How To Authenticate Certificates Photocopies For Admission Abroad

You need to authenticate your credentials (certificates and documents) photocopies if you are applying for admission into Universities abroad. This is especially true for Universities in European countries like Germany. This is a process you cannot escape if you are applying for admission into schools in some countries, even if it is free tuition admission.

The process can be easy or unnecessarily difficult, depending on the choice you make. We have seen people do it by themselves before and we have assisted people to authenticate their certificates too. In this post, we will give you options available to you.

Authentication of Credentials (Certificates and Documents)

There are several documents you need to provide during the admission application process and the common ones include your Birth Certificate or Attestation of Birth (from National Population Commission), School Leaving Certificates (primary), Secondary/high school result (e.g WAEC, GCE and NECO), University Certificate, University Academic Transcript, English proficiency result (e.g. TOEFL), International Passport, etc.

You may be required to scan the original copies of these documents and send with online application. You may also be required to send authenticated photocopies of these document to the admission office.

What do we mean by authenticated copies? It simply means you are telling them they are true copies of the original documents. The photocopied documents will be compared with the original to confirm authenticity and stamped by the authorized bodies. These schools abroad want to make sure the photocopies have not been altered.

Where Do You Authorize/Authenticate Document Photocopies?

1.) Authentication can be done by the authorities that issued them. For example, photocopy of WAEC certificate can be authenticated by WAEC, your B.Sc. certificate authenticated by your University and so on. Can you see the problem with that? You have to take different documents to different places.

2.) Another option which is also widely used is to take it to take the original documents and the photocopies for authentication at the country’s Embassy in your country. There are rules as to how many sets of documents you can authenticate at once, so you have to make sure you know all that before you go. Information like this can be found on the consulate’s website.

You also need to know of you are to book appointment before you go the embassy. This can usually be done online and you will be given a day and time to appear with your documents. If you get there late, you will not be attended to and you may not be given another appointment anytime soon.

3.) The last option available is notarization of documents and certificates. To me, it is the easiest step but it will cost you some money. In this case, you just get a form of sworn affidavit and stamps on all your photocopies indicting that the photocopies are true copies of the original documents. This can be done by going to a Notary close to you. If you don’t know anyone, you can ask a lawyer about it.

We render this as a service on NGScholars if you are in Nigeria. We can do this for you if you contact us.

ALSO SEE: How to Apply for German Students Visa in Nigeria.