At ITIN Genie, we get a lot of questions about Certification and Notarization of Passports. There are a lot of misconceptions about these documents and how the IRS handles them for Form W-7 ITIN applications. In this article we aim to clear up what is and is not a Certified True Copy of a Passport, as well as where you can get them created in Canada and internationally. Furthermore, we discuss how you can avoid these documents altogether by using a Certifying Acceptance Agent such as ITIN Genie.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about Certified True Copies of Passports!
What is a Certified True Copy of a Passport?
A certified true copy of a passport is a photocopy of the original passport that has been officially verified as a true and accurate copy by a recognized authority. This is often required when you need to submit identification documents but want to keep your original passport safe.
A certified true copy of a passport must be provided by the original issuing agency and contains an official stamped seal from the Agency. Only documents that contain this stamped seal or ‘intaglio’ will be accepted by the IRS.
The above image is an example Certified True Copy of a Canadian Passport issued by the Government of Canada prior to September 2023. Note that the Government of Canada no longer imprints a raised dry seal on their passport certification, which means they are not accepted by the IRS as of September 2023.
What is NOT a Certified True Copy of a Passport?
As shown by the criteria above, a certified true passport copy has rather stringent requirements to meet the IRS standards. Notably, none of the following would count as a certified true passport copy:
- A regular photocopy of a passport with no official stamp, signature, or certification.
- A digital scan or photo of a passport that has not been certified.
- A copy missing official details, such as:
- No certifier’s signature
- No date of certification
- No official stamp/seal
- No statement like “Certified true copy of the original”
- A notarized passport copy, whether by an authorized person or not.
A notarized document is one that the taxpayer provides to a public notary or authorized person who bears witness to the signing of the official document and affixes a seal assuring that the document is legitimate. While it sounds similar to a certified document, a certified copy is an exact replica of the original, and issued by the same issuing authority as the original.
One of the most common questions we are asked by ITIN customers is whether a notarized document is acceptable for the IRS Form W-7. Make no mistake, anything other than an original passport or a Certified True Copy of a Passport from a government agency, will not be accepted for ITIN applications (at least when passport is the chosen supporting document).
Where to Get Certified True Copies of Passports within Canada?
With the IRS no longer accepting certified copies from the Government of Canada, you’ll need to look elsewhere for Certified True Copies of a Canadian passport: The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada. Similarly, if you have a non-Canadian passport and are living in Canada, you can use the same service.
On the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada website, under Notarial Services, they have listed ‘True Copy of a Foreign Passport’. This is the service you want.
To actually book an appointment at the US Embassy/Consulate for this service, you can use the ACS Appointment Scheduling System. There you’ll select Canada and then your city. Currently, there are only consulates located in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg.
| U.S. Embassy / Consulate | Location | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary | 615 Macleod Trail SE Rocky Mountain Plaza Building Calgary, AB T2G 4T8 | 403-266-8962 | CalgaryPD@state.gov |
| Halifax | 1973 Upper Water Street Halifax, NS B3J 0A9 | 902-423-6861 | Halifax-ACS@state.gov |
| Montreal | 1134 Sainte-Catherine Street West Montréal, QC H3B 1H4 | 514-398-9695 | Montreal-ACS@state.gov |
| Ottawa | 490 Sussex Drive Ottawa, ON K1N 1G8 | 613-688-5335 | OttawaACS@state.gov |
| Quebec City | 2 Rue de la Terrasse-Dufferin Quebec, QC G1R 4N5 | 418-692-2095 | QuebecACS@state.gov |
| Toronto | 360 University Ave Toronto, ON M5G 1S4 | 416-595-1700 | TorontoACS@state.gov |
| Vancouver | 1075 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6E 2M6 | 604-685-4311 | VancouverACS@state.gov |
| Winnipeg | 201 Portage Avenue, Suite 860 Winnipeg, MB R3B 3K6 | 204-940-1800 | USConsulateWinnipeg@state.gov |
Once you select Country and City, you’ll need to click “Make Appointment” and then “Request notarial and other services not listed above”.
From there you will be taken to a calendar where you can select from the available appointment spots, and then be prompted to fill in your personal information and finalize the appointment booking.
Make sure to bring the original foreign passport to your appointment, and be prepared to let them know that you require a Certified True Copy for a Form W-7 application for ITIN.
Where to Get Certified True Copies of Passports Outside of Canada?
If you are not residing in Canada, you can locate and visit a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your country to request a Certified True Copy. As mentioned above, you can schedule this via the ACS Appointment Scheduling System. Select your Country and City, then “Make Appointment” and “Request notarial and other services not listed above”, and follow the prompts from there.
On the other hand, if you reside in the same country as your passport is issued from, you may have a simpler option to go directly to the government agency or service that can reproduce Certified True Copies of the passport, if they offer this service.
The agency you’d need to contact will vary with the country you’re located in, so you’ll have to do some research to consider this option. Also make sure to confirm with the agency that their copies have an raised “intaglio” seal on them, otherwise they won’t be accepted by the IRS. This is the case in Canada where even Certified True Copies from Service Canada are not accepted because they don’t have the correct seal.
Don’t Bother With Passport Copies: Use a Certifying Acceptance Agent!
If all of the above looks like a headache, there is a simpler option. By using an IRS-approved Certifying Acceptance Agent, you can avoid getting Certified Copies created or parting with your passport or other travel documents at all.
With ITIN Genie’s flagship ITIN service, you upload a scanned copy of your passport and verification video to our secure site. From there we confirm the authenticity of the documents and complete the Form W-7 submission to the IRS on your behalf.
Click Get Started in the navigation above to engage with us, or view all our services to learn more. We offer several different ITIN service options, renewal and maintenance services, and EIN services as well.
Conclusion
You should now have greater clarity on what the IRS expects for Certified travel documents, including the difference between notarized and certified documents. While the U.S. Embassy/Consulates provide a solid option, they are unfortunately not available in every city. So considering other supporting document options like Driver’s License and Birth Certificate can be worthwhile, or even using a Certifying Acceptance Agent like ITIN Genie to handle everything for you.
If you’re considering getting an ITIN, there is no better time than now, as the process has seemingly only become more complicated and tedious with time.
We are always curious to hear the experiences of non-Canadians with getting certified copies from issuing agencies, as our experience is mostly limited to Canada and I’m not sure if the issue here with certified copies not having embossed/raised seals is pervasive with other countries…