Court records
Certified copies explained
Short answer
- US district court certification
- US$12 per document 1
- US district court exemplification
- US$24 per document 1
- Companies House certified copy
- £22 by post, £65 same day 2
- Apostille Convention parties
- 130 4
Plain copy, certified copy, exemplification
A plain copy is any reproduction of a record, such as a PDF downloaded from PACER for US$0.10 a page 5 or a filing read on EDGAR for free 6. A certified copy carries a statement from the office that holds the record that the copy matches the original. The US district court fee schedule lists certification and exemplification as separate services, at US$12 and US$24 1.
Before ordering, ask the body that will receive the document which form it needs.
Court records
US district court clerks charge under the schedule effective 1 December 2023 1.
Company records
Companies House charges £22 for a certified copy by post and £65 for a same day certified copy 2. A certificate of incorporation by post costs £22, and an additional certificate for the same company costs £16 2. ASIC lists certification of a document as an additional fee on top of the document charge 3. ACRA in Singapore sells certificates through Bizfile 7.
Who can ask for a court copy
Rules on who may obtain a copy differ from the rules on certifying it. In England and Wales, a non-party may obtain from the court records a statement of case, without the documents attached to it, and a judgment or order given or made in public 8. Any other document filed by a party needs the court's permission 8.
Using a certified copy abroad
The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents replaces legalisation with a single Apostille certificate issued by a Competent Authority 4. The Hague Conference on Private International Law says the Convention has 130 Contracting Parties 4.
Online versions and legal effect
An online text is not always the legal text. EUR-Lex says its consolidated texts of EU law have no legal effect 9. The electronic Official Journal is the authentic version from 1 July 2013 10.
Common questions
How much does a US federal court charge to certify a document?
US$12 per document, under the schedule effective 1 December 2023 1.
What is the difference between certification and exemplification?
They are separate services in the US district court fee schedule, priced at US$12 and US$24 1.
How do I get a certified copy from Companies House?
Order it from Companies House, which charges £22 by post or £65 for same day service 2.
What is an apostille?
A single certificate under the 1961 Apostille Convention that replaces legalisation of public documents for use abroad 4.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@documentlocker.org.
Sources
- United States Courts: District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (effective 1 December 2023)
- GOV.UK: Companies House fees (updated 25 September 2026)
- ASIC: Search fees
- HCCH: Apostille Section
- PACER: PACER Pricing: How fees work
- SEC: About EDGAR
- ACRA: Buying business information
- Ministry of Justice: Civil Procedure Rules, Part 5, Court Documents
- EUR-Lex: Consolidated texts
- EUR-Lex: Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 of 7 March 2013 on the electronic publication of the Official Journal of the European Union
Related
- How to get court records in different countries
How court judgments and case files are published in the US, England and Wales, the EU, India, Kenya and Singapore, with access rules and fees.
- Company filing registries compared
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- Consolidated and original versions of laws
Why consolidated or revised texts of laws can differ from the official version, with rules from EUR-Lex, legislation.gov.uk, Singapore, the US and Kenya.
- How to cite a primary document
How to cite laws, gazette notices, judgments and company filings so a reader can find the exact version: identifiers, versions, dates and official URLs.