Meaning & use
attested copy
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelegalformal
A copy of a document that has been officially checked and confirmed to be a true copy of the original.
Grammar: Countable: one attested copy, two attested copies.
Patterns
- an attested copy of something
- provide/submit an attested copy
The bank asked for an attested copy of my passport before opening the account.
Please send an attested copy of your degree certificate with the application.
The lawyer kept an attested copy of the contract in the office safe.
Word forms
| plural | attested copies |
|---|
Common combinations
- an attested copy of a document
- She submitted an attested copy of her birth certificate.
- provide an attested copy
- Applicants must provide an attested copy of their ID.
- submit an attested copy
- You need to submit an attested copy of the title deed.
- certified/attested copy
- The file contained a certified or attested copy of the will.
Synonyms and how they differ
- certified copy
- The more common everyday term in American English; both mean an official copy confirmed as true, but certified copy is used more widely outside legal writing.
- true copy
- Focuses on the copy being exact, but does not always suggest official confirmation by an authority.
- duplicate
- A second copy, often official, but not necessarily checked and confirmed against the original.
Opposites
Word family
- attest verb
- To officially confirm that something is true or genuine.
- attestation noun
- An official statement or act of confirming something.
Commonly confused: attested copy or certified copy?
attested copy vs certified copy
Very close in meaning, but certified copy is the usual term in everyday and American official English; attested copy is more formal and legal.
Practice
The embassy requires an attested copy of your marriage certificate. What does this mean?
Choose one answer.
An attested copy has been officially checked and confirmed as a true copy, so option 1 fits. A photocopy that has not been checked (option 3) is just a copy, not an attested one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “attested copy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.