of ( x = a legal document of some kind), than this party is saying that it does not believe that the copy you are about to provide to him is true or genuine and admissible in a court of law.

Normally in British Commonwealth countries the people who are allowed to provide this certification service are called a notary public: certain lawyers, judges, usually people with initial

[jlick]

Not so sure about the American consulate but I don

[answerer]

The problem is that I don't need a notarization (verification of signature)...I need some official to make a copy of my passport and write "Certified Copy" on it... Apparently, Taiwan laws do not allow banks to do such things.

[miso]

I had to get a certification of my passport to open a bank account. Not sure, if it's the same thing you need though. I had to get a so called "Tongyi bianhao" from the local police station (in Taipei the one at Yanping Rd.) and with this number and my passport I was allowed to open a bank account without ARC.

[Tigerman]

The problem is that I don't need a notarization (verification of signature)...I need some official to make a copy of my passport and write "Certified Copy" on it... Apparently, Taiwan laws do not allow banks to do such things.

You are a national of what country?

If all you need is a certified copy of your passport (usually just the two pages with your photo and vital information) you should be able to go to your country's trade/representative office or consulate here in Taipei and have them stamp the copy.

Usually, the stamp will indicate something like:

This certifies that this is a true and correct copy of Mr. X's passport.

[Jive Turkey]

The problem is that I don't need a notarization (verification of signature)...I need some official to make a copy of my passport and write "Certified Copy" on it... Apparently, Taiwan laws do not allow banks to do such things.

I have no idea how it works in Taiwan, but it seems that a certified copy in the States consists of:
1. an imprint from a notary seal
2. another stamp beside it that says "true copy."
3. and the signature of the notary public.
Every time I've gotten a certified copy in the US, then was how it was done.

If all you need is a certified copy of your passport (usually just the two pages with your photo and vital information) you should be able to go to your country's trade/representative office or consulate here in Taipei and have them stamp the copy.

I'm not sure if that is acceptable. When I was studying on Uncle Sam's dime in the UK a few years ago, I was allowed to have student aid documents notarized by a British Notary Public (and it was a damn lot more expensive than in the US, damn poms) rather than go all the way down to the embassy in London. However, I knew folks who were studying at the same time in non-English speaking countries who were told that they had to have the documents notarized by a US Notary Public (i.e., a US consular official). I think it depends on the country, the source of the document and who receives the document. For a copy of a passport, he could probably also use the local equivalent of a notary public (is there such a system in the ROC?).

[Tigerman]

For a copy of a passport, he could probably also use the local equivalent of a notary public (is there such a system in the ROC?).

Yes. They are a department of the District Courts.

[Neo]

US notary publics can also certify that a document is a true and correct copy of the original, and at least in the states that I've looked at, this makes the copy equivalent to an original. Don't quote me on that last part though

[answerer]

Here's the summary:

I'm a US citizen and am opening an HSBC Offshore account in the Jersey Islands. They need me to send a certified copy of my passport as an identity verification. In Taiwan, it is illegal for banks to open offshore bank accounts(something about money laundering). However, HSBC branch managers could issue an internal identify verification memo saying that they saw me with my passport. So I've done that and I'll find out soon if it worked.